| Susie P. Gonzalez | 210-999-8406 | susie.gonzalez@trinity.edu |
Distinguished Woman Astronomer to Visit Trinity University |
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In her public lecture, “Giant Telescopes, Heavy Metal, and Ancient Superstars,” Professor Pilachowski will explain why astronomers are building a new generation of very large telescopes to investigate the birth, death, and the sometimes turbulent lives of stars. Like most professional astronomers, Dr. Pilachowski rarely looks through telescopes; instead, she uses spectrometers and other scientific instruments to analyze the light coming from stars, especially ancient stars that are nearly as old as the universe itself. She will explain how these instruments reveal the process of stellar evolution in order to better understand the early history of the universe. Professor Pilachowski has served for more than 20 years on the scientific staff of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tucson. In 1997, she was honored with the Arthur Adel Award for Scientific Achievement from Northern Arizona University. Currently, Professor Pilachowski is the Kirkwood Chair in Astronomy at Indiana University Bloomington and is president of the American Astronomical Society, the highest such office in U.S. astronomy. Doors to Laurie Auditorium will open at 6:30 p.m. on the day of each lecture. The Distinguished Scientist Lecture Series is made possible by an endowment gift from Mr. and Mrs. Walter F. Brown of San Antonio. Mr. Brown is a Trinity University Trustee. For more information, call (210) 999-8201. |
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Last updated on September 9, 2003 by the Office of Public Relations |
Aug. 22, 2003 – Catherine Pilachowski, the
Kirkwood Chair in Astronomy at Indiana University, Bloomington, will
visit
Trinity University on Sept. 15. While on campus she will meet with
students and faculty and will deliver the first of three presentations
by distinguished women scientists in Trinity University’s Distinguished
Scientists Lecture Series for 2003 – 2004. The lectures begin
at 7:30 p.m. in Trinity University’s Laurie Auditorium and are free
to the public. Following each lecture, the audience will be able to
ask questions and to
meet these leaders of the international scientific community. The
Distinguished Scientists lectures are appropriate for students, parents,
and the broader San Antonio community. Immediately following the
conclusion of Dr. Pilachowski's lecture, the audience will be invited,
weather permitting, to walk to the roof of the Marrs McLean Science
Center
on campus to observe the planet Mars from the state-of-the-art observatory
funded by the National Science Foundation.