As the Kresge Hearing Research Institute celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Saturday Morning Physics (SMP) lecture series will feature four talks related to hearing loss, in addition to other topics.
Kresge is an international leader in research on the prevention and treatment of hearing loss.
The Department of Physics lectures are from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Oct. 9-Nov. 13 and Dec. 4-11 at 170 and 182 Dennison Building. Now in its 15th year, SMP features lectures about scientific topics and conducts experiments to demonstrate them.
On Dec. 11, before a SMP lecture by U-M physics alumnus and Nobel Laureate Samuel C. C. Ting, the American Physical Society will designate Randall Laboratory as one of 20 APS historical sites. This ceremony, which will include a plaque presentation in the Chemistry Building Auditorium, will honor the Michigan Theoretical Physics Summer Symposia that ran from 1928-41. These symposia, with lectures by virtually every world-renowned physicist, were critical to America’s achieving international status in theoretical physics, says Carol Rabuck, administrator of the SMP lecture series.
SMP will start this semester on Oct. 9 with a lecture by Jochen Schacht, director of the Kresge Institute and professor of biological chemistry. Schacht’s lecture is “Physics Meets Physiology: How We Hear and How We Can Lose Our Hearing.”
“This will be for a general audience to understand our own senses and try to understand the importance of preserving our hearing,” Schacht says.
SMP lectures first started in 1995 to educate students, staff and the public on advancements in modern science. By using engaging multimedia resources, post-doctoral researchers, research scientists and other university faculty discuss the latest developments in scientific research on topics including physics, biology, life sciences and current events.
Each year, about 15 to 18 lectures take place, and attendance has grown steadily to as many as 500 participants a week. Faculty, students and local residents gather in the lecture hall, often an hour in advance, to discuss science and technology.
Over the years, the SMP lecture series has developed and attracted more people from Michigan and beyond.
“Saturday Morning Physics has developed from a one-room lecture hall to two auditoriums in the Dennison Building,” Rabuck says. “We need both the auditoriums to fit all the patrons.”
SMP also tries to align the lecture series with the LSA Theme Semesters and has done so successfully in past semesters.
“Next term the series will focus on water,” Rabuck says.
For a complete listing of SMP lectures, go to www.saturdaymorningphysics.org.
