The U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory will ring in the New Year with the start of its popular Ronald E. Hatcher Science on Saturday Lecture Series on Saturday, January 9, at 9:30 a.m. The lecture series has attracted hundreds of science enthusiasts ranging from high school students to retirees, who climb out of bed early on cold winter mornings to hear lectures from top scientists from Princeton University and around the country for more than 30 years.
The nine-week free lecture series was renamed “The Ronald E. Hatcher Science on Saturday Lecture Series” last year in honor of the late PPPL engineer who spent 20 years organizing the series and serving as the unofficial master of ceremonies. Hatcher was also a resident of Plainsboro.
PPPL is devoted to creating new knowledge about the physics of plasmas — ultra-hot, charged gases — and to developing practical solutions for the creation of fusion energy. Results of PPPL research have ranged from a portable nuclear materials detector for anti-terrorist use to universally employed computer codes for analyzing and predicting the outcome of fusion experiments. The laboratory is managed by Princeton University for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
“We invite professors and scientists from all over the country to talk about some of their amazing projects and discuss a broad variety of topics from stars to the ocean and in between,” said Deedee Ortiz, the science education program administrator, who organizes the series. “There’s a lot to learn from them.”
The talks are aimed at high school students but the series attracts many loyal followers of every age. Some have been coming to the lecture series since it began, and who faithfully come to Science on Saturday each week. “Folks look forward to this series all year long,” says Ortiz. “ I get phone calls in August asking if we’re going to run the series the following year.”
The first lecture in the series by astronomer Alan Hirshfeld, “Starlight Detectives: How Astronomers, Inventors, and Eccentrics Discovered the Modern Universe, will focus on the history of modern astronomy culminating in Edwin Hubble’s 1929 discovery that the Universe is expanding. Hirshfeld is a professor of physics at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and an associate of the Harvard College Observatory. He is also the author of a book with the same name as the lecture and “Parallax: The Race to Measure the Cosmos.”
“The Wild and Wacky World of Epigenetics” will be presented on January 16 by former Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman. Epigenetics is the study of how genes can be switched on and off by factors in the environment or other external factors rather than an individual’s DNA sequence.
Among the other topics is a talk on Iran’s nuclear program by Frank von Hippel. A senior research physicist and professor of public and international affairs emeritus, Hippel was assistant director for national security in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 1993 to 1994.
Doors open at 8:15 a.m. and there will be refreshments for early birds. Register on site. Adult visitors should be prepared to show a government-issued photo ID, such as a passport or driver’s license. Non-U.S. citizens must show a photo ID and provide the information including citizenship, date of birth, and place of birth. You can also watch the lecture series live from home via https://mediacentral.princeton.edu/id/1_rqmmkznx.
Science On Saturday, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, 100 Stellarator Road, Plainsboro. For students, parents, teachers, and community members. Photo ID required. Free. Call 609-243-2121 for weather or emergency cancellations. 609-243-2484. www.pppl.gov.
January 9: “Starlight Detectives: How Astronomers, Inventors, and Eccentrics Discovered the Modern Universe” presented by Alan Hirshfeld of University of Massachusetts.
January 23: “Using Physics and Chemistry to Understand the Genome” presented by Mary Jo Ondrechen from Northeastern University.
January 30: “Dealing With Iran’s Nuclear Program” presented by Princeton professor Frank von Hippel.
February 6: “Plastic Electronics” presented by Lynn Loo of Princeton University.
February 13: Presentation by Edgar Choueiri of Princeton University.
February 27: “Brutal Efficiency: ow Mating and Reproduction Influence C. Elegans Longevity” presented by Coleen Murphy of Princeton University.
Saturday, March 5, 9:30 a.m. “Reimagining the Possible: Scientific Transformations Shaping the Path Towards Fusion Energy” presented by Ed Synakowski, DOE.
Saturday, March 12, 9:30 a.m. “Taking the Universe’s Baby Picture” presented by David Spergel of Princeton University.
