Baylor's CASPER Welcomes Distinguished Speakers for Spring 2013 Seminar Series

April 4, 2013
Baylor Sciences Building

Baylor Sciences Building

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WACO, Texas (April 4, 2013)--The Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics and Engineering Research (CASPER) welcomes distinguished guest speakers featured in the Spring 2013 Seminar Series. All lectures will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the Baylor Sciences Building, Room E. 231, unless otherwise noted.
The schedule of guest lecturers is as follows:
April 5, 2013, 3:00 p.m., Rogers Engineering and Computer Science Building, Room 104: Steve Rottler
Dean Dennis O'Neal and the School of Engineering & Computer Science welcomes guest lecturer Steve Rottler, Ph.D., vice president of California Laboratory and Energy for an "Overview of Sandia National Laboratories."
Rottler serves as lead for the laboratories' energy, climate and infrastructure security business unit. The California laboratory's principal programs include nuclear weapons stewardship; homeland security with a focus on defending against weapons of mass destruction; combustion, transportation and hydrogen energy research; biology; and advanced computational and information systems.
April 5, 3:30 p.m., Baylor Sciences Building, Room C.105: Hunter Waite
Waite, Ph.D., institute scientist in the Space Science & Engineering Division of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, will discuss an exciting area of research employing a Flagship-class NASA-ESA-ASI robotic spacecraft in the Saturn system, begun in 1997 and continuing through 2017. Dr. Waite is a renowned planetary scientist who has been involved in numerous flight missions including the Cassini-Huygens mission. He will describe the haze-enshrouded moon Titan and the small moon Enceladus whose cryo-geysers spew water and ice into the Saturn system.
April 12, 2013: Steven Spangler
Spangler, Ph.D., professor of radio astronomy, plasma astrophysics and space plasma physics at the University of Iowa, will present a lecture on plasmas and aspects of solar and interplanetary physics. He will conclude by showing how knowledge gained through study of the Sun and interplanetary medium can contribute to our understanding of much more remote astronomical objects in the Milky Way galaxy and beyond.
"He will be presenting both a technical talk and a 'lay audience' talk, said Truell Hyde, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Research and director of CASPER in Baylor's College of Arts & Sciences. "This will be a wonderful chance for Baylor faculty, staff and students to hear the latest in research in each of his specialized fields."

April 26, 2013: Gerald Cleaver
Cleaver, Ph.D., is an associate professor of physics in Baylor University's College of Arts & Sciences. He specializes in Superstring Theory, which unifies all forces in nature (gravity, electromagnetics and the two nuclear forces). Gerald's current research topics in string theory include the construction of phenomenologically realistic superstring models, string/M-theory cosmology and the string landscape.
Baylor Sciences Building is located at 101 Bagby Ave.
Rogers Building is located at 105 Baylor Ave.
For more information visit https://www.baylor.edu/casper/
by Rebecca Malzahn, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
The School of Engineering and Computer Science is home to computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering and computer science and provides a solid foundation to graduating computer scientists and engineers. Baylor engineering students achieve a higher passing rate on the Fundamentals of Engineering exam than students from any other engineering program in Texas. Baylor Computer Science students compete at the highest level in the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest and Baylor is a past National Champion. Each of Baylor's engineering and computer science programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.