A PDF version of the 1998 SMP poster for Grand Rapids is available for downloading and printing. A full house settles in for the first 1997 session of Saturday Morning Physics. Physics is a fundamental science and provides the foundations for solving both cosmic mysteries and practical problems. In 1995, the University of Michigan Department of Physics began sharing some of the latest ideas in the field with the public in the Saturday Morning Physics lecture series. The multimedia presentations include hands-on demonstrations of the principles discussed, along with slides, video, and computer simulations.
All lectures are free and open to the public.
From 1995 through 1997, Saturday Morning Physics was offered only in Ann Arbor, where it became very popular. Our Grand Rapids lecturer was Dr. Phil Fischer, who holds a prestigious Hubble Fellowship in the U-M Department of Astronomy. Dr. Fischer earned his PhD from McMaster University in 1993 and conducts ground-breaking research into the quantity and distribution of matter in the universe. Despite 60 years of study, scientists still don't really know what this dark matter is. In three lectures Dr. Fischer introduced various aspects of gravity and how astronomers are using them to map the distribution of matter in the universe.