Alumnus Returns to Present 2012 Woods Lecture

Westminster College's Department of Physics will host Jim Adams '79 for the 25th annual Woods Memorial Lecture Thursday, March 15, at 7:30 p.m. in Phillips Lecture Hall of the Hoyt Science Resources Center.  The talk is free and open to the public.

Adams, deputy director of planetary science at NASA, will present "Finding Life Beyond Earth," part of a major initiative with NASA, Nova, and the National Institute of Aerospace. 

Adams will address the possibility this generation may be the first in history to have other than an "Earth-centric" view of life.  He will discuss discoveries including the Mars Science Laboratory Launch, Dawn Findings, GRAIL mission, and Kepler 22b and what they mean to us on Earth.

In preparation for the program, participants may view the PBS show from last October found here.

Adams, a 1979 Westminster graduate in physics, earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from Villanova University.   He has been with NASA for nearly 25 years and has 10 years of private industry experience working on aerospace projects and missions ranging from Earth and space science to communication satellites.

The Woods Memorial Lecture honors Dr. Robert M. Woods, professor of physics at Westminster College from 1947-1972.  It is made possible by a gift from the Woods family that has been supplemented over the years by gifts from friends and alumni.

Contact Westminster's Department of Physics at (724) 946-7200 for additional information.

Jim Adams