6 January 2005

PPPL's Science-on-Saturday Series Set to Begin January 15

Plainsboro, New Jersey -- For the twentieth year, the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is offering its popular wintertime Science-on-Saturday lecture series. Beginning January 15, you can find out about gorilla research, high-power lasers, infectious diseases, and molecule behavior, among other subjects featured on several January through March Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. The nine talks, which are free, are geared toward high school students, but open to everyone. Students, teachers, parents, and community members are welcome to attend any or all of the talks. This year's series is being co-organized by PPPL's Ronald Hatcher and James Morgan. The 2005 Science-on-Saturday schedule is given below. A Science on Saturday Brochure in PDF format (240 KB) can be downloaded.

January 15 The Idea of a Moduli Space Professor Jordan Ellenberg Department of Mathematics Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey January 22 A Quantum Chemist Looks Under the Hood: What Makes Molecules Do the Things They Do? Professor Michelle M. Francl Chemistry Department Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania January 29 The Body Synthetic: Biomaterials in You Dr. Michele Marcolongo Associate Professor Materials Science and Engineering Drexel University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania February 5 Glass, The Canvas for Science: From the Scientific Glassblower's Perspective Mr. Michael Souza Department of Chemistry Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey February 12 Linking Perception to Action: Mechanisms of the Brain that Give Rise to Qualities of the Mind Professor Joshua Gold Department of Neuroscience School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania February 19 Invading the Virus World: Detective Stories in Infectious Disease Professor Joseph B. McCormick Assistant Dean and James H. Steele Professor University of Texas at Houston   and Health Science Center School of Public Heath Houston, Texas Professor Susan Fisher-Hoch Biological Sciences University of Texas at Houston   and Health Science Center School of Public Heath Houston, Texas February 26 No Program - New Jersey Regional Science Bowl® March 5 More Perfect Than We Imagined: A Physicist's View of Life Professor William Bialek Joseph Henry Laboratories of Physics   and Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey March 12 High-power Lasers: Another Path to Fusion Energy Dr. John D. Sethian Manager, High Average Power Laser Program Laser Plasma Branch, Plasma Physics Division Naval Research Laboratory Washington, DC March 19 What is the Value of Continued Long-term Research on Wild Mountain Gorillas? Dr. H. Dieter Steklis Professor Emeritus of Primatology Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey   and Vice-president for Conservation Science The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International

All talks will be held at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. The Laboratory is on Princeton University's Forrestal Campus off U.S. Route 1 in Plainsboro and not on the University's main campus in Princeton. The lectures begin at 9:30 a.m. and usually last about two hours. There is no fee for the program. Registration is on-site prior to each session. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, go to the PPPL web site at www.pppl.gov or call the Science-on-Saturday Hotline at (609) 243-2121. The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory is a federal facility. Heightened security measures are presently in effect at PPPL. Upon arrival, all adult visitors must show a government-issued photo I.D. This could include a passport or a driver's license. Non-U.S. adult citizens must show a photo I.D., plus provide the following information: citizenship, date of birth, and place of birth. For the welfare of both our staff and visitors, PPPL security staff retains the right to inspect vehicles and personal packages such as briefcases, satchels, bookbags, and purses. For further information, please contact: Anthony R. DeMeo Head, Information Services Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (609) 243-2755 ademeo@pppl.gov Patricia Wieser Information Services Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (609) 243-2757 pwieser@pppl.gov

PPPL is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by Princeton University.

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Created: 7 January 2005 Send questions or comments to: Anthony R. DeMeo at ademeo@pppl.gov