Nobel Laureate to explain 'Science of Cold' to middle schoolers

Nobel Laureate William D. Phillips will speak about the science of cold temperatures at 10 a.m. on Jan. 9, 2008, to approximately 800 students at Parkland Magnet Middle School for Aerospace Technology in Rockville, Md. The event, which will include live demonstrations, will coincide with the premiere of a two-part national public television science program called "Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold."

Phillips's talk at Parkland Middle School will discuss the nature of cold, how the properties of everyday materials change drastically at cold temperatures, how these facts relate to his research into ultracold matter, and how that research affects the lives of the students and their families. After the talk and demonstrations, he will field questions from the students.

Dr. Phillips will be greeted by Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Jerry D. Weast, members of the MCPS Board of Education, and Parkland acting principal Ben OuYang.

Airing on January 8 and 15 on the PBS science series NOVA, "Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold" describes how philosophers, scientists and engineers attempted over four centuries to understand the nature of cold and to create the cold-temperature technologies like refrigeration and air conditioning that have transformed society.

Phillips, a resident of Gaithersburg, is a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and a fellow at the Joint Quantum Institute, a joint venture of NIST and the University of Maryland, He shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 for his pioneering studies using lasers to cool atoms to temperatures near absolute zero. He served as an advisor to the program's producers. In addition, Eric Cornell, another NIST physicist, who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001 for creating an unusual ultracold form of matter, is featured in part two of the NOVA program.

Reporters interested in attending the event should register in advance with Ben Stein, 301-975-3097 or Kate Harrison, 301-279-3853

When: Wednesday, January 9, at 10:00 a.m.

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Parkland provides students in Grades 6 through 8 with a rigorous academic program focused on advanced and applied mathematics and science. Students at the school explore technology solutions in aerospace, satellite, and robotic engineering.

Contact: Kate Harrison, Acting Director
MCPS Public Information Office
TEL.: 301-279-3853

PBS Website on Absolute Zero TV Program: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/zero/

About NIST: A non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.

About MCPS: Located in Maryland in the Washington D.C. suburbs, the Montgomery County Public School system is the 16th largest in the United States. Ninety percent of MCPS students graduate.