FOR MORE INFORMATION

CONTACT:  Susie P. Gonzalez

susie.gonzalez@trinity.edu

Aug. 7, 2006

Trinity University Announces

2006-07 Distinguished Scientists Lecture Series

SAN ANTONIO – An oceanographer, an astronomer, and a hurricane expert will be featured in the 2006-07 Trinity University Distinguished Scientists Lecture Series, which is held annually to showcase expertise of interest to the campus and community. Each of the three lectures in Laurie Auditorium is free and open to the public.

Sharing their research will be Ellen Prager, an oceanographer, on Nov. 13; astronomer Steven W. Squyres, who specializes in the environment of Mars, on Jan. 29, 2007; and hurricane expert Kerry Emanuel on March 26, 2007.

Dr. Prager is president of Earth₂Ocean Inc. and a consultant and freelance writer who works with clients such as the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami, the President’s U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, and StormCenter Communications Inc. She specializes in bringing earth and ocean science to the public through books, television, and innovative partnerships. The title of her talk is “Earth and Ocean Science: Science for All?  Or Just for Scientists?”

She has participated in research expeditions to places such as the Galapagos Islands, Papua New Guinea, Caribbean, Bahamas, and the deep waters of the Florida Reef tract.  Dr. Prager has written articles for scientific journals, public-oriented magazines, and several children’s books, including Sand (published by the National Geographic Society), which received the 2000 Parents Choice Award.  She has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox News, CBS Early Show and Nightly News, CNN American Morning, Larry King, Lou Dobbs and in shows for the Discovery Channel.  Dr. Prager was confirmed by the Secretary of the Navy as member and now chairman of the Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, master’s degree from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, and doctorate from Louisiana State University.

Dr. Steven W. Squyres

Dr. Squyres is the Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University and is the Principal Investigator for the science payload on the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Project. His main areas of scientific interest have been Mars and the moons of the outer planets.  Research for which he is best known includes study of the history and distribution of water on Mars and of the possible existence and habitability of a liquid water ocean on Europa. The title of his talk is “Spirit, Opportunity, and the Exploration of the Red Planet,” in which he will provide an up-to-date summary of the missions of Spirit and Opportunity from their initial conception through their launch, landing, and operations on the surface of Mars.

Dr. Squyres has participated in many of NASA’s planetary exploration missions, including the Voyager mission to Jupiter and Saturn, the Magellan mission to Venus, and the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission. Along with his current work on MER, he is also a co-investigator on the 2003 Mars Express, 2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and 2009 Mars Surface Laboratory missions, and was a member of the imaging team for the Cassini mission to Saturn. Dr. Squyres has served as chair of the NASA Space Science Advisory Committee and member of the NASA Advisory Council.  ABC News selected him as Person of the Week in January 2004. His scientific awards include the Harold C. Urey Prize and Carl Sagan Award of the American Astronomical Society and the Space Science Award of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.  He was recently elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

He received his bachelor’s and Ph.D. in geology from Cornell and worked five years as a postdoctoral associate and research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center.

Dr. Emanuel is professor of Atmospheric Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he has been on the faculty since 1981. His research interests focus on tropical meteorology and climate, with a specialty in hurricane physics.  His interests also include cumulus convection and advanced methods of sampling the atmosphere in aid of numerical weather prediction. The title of his talk is “Hurricanes and Society:  Past, Present and Future.”

He was a faculty member at the University of California at Los Angeles before returning to MIT to teach. Dr. Emanuel served as director of the Center for Meteorology and Physical Oceanography at MIT from 1989 to 1997.  He is the (co-)author of more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers and two books, including Divine Wind: The History and Science of Hurricanes, recently released by Oxford University Press and aimed at a general audience.  The American Meteorological Society awarded Dr. Emanuel the 1986 Meisinger Award and the 1992 Banner I. Miller Award (with Richard Rotunno), in recognition of his outstanding achievements in atmospheric and hurricane science.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in earth and planetary sciences and doctorate in meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The Trinity University Distinguished Scientists Lecture Series is made possible by an endowment gift from Mr. and Mrs. Walter F. Brown of San Antonio.

For more information, contact the Office of Public Relations at (210) 999-8406.

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© 2006 Trinity University