NEW PALTZ — The School of Science and Engineering at the State University of New York at New Paltz will begin the 2003-04 colloquium series on Thursday, Oct. 16, with a lecture about the exciting possibilities for the development of new space-age electronic and fiber-optic materials utilizing carbon nanotube technology.
The colloquium lectures, two in the fall and three in the spring, are designed for a general scientific audience and are given by leading scientists who are available to meet faculty and students during their visits to campus.
“October’s lecture falls into the general field of materials science: the science of creating space-age materials with superlative physical properties not found in the materials used in the past,” said David Clark, associate dean of Science and Engineering, and colloquium chair. “Recently discovered in Japan, carbon nanotubes may well be the key to the construction of electronic and fiber-optic components that are many times stronger, faster and more efficient that those in present use.”
The guest lecturer for Oct. 16 will be Dr. Phaedon Avouris, manager of the nanoscience and nanotechnology group at IBM Research, and recipient of the Feynman Prize for Molecular Nanotechnology. Avouris will give an overview of the prospects for generating carbon nanotubes and of their most promising uses.
Other colloquium lecture series topics and dates are: “Acid Rain: an Unfinished Environmental Problem,” Nov. 20; “Quantum Theory Challenges Reality: the EPR Experiment,” Feb. 12; “Dark Matter, Dark Energy and the Luminous Universe,” March 11; and “Seas, Sand and Mountains: Deep Time in New York 400 Million Years Ago,” April 15.
“The School of Science and Engineering at SUNY New Paltz is a regional center for teaching and research in mathematics, engineering and the natural sciences,” said Clark. “Our Colloquium Series is intended to bring some of the most current, interesting and significant scientific developments to the broader campus and external community. “
The School of Science and Engineering was established in 2001 to bring a mathematics and science focus to the SUNY New Paltz campus. It offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in Chemistry, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Geology, Mathematics and Physics.
The lecture series will take place in the Coykendall Science Building on the New Paltz campus. Each lecture will begin at 4 p.m., followed by a reception. The public is invited to these colloquia at no charge.
For more information or directions, contact David Clark at (845) 257-3728 or visit the School of Science and Engineering on the Web at www.newpaltz.edu/sse.
