Communication Associate: Public Relations | Lori Melton | lmelton@d.umn.edu | (218) 726-8830
June 3, 2011 Cheryl Reitan | Interim director | UMD Public Relations and Marketing | 218 726-8996 | creitan@d.umn.edu
Howard Mooer | Professor and director of the UMD Planetarium | UMD Geological Sciences | 218 726-7239 | hmooers@d.umn.edu
Alec Habig | Associate professor | UMD Physics | 218 726-7214 | ahabig@d.umn.edu
Jonathon Olson | Assistant manager | Zinema2 | 218 336-1412 | john@zinema2.com
UMD Hosts Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" at Zinema2 in Duluth
Every Saturday from June 4 through August 27 at 11 a.m., UMD geological sciences professor Howard Mooers and UMD physics professor Alec Habig, as well as College of Education and Human Services (CEHSP) student Lindsey Meuwissen, will alternately host the 13-part Carl Sagan television series "Cosmos" at Zinema2, located at 222 East Superior Street in downtown Duluth. The UMD hosts will guide a question and answer session and the showing of the series.
Each Saturday event is free and open to the public.
The tentative UMD host schedule is as follows:
June 4 – Habig
June 11 – Meuwissen
June 18 – Habig
June 25 – Mooers
July 2 – Meuwissen
July 9 – Mooers
July 16 – Meuwissen
July 23 – Habig
July 30 – Mooers
August 6 – Meuwissen
August 13 – Mooers
August 20 – Habig
August 27 – Habig
Jonathon Olsen, the assistant manager at Zinema2, wanted to expose more people to Carl Sagan's "Cosmos." He came up with the idea of pairing the series with local scientific leaders. "The series serves as a passionate defense of the pursuit of knowledge and a good counterpoint to cynicism. The show deals a lot with history and trying to place the scientific ideas within a context of heritage."
About the UMD Hosts
Dr. Howard Mooers is the Robert L. Heller Professor Geology, Director of the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium, and Director of the UMD Honors Program. Professor Mooers teaches introductory astronomy and observational astronomy as well as numerous courses in geology. An avid amateur astronomer since his youth, Howard spends evenings with his 12-year-old daughter in his private observatory.
Alec T. Habig is an associate professor and physics department head. Habig has worked on the MINOS, NOvA and HALOneutrino experiments and is participating in SNEWS (Supernova Early Warning System), which is a coincidence monitor of many neutrino experiments to provide early warning of a supernova in our galaxy. He is also UMD's representative to the Minnesota Space Grant Consortium and the associate director at the Soudan mine underground lab.
CEHSP student, Lindsey Meuwissen, is a teaching physics major with a double minor in astronomy and dance. She also directs the Planetarium shows and schedule.
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