Alumnus to discuss today his study of matter, forces that expand the
universe
By JENNIFER PALMBERG
At 13,700 feet above sea level, at the top of Mauna Kea in Hilo Hawaii,
the quest to solve the mysteries of the universe begins.
James R. Kennedy, associate director of operations at the Gemini Observatory
in Hawaii, and a Fresno State alumnus, will speak as part of the University
Lecture Series today at 7:30 p.m. in the Satellite Student Union.
Kennedy and several other scientists study the dark matter and dark forces
that cause the universe to expand, the presence of water within the universe
and the chemical elements that first formed the universe.
“The way we picture the universe has changed over time,” Kennedy
said. “Old ideas have been discarded and new ideas have led us down
a different road. Our understanding of the universe has changed dramatically
in just the past few years, and new discoveries have had us studying things
we couldn’t even have imagined just a few years earlier.”
The Gemini Observatory consists of twin, 8-meter telescopes located in
northern Hilo and the southern Chilean Andes. These two locations make
it possible to see the entire sky. Six countries financially support the
facility; the United States covers 51 percent of that funding.
Kennedy, who received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees
in physics from Fresno State, said he has been fascinated with astronomy
ever since he was a boy.
He said he hopes to reveal some of the observatory’s most recent
discoveries and explain what the focus of the observatory will be for
the next five years during the speech.
“I titled my speech ‘There are more things in heaven and earth
than are dreamt of in your philosophy,’ ” Kennedy said, “It’s
a quote from Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet.’ It struck me as
very appropriate because there really are more things on heaven and earth
than man has ever philosophized about. Nature continues to surprise us.”
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