Faculty invited to President's Colloquia on Dec. 6

Faculty members are encouraged to attend the final President's Colloquia event of the fall, which will take place 4-6 p.m. Dec. 6 at Westwood, the Purdue presidential residence.

The series, arranged at the invitation of President Mitch Daniels, is meant to provide timely information about Purdue scholars' research as well as networking opportunities for faculty members from across the University.

The colloquium will feature Marc Caffee, professor and associate head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Darryl Granger, professor and associate head of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, on "Bones, Caves, and Cosmic Rays: Accelerator Mass Spectrometry at PRIME Lab Pieces Together an Ancient Story."

Research that Caffee and Granger carried out in the PRIME Lab, where cosmogenic nuclides of fossils are measured for dating purposes, led to the discovery of Little Foot, a nearly complete Australopithecus skeleton from Sterkfontein, South Africa. This was one of the first measurements made using accelerator mass spectrometry equipment, new to the University in 2014. Their findings point to increased hominid diversity and an even earlier origin for Australopithecus.

The colloquium will include a wine and hors d'oeuvre reception after the presentation. Registration is required, and the registration link is available here.

Presenters for spring semester will be added soon.