For Immediate Release
Friday, April 18, 2008
Distinguished Physics Alumunus Discusses How Physicists Answer Climate Change Questions at Talks on April 24-25
FORT COLLINS - Colorado State University's Department of Physics has recognized Mark Boslough, physicist from Sandia National Laboratory, as the 2008 Distinguished Alumnus. He will deliver presentations at 7 p.m. April 24 in Room A207 Clark Building and 4:20 p.m. April 25 in Room 120 Hammond Auditorium on the Colorado State campus.
His first presentation, "How can a Supercomputer Solve an Ancient Egyptian Riddle?" involves an expedition to Egypt in February 2006 that Boslough led with a documentary film crew to the site of mysterious, natural desert glass considered 30 million years old. Boslough will discuss his hypothesis that the glass was formed by a large explosion resulting from the breakup of a comet or asteroid.
This expedition documentary, "Ancient Asteroid," premiered on the National Geographic Channel in September 2006 and is frequently rerun.
Boslough's second presentation, "Physicists are needed to Save the Earth," will involve his discussion of why physicists are required to answer questions about the causes of natural disasters and climate-change issues.
Boslough received his bachelor's in physics from Colorado State University and his master's and doctorate in applied physics from the California Institute of Technology.
His current research explores comet and asteroid impacts with the use of supercomputers. He also develops and implements methods to deal with the most difficult and urgent national security problems including climate change, national intelligence and energy independence.
Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the U.S. Department of Energy.
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