Frontiers in Science Lectures Focus on Radiography and its Contributions to Advancing Science, Medicine

Los Alamos, New Mexico, August 21, 2009-In a series of lectures starting Tuesday, August 25, Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Christopher Morris talks about the science of radiography during a Frontiers in Science lecture at 7 p.m. at the James Little Theater of the New Mexico School for the Deaf, 1060 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe.

In the talk, "Looking Inside Explosions and Other Things," Morris, of the Laboratory's Subatomic Physics Group, explains how X-rays, protons, and naturally occurring cosmic rays can be used to see through opaque objects.

From assisting surgeons with pictures of what's inside a human body to helping border agents find nuclear contraband inside freight containers, the ability to see within objects advances science and medicine and even provides a better understanding of the forces unleashed by high explosives during detonation, according to Morris, who plans to repeat the lecture on the following dates:

• Thursday (August 27), Duane Smith Auditorium, Los Alamos High School, Los Alamos
• September 1, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Road, N.W., Albuquerque
• September 3, El Alcalde Room, Coronado Hall, Taos Convention Center, 120 Civic Plaza Drive, Taos.

All the talks begin at 7 p.m. and are free of charge.

The Frontiers in Science lecture series is sponsored by the Fellows of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Frontiers in Science lectures are intended to increase local public awareness of the diversity of science and engineering research at the Laboratory.

For more information, contact Linda Anderman of the Community Programs Office at (505) 665-9196 or anderman@lanl.gov.
 
About Los Alamos National Laboratory (www.lanl.gov)

Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and the Washington Division of URS for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.

Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.