DETROIT—The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Wayne State University is hosting the 2010 Vaden W. Miles Memorial lecture on April 1, featuring guest speaker, Young-Kee Kim, Ph.D.

Kim, an experimental particle physicist whose research focuses on understanding the origin of mass for fundamental particles, is professor of physics at the University of Chicago and the Enrico Fermi Institute. She has been the deputy director of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory since July 2006.

The lecture will be held in WSU's Spencer M. Partrich Law School Auditorium. Refreshments will be served at 3 p.m.; the lecture will follow at 4 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public; registration is required. Reserve a seat by visiting http://events.wayne.edu/rsvp/2010-vaden-w-miles-memorial-lecturer/.

The profound discovery by Einstein a century ago that particles can be made from energy and disappear back into energy inspires the experiments that provide knowledge of the smallest building blocks of matter. The experiments, performed at enormous energy and intensity frontier accelerators, have led to a consistent theory of the origins of our world up to a certain point. However, at an energy scale not far above what can be attained at existing accelerators, this picture is predicted to break down. Moreover, the theory of the very small is intimately connected to cosmology -- the ultimate cause and structure of our universe. Cosmological observations point to the need for a new theory in this energy range.

Kim's lecture will trace the path from where we are to what we need to do to take the next step towards understanding the nature of space and time. The discovery of new particles or new laws at energy and intensity frontier accelerators will open windows on this world.

For additional information, contact Zhixian Zhou at zxzhou@wayne.edu.

Media contact:  Julie O'Connor, julie.oconnor@wayne.edu or (313) 577-8845.

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Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu.