DATES: 10-11:30 a.m., Sept. 13. 2008

10:30-11:30 a.m., Sept. 20, 27; Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25; Nov. 1, 8, 15, 2008

EVENT: The fall 2008 Saturday Morning Physics talks.

A University of Michigan tradition since 1995, this lecture series allows physicists to discuss their work in easy-to-understand, non-technical terms. The talks include multimedia presentations, hands-on demonstrations, slides, videos and computer simulations.

The schedule includes:

Sept. 13

(Special time and venue: 10-11:30 a.m. at the Power Center, 121 N. Fletcher Street in Ann Arbor. Park on Fletcher Street; no parking at the Church Street Lot on this date.)

“A Panel Discussion of Complicite’s play “A Disappearing Number”

The University Musical Society (UMS) and Saturday Morning Physics will convene math, science, theatre and humanities professors to discuss the London theatre company Complicite’s production “A Disappearing Number.” Audience participation is invited. Through its use of innovative multimedia stagecraft, the play weaves together the past, present and future in an exploration of mathematics, patterns, beauty and our relentless compulsion to understand. The play runs Sept. 10-14 at the Power Center. For play tickets, call the UMS Ticket Office at 734-764-2538, or visit www.ums.org/number. For more information on the Saturday Morning Physics program, please visit www.saturdaymorningphysics.org or call (734) 764-4437.

Sept. 20

Professor Leonard Sander, Physics and Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics (U-M)

“A Physicist Looks at Brain Tumors”

Highly malignant brain tumors spread through the brain by invasion, the migration of single cancer cells. This process is devastating for the prospects of curing patients. The biomechanics of the invasion process is little understood, but is central for making progress towards control of the disease. Professor Sander will present a number of studies which tackle the issue.

Sept. 27

Professor Scott Watson, Physics (U-M)

“Superstring Cosmology or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Inflation”

In its earliest moments the universe experienced a very rapid period of accelerated expansion known as cosmological inflation. Inflation leads to a number of observational signatures that can be used to test our theories of the early universe. One example of such a theory is superstring theory. Recent theoretical advances not only provide testable string models of inflation, but may even allow us to ask what happened before the Big Bang. Most excitingly, many of these ideas will be tested in the near future by experiment.

Oct. 4

Professor Aaron Pierce, Physics (U-M)

“Revealing the Building Blocks of Our Universe”

Particle physicists try to answer some fundamental questions. What is the universe made of? How do these basic constituents interact? The Large Hadron Collider, set to start taking data this fall, should provide the data that will help answer these mysteries.

Oct. 11

Dr. Frank H. Quinn, (Consulting Research Hydrologist)

“A Current Perspective on Great Lakes Water Levels”

Dr. Quinn will give an overview of the Great Lakes system from a water quantity perspective, a discussion of the types of water level fluctuations, water supply parameters and variability, glacial isostatic adjustment, human-caused changes to the system, and end up with current issues involving lake levels.

Oct. 18

Professor Homer Neal, Physics (U-M)

“The Large Hadron Collider: The World’s Most Powerful Particle Accelerator”

The world’s most powerful accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), will be inaugurated in Geneva on Oct. 21, 2008. This huge accelerator, 18 miles in circumference, will permit scientists to explore some of the most intriguing questions of our time, such as, what is the origin of mass, what are the basic symmetries of nature, and what are the properties of the smallest building blocks of matter. The University of Michigan has one of the largest research groups involved with the LHC and Professor Neal will review the University’s role in this project, the status of the accelerator, and the plans for the initial experiments.

Oct. 25

Professor Donald Lopez, Asian Languages and Cultures (U-M)

“Buddhism and Science”

In debates on the relationship between religion and science, some have argued that among the world’s religions, Buddhism is the most compatible with science. In this lecture, Professor Lopez will provide a brief history of the association of the Buddhism with science.

Nov. 1

Professor Jennifer Ogilvie, Physics (U-M)

“Tricks with Light: How Microscopy Reveals the Biological World”

From the first observation of cellular structures, light microscopy continues to shape our understanding of biology. This lecture will examine several important properties of how light interacts with matter, and explain how these interactions are exploited in the light microscope. Touching on several established microscopies, the talk will also explore recent progress that is pushing the frontiers of spatial and chemical resolution, providing us with a richer view of the biological world.

Nov. 8

Professor Michal Zochowski, Biophysics (U-M)

“What Physics has to do with Brain Function”

Why are physicists studying the brain? What new angle can they bring to the table? Finally, what did we learn about different aspects of brain function using our research approaches? These are the questions Professor Zochowski will address in connection to brain structure, brain dynamics and brain function.

Nov. 15

Professor Richard Canary, Mathematics (U-M)

“Non-Euclidean Sports and the Geometry of Surfaces”

There are three “nice” two-dimensional geometries: spherical, Euclidean and hyperbolic.

In order to understand hyperbolic geometry, Professor Canary will discuss its impact on various sports. He will examine the classification of surfaces and their natural geometries. Lastly, he will conclude with a brief look at recent progress on the geometrization of 3-dimensional spaces.

PLACE: All lectures except for the Sept. 13 lecture are held in rooms 170 and 182 of the Dennison Building, 500 Church St., on the U-M Central Campus in Ann Arbor.

SPONSOR: The fall 2008 series is sponsored by the M. Lois Tiffany Endowment, the U-M Department of Physics and gifts from friends of the program.

Central Campus MapSaturday Morning PhysicsPhysics Department