New ‘21st Century Science’ lectures at Gleacher Center to focus on medicine, astronomy, computing

The newest advances in medicine and aging, the next generation of computers and recent discoveries about the origin of the universe will highlight a series of public lectures on “21st Century Science,” sponsored by the Graham School of General Studies.

The lectures will be held from 7:30 to 9 p.m. one Monday a month from March through May on the 6th floor of the Gleacher Center, 450 N. Cityfront Plaza Drive, in downtown Chicago. Cost for the series is $60, or $25 for individual lectures.

Sean Carroll, Assistant Professor in Physics, will kick off the series Monday, March 19. Carroll will describe how scientists now actually measure the shape of space and determine details of how the universe began.

He will explain how astronomers have detected the remnant radiation from the big bang that began the universe, and how, with new experiments, they are measuring the subtle ripples in space that led to the formation of the first galaxies.

Speaking Monday, April 23, will be David Weiss, Clinical Instructor in Orthopedics, Surgery and Rehabilitative Medicine. Weiss, a specialist in rehabilitative medicine, has treated major athletes. He will discuss the ability of modern medicine to diagnose and treat problems that arise from injury or aging.

He also will talk about steps that people can take to enhance their health and allow them to remain active as they age.

Speaking Monday, May 21, will be Rick Stevens, Professor in Computer Science at the University and Director of the Mathematics and Computer Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory. Stevens specializes in developing new uses of computers. His talk will envision what life will be like beyond the current high-impact computer technologies that include the World Wide Web, e-mail and Palm Pilots.

For more information about the lecture series, call (800) 997-9689.