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The
2004 Romer Lecture
Robert
Greenler
Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Thursday, April 22nd, 2004, 8:00 p.m. Hepburn Auditorium
"The NASA Shuttle-Launch, Dark-Moon-Ray Mystery"
Dr. Robert Greenler is Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he has been a faculty member since 1962. He has been instrumental in the development of the Laboratory for Surface Studies at Milwaukee, an internationally recognized interdisciplinary laboratory that has been the focus for much of his research effort. He is the organizer of "The Science Bag," a series of public science programs in Milwaukee that has had over 150,000 attendees since it was started in 1973. He had been the producer of a series of 30 videotape versions of selected Science Bag programs that are sold over the country for classroom use. Another area of his interest concerns the study of optical effects of the sky. His book, Rainbows,
Halos, and Glories, was published by Cambridge University Press in 1980 and has been reprinted in paperback edition by Peanut Butter Publishing. This interest in optical sky phenomena has taken him on three field trips to the U S Antarctic Research Station located at the South Pole. Professor Greenler served as the President of the Optical Society of America in 1987. In 1988 he received the Millikan Lecture Award of the American Association of Physics Teachers for the "creative teaching of Physics" and in 1993, the first Esther Hoffman Beller Award to be awarded by the Optical Society of America for "…extraordinary leadership in advancing the public appreciation and understanding of science…". In 2002, his name was placed on a bronze plaque at the Spaights Plaza on the campus of the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee as an individual “…who has made significant, enduring, and campus-wide contributions to the growth and development of the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee.” His latest book, Chasing the Rainbow: Recurrences in the Life
of a Scientist, was published in 2000 by Elton Wolf. He now lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
A
photograph of the February 7, 2001 launch of the space shuttle Atlantis,
shows many interesting sky effects. The most striking feature is the dark
ray converging toward (or radiating from) the full moon. The photo presents
an interesting puzzle that can be understood, mostly without any additional
information. A variety of effects visible in the photo will be discussed
with the aid of slides, demonstrations, and a video segment.
Return to The Romer Lecture Index
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| © | St. Lawrence University | Department of Physics |
| Revised: 15 Apr 2004 | Canton, NY 13617 |