Congressman Schiff and Caltech provost Steve Koonin will introduce the series on October 22 at 4 p.m. in the Beckman Institute auditorium on the Caltech campus.
The inaugural lecture, "Mars and the Search for Water," will feature Edward C. Stone, the David Morrisroe Professor of Physics and former director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Using a slide presentation of dramatic images of Mars from the most current missions, Stone will explain NASA's ongoing exploration of the Red Planet using the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter. The lecture is free and open to the public.
The Odyssey orbiter is carrying science experiments designed to make global observations of Mars to improve our understanding of the planet's climate and geologic history, including the search for water and evidence of life-sustaining environments. The mission will extend for more than a Martian year (two-and-a-half Earth years). It is scheduled to rendezvous with Mars on October 23, the day following Stone's lecture.
The series consists of quarterly presentations designed for high school and junior college students studying math and science and will give students the chance to learn about opportunities in science from the personalized view of a Caltech researcher. Series topics will span physics, biology, chemistry, and math. All students who live or attend school within the 27th Congressional District have a special invitation to attend.
For more information, call Paul Kidwell in Congressman Schiff's office at (626) 302-2727, or Elizabeth Krider in Caltech's Government & Community Relations Office at (626) 395-8179. Limited parking is available along the perimeter of campus (Del Mar Boulevard, Hill Street), as well as in parking structures on Holliston and Wilson avenues. Attendees are encouraged to carpool.
CONTACT: Jill Perry, Media Relations Director (626) 395-3226 jperry@caltech.edu