The William C. Shaw Lecture Series
Professor William C. Shaw (1908-1977) was a dedicated physicist and educator long associated with Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He was Professor of Physics from 1959 to 1973 and subsequently Professor Emeritus until his death in 1977. He was a skilled and clever teacher with a special dedication to education of the general student.
To commemorate Professor Shaw's many contributions during his long scientific career and to further the cause of general education to which he devoted much of his energy, his family and friends established the William C. Shaw Memorial Fund at SIUE. Proceeds of this fund were used in the construction and equipping of the William C. Shaw Sky Lab, which permits students to experience and study first hand the wonders of the night sky, keeping alive Professor Shaw's love of teaching astronomy. Also supported in part by the Shaw Memorial Fund is the William C. Shaw Lecture Series. The Shaw Lectures are presentations in science aimed at the interested, informed layperson, and the lecturers have been chosen because of their outstanding achievements in science, their ability to provide lectures on stimulating topics and their skill at communicating with the general public.
| No. | Year | Speaker | Lecture Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1979 | Frank D. Drake Cornell University |
Extraterrestrial Intelligence |
| 2 | 1980 | Max Dresden S.U.N.Y at Stony Brook |
Black Holes: Science or Fantasy |
| 3 | 1982 | William A. Fowler California Institute of Technology (Nobel Laureate) |
The Age of the Universe |
| 4 | 1984 | Alvin M. Weinberg Institute for Energy Analysis |
A Second Nuclear Era: Prospects and Perspectives |
| 5 | 1986 | Allan Sandage Mt. Wilson and Las Campanas Observatory |
Creation of the Universe: Astronomical Style |
| 6 | 1987 | Sheldon L. Glashow Harvard University (Nobel Laureate) |
Challenge of Particle Physics |
| 7 | 1991 | Laurie M. Brown Northwestern University |
The Passion for Unity and the Possible End of Physics |
| 8 | 1995 | Harrison Schmidt Apollo 17 Astronaut |
A Trip to the Moon and Beyond |
| 9 | 2001 | Mildred Dresselhaus Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Big Prospects for Small Science: Opportunities in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology |
| 10 | 2002 | Virginia Trimble University of California, Irvine University of Maryland |
Cosmology: Man's Place in the Universe |
| 11 | 2005 | Michael Turner National Science Foundation University of Chicago |
The Dark Side of the Universe: Beyond Stars and the Starstuff We Are Made Of |
| 12 | 2007 | Christopher Sorensen Kansas State University |
Fire, Fractals, and the Divine Proportion |
| 13 | 2010 | Steven Squyres Cornell University |
Roving Mars: Spirit, Opportunity, and the Exploration of the Red Planet |
| 14 | 2011 | Neil deGrasse Tyson Frederick P. Rose Director Hayden Planetarium |
Our Past, Present, and Future in Space |
| 15 | 2013 | John C. Mather NASA (Nobel Laureate) |
History of the Universe from the Beginning to End |
| 16 | 2016 | Capt. Jim Lovell NASA Astronaut |
Apollo 13: A Successful Failure |
| 17 | 2017 | Mae C. Jennison Science Mission Specialist NASA |
Exploring the Frontier of Science and Human Potential |
| 18 | 2018 | Guion "Guy" Bluford, Jr. Retired Col., U.S. Air Force NASA Astronaut |
The Future of the Space Program and International Space Station |
