September 6, 2001
Smithsonian Astrophysicist Margaret Geller Will
Discuss the Evolution of Galaxies at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute
Troy, N.Y. — Using today’s largest telescopes and space
observatories, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists
can peer back billions of years into the history of the
universe — with a gaze that almost reaches to the beginning of
time.
On Tuesday, Sept. 25, Margaret Geller, senior scientist at the
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, will discuss the origin
and evolution of galaxies that make up the universe when she
delivers the annual Robert Resnick Lecture at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute. The lecture, titled “So Many Galaxies,
So Little Time: A Graphic Voyage Through the Nearby Universe,”
will be held at 4 p.m. in room 3303 of the Sage Laboratory on
campus.
“We can observe all but the first few hundred thousand years
of the history of the universe,” says Geller, who
revolutionized the world’s knowledge of the large-scale
structure of the universe. “Within the next few decades, we
will put together a full history starting from the formation of
the first objects.”
Geller is best known for her maps of the universe and studies
of the structures and evolution of galaxy systems. From her
work, she has made two award-winning films, Where the Galaxies
Are and So Many Galaxies … So Little Time, whose graphics have
been displayed in science museums around the world.
The Robert Resnick Lecture is named in honor of Robert
Resnick, professor emeritus of physics and the Edward P.
Hamilton Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Science Education
at Rensselaer. Resnick, who wrote the premier text series for
undergraduate physics, authored or co-authored seven textbooks
still used throughout the world.
Contact: Jodi Ackerman
Phone: (518) 276-6531
E-mail: N/A