Dear Colleagues:

“Give me a place to stand,” said Archimedes, “and I will move the world.” More than two millennia later, men stood on the moon and could not move the world but could see it anew.

The 50th anniversary of the first moon landing led to lots of commentary about how the moon landings, and space program more generally, changed how we (or at least some of us) thought about the world. Some themes are nearly conventional wisdoms: such as how seeing the earth in the distance, one planet surrounded by very little, should help humanity see that we live together on a fragile and special and beautiful world. Both Friends of the Earth and the Whole Earth Catalog owed their origins in part to the image of the earth as a singular whole.

Some of the other effects are less-known and perhaps more certain. The lunar missions upended understandings of the earth’s formation. It is easier to learn about some aspects of geology from the moon than from the earth, because the earth’s geology keeps changing. Arguably a field of planetary science became possible due to the conceptual leap from comparing the earth to the moon and then, logically, to other terrestrial bodies. On July 17, Professor Hauck was part of a panel sponsored by the U.S. National Archives and American Geophysical Society to consider what scientists and others learned from Apollo 11. Join us for further discussion.

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest

Professor Steven A. Hauck studies the evolution of interiors and surfaces of planetary bodies, including the Earth. Principally this involves computational studies of the mechanics of lithospheres, heat transport and dynamics of mantles of solid planets and satellites, and the cooling and crystallization of metallic cores. He also analyzes data returned from planetary spacecraft missions to address such questions from an observational point of view.

As a Participating Scientist on the MESSENGER Mission to Mercury Professor Hauck analyzed the data collected to constrain the planet’s internal history, structure, and origin of magnetic field. He has also been investigating potential mechanisms for generating magnetic fields in small planetary bodies such as Ganymede and Mercury as well as their internal evolution, including testing the case for “iron snow” forming near the core-mantle boundary, and understanding the role of the nucleation barrier for crystallization in metallic cores. Professor Hauck also studies the tectonic histories of planets and moons as recorded in their impact basins and volcanic provinces.

Where We Meet

The Friday Public Affairs Lunch convenes each Friday when classes are in session, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Our programs are open to all and no registration is required. We usually meet in the Dampeer Room of Kelvin Smith Library.

* Kelvin Smith Library requires all entrants to show identification when entering the building, unless they have a university i.d. that they can magnetically scan. We are sorry if that seems like a hassle, but it has been Library policy for a while in response to security concerns. Please do not complain to the library staff at the entrance, who are just doing their jobs.

Parking Possibilities

The most convenient parking is the lot underneath Severance Hall. We regret that it is not free. From that lot there is an elevator up to street level (labeled as for the Thwing Center); it is less than 50 yards from that exit to the library entrance. You can get from the Severance garage to the library without going outside. Near the entry gates – just to the right if you were driving out – there is a door into a corridor. Walk down the corridor and there will be another door. Beyond that door you’ll find the entrance to an elevator which goes up to an entrance right inside the doors to Kelvin Smith Library.

Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

October 18: Roe v. Wade in 2019. With B. Jessie Hill, Judge Ben C. Green Professor of Law.

October 25: Brexit Trick or Treat. With Luke Reader, Full-Time Lecturer in English.

November 1: Local News: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. With Joseph Frolik, Senior Vice President for Communication, Community Relations and Government Relations, MetroHealth.

November 8: TBA. With Peter Shulman, Associate Professor of History.

November 15: Will We Ever Have Paris? The U.S. and the International Politics of Climate Change. With Matthew Hodgetts, Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science.

November 22: The (New?) Israeli Government. With Peter J. Haas, Abba Hillel Silver Professor Emeritus of Jewish Studies.

November 29: Thanksgiving break

December 6: Papers Please: Challenging Citizenship in the United States. With Cassandra Burke Robertson, John Deaver Drinko – Baker Hostetler Professor of Law and Director, Center for Professional Ethics.