In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Honors College, Ronald Mallett, professor of theoretical physics at the University of Connecticut will be giving a lecture titled “Time Traveler: A Scientist’s Personal mission to Make Time Travel a Reality” on April 7. The lecture will take place in the Kiva at 5 p.m. followed by a reception and book signing in Room 204 in the Kent Student Center at 6:30 p.m.

Can a circulating beam of light make time travel a reality by dragging time into a closed loop? Theoretical physicist Ronald Mallett thinks it can. Working with Einstein’s theories of relativity and space-time, he has discovered the basic equations for a working time machine that may make time travel possible. Mallett has appeared on This American Life and on TLC’s The World’s First Time Machine. It has just been announced that Spike Lee will direct a movie based on his life and work. Mallett’s book Time Traveler, a sort of Elegant Universe meets H.G. Wells, has the scientific community – and the general public – abuzz with renewed interest and serious debate.

In his lectures, Mallett explains his theories, which are derived from the work of Einstein and Godol and from his own experiments of more than 30 years. But behind the science lies Mallett’s personal story. He touches on the death of his father when he was a boy (which set him on his current path to invent a time machine) and tells us how he overcame poverty and racism to become one of the few African-American PhDs in theoretical physics. Mallett’s talks are both intriguing scientific fodder for the future of time travel and an inspiration to aspiring young scientists.

The Guest of Honor University Artist/Lecture Series is funded by the Provost’s Office and coordinated by the Honors College. If special accommodations for disabilities are needed, please notify the Honors College as soon as possible.

Media Contact: Deborah Craig, 330-672-2312, dcraig@kent.edu