Woods Lecture Focuses on Continuing Space Science

Jim Adams, NASA executive administrator and 1979 Westminster College graduate, will deliver the Woods Memorial Lecture Thursday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Phillips Lecture Hall located in the Hoyt Science Resources Center.

Adams will present "Space-Why Bother?," which includes his views on why space science should continue to be an international priority. He will describe what has been learned from successes and failures in missions to study other planets and future plans for flights, all with the goal to better understand the formation and evolution of the Earth, Sun, and other planets.

Adams currently serves as deputy director for planetary sciences at NASA headquarters in Washington, D. C. Prior to this appointment, he served as project manager and deputy manager for numerous planetary probe launches, most recently in 2006 flights of two probes to look at solar emissions from two different angles, called project Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO).

Adams will deliver a more technical presentation on project STEREO at 4 p.m. in the Hoyt Science Center room 152.

Adams majored in physics at Westminster and received a master's degree in electrical engineering from Villanova University. He has been with NASA for 19 years, serving primarily at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. Adams also 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.

The event is free and open to the public. Contact Dr. Samuel Lightner, professor and chair of the Department of Physics, at (724) 946-7204 or e-mail lightner@westminter.edu for more information.

Jim Adams