Science for Alaska begins Juneau lecture series

Submitted by Cheri Renson
Phone: 907-474-5114
02/04/08

When the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa erupted in 1883, it was discovered that sound waves from a single event could be recorded across the globe. Such sounds are well below the frequency of human hearing and are known as infrasound. Although people cannot hear it, the infrasound portion of the audio spectrum is quite noisy. There are numerous natural phenomena that cause infrasound such as the aurora, earthquakes, lightning, volcanoes and more. Curt Szuberla, an assistant professor of physics at the UAF Geophysical Institute, will allow audiences to tune into the science of the unheard on Wednesday, Feb. 6 with his lecture, "Unheard Soundscape: The Infrasound World of Man & Nature."

Szuberla’s lecture on the infrasound research conducted by a team from the Geophysical Institute kicks off the Juneau leg of the statewide Science for Alaska Lecture Series. It will begin at 7 p.m. in the Centennial Hall Convention Center in Juneau. All ages are welcome to attend this one-hour event. Admission is free. The Science for Alaska Lecture Series brings the current research of University of Alaska scientists to the community in free presentations that are entertaining and educational. Since 1992, roughly 100,000 people statewide have enjoyed science lectures in the series. This year, Science for Alaska’s Juneau lectures will run on consecutive Wednesdays. On Feb. 13, Travis Rector, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at UAA, is scheduled to speak about Pluto in his lecture, "What is a Planet Anyway? The Debate Over Pluto."

The 2008 Science for Alaska Lecture Series is sponsored by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, the Geophysical Institute and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

CONTACT: Cheri Renson, Anchorage and Juneau coordinator, at 907-474-5114 or via e-mail at cheri.renson@uaf.edu.

ON THE WEB: www.scienceforalaska.com