WKU News

You won’t need to be a rocket scientist to attend astrophysicist/educator Dr. Jeffrey Bennett’s Relativity Tour presentation April 30 at WKU’s Downing Student Union Auditorium.

Dr. Bennett will present Black Holes Don’t Suck! – An Intuitive Introduction to Einstein’s Relativity Theories and Why They Matter at 7 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

The year 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, which redefined human understanding of space, time and gravity. (Additional information about the Relativity Tour presentation is available at http://www.bigkidscience.com/relativity-tour/)

Dr. Richard Gelderman, professor in WKU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, said Dr. Bennett’s presentation will appeal to everyone because “you couldn’t live life today without the General Theory of Relativity.”

As Dr. Bennett notes on the tour’s website: “Most people assume that Einstein’s theory of relativity is beyond their comprehension, so they find it empowering to realize that it’s actually based upon simple ideas that anyone can understand.”

Einstein’s theory is more than the famous equation E=mc2 and is a key part of modern science and technology, including GPS.

“Every time you pull out your smartphone, you use GPS technology to find where you’re at,” Dr. Gelderman said. “That couldn’t be done without Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity.”

Dr. Bennett also is the author of the Max science adventure series of books. At 5 p.m. April 30, the Hardin Planetarium will present the Bowling Green premiere of Max Goes to the Moon, which tells the story of Max (the dog) and a young girl Tori who take the first trip to the Moon since the Apollo era.

“Max Goes to the Moon is a great story with cool pictures and great science,” Dr. Gelderman said.

Seating at the Hardin Planetarium is limited. Tickets are $3 and are available at http://skyscifest.com/hardinplanetarium/max/.

Dr. Bennett’s visit to WKU is part of the inaugural SKy Science Festival.

The SKy Science Festival will culminate with Expo Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 2 at Circus Square Park in downtown Bowling Green. Expo Day, a regional event, will feature main stage demonstrations, tents and activity booths where visitors can learn, explore and do science, Dr. Gelderman said.

If you’re interested in participating in the SKy Science Festival Expo Day, visit http://skyscifest.com/expoday/. If you’d like to volunteer during Expo Day, sign up at http://skyscifest.com/volunteer/

Contact: Richard Gelderman, (270) 745-6203