Hobart & William Smith Speaker Series at Wood Library

The Physics of Star Trek
How much science is there in science fiction?  Is a future with faster-than-light travel and people beaming from one spot to another possible?  How much of  that technical talk about neutrinos, wormholes, and lasers just a bunch gibberish?  And where does the science of our ordinary lives fit into this future?  We will use "Star Trek" as our science fiction laboratory, and will figure out what they get right, what they get wrong, and what we just don't know about yet.  And don't worry: No previous knowledge of "Star Trek" or physics is needed to enjoy this talk

About the Speaker
 Donald Spector is a professor of theoretical physics at Hobart & William Smith Colleges. His course "Physics through Star Trek" has made it into the pages of the Dallas Morning News and CosmoGirl magazine.  His work on particle physics and supersymmetry has been recognized by all sorts of acronyms, including NSF, KITP, JSPS, NATO, and FQXi.  He is on the board of the Institute for Science and Interdisciplinary Studies.