Dr. Kennedy Reed, guest lecture “Physics in Africa” March 24
Dr. Noureddine Melikechi, dean of the College of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology (CMNST), proudly announces that renowned physicist Dr. Kennedy J. Reed will present the final guest lecture – entitled “Physics in Africa” – as part of the spring 2015 season’s Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 24 in the Longwood Auditorium (room 113) of the Bank of America Building on the DSU campus.
The guest lecture is free and open to the public and will be fascinating to persons of all ages who have an interest in addressing the critical science and technological needs of developing nations in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Reed is a world-renowned theoretical physicist, coming to us from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. Having received his undergraduate degree from Monmouth College in Illinois and his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska, he has produced more than 100 publications on his research in atomic collisions in high-temperature plasmas, and his work has contributed to the understanding of indirect processes in electron-impact excitation and the ionization of highly charged ions.
Although a prominent physicist, Dr. Reed is also one of the foremost leaders in national efforts to increase opportunities for minority students and professionals in the sciences. To that end, he has assisted in the development and directed programs to expand research and training capabilities at minority-serving institutions.
Dr. Reed is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and is the recipient of the APS’s John Wheatley Award for his contribution to physics research and education in Africa -- the only time this award has been given for work in Africa. Through the auspices of the International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, he has been a visiting scientist in the West African countries of Senegal and Ghana, and has been involved in physical science programs in numerous other African countries through other international scientific agencies.
The Kennedy Reed Award was established in his honor by the California-Nevada Section of the American Physical Society, and that award is presented annually to recognize the best theoretical research performed by graduate students. President Obama awarded Dr. Reed with the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Engineering Mentoring in 2010.
For additional information, contact Ms. Diane M. Weller of CMNST, at phone at (302) 857-6506 or by email at dweller@desu.edu.