Forrey to give APS Prize Talk as part of Losoncy Lecture Series

READING, Pa. -- The eighth annual Losoncy Lecture in Physics and Astronomy will be presented by Robert Forrey, distinguished professor of physics at Penn State Berks. Forrey will present “Short Stories in Theoretical Physics Research,” which will cover topics from the 2019 prize he received from the American Physical Society (APS). The lecture will take place from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public, and it will be preceded by a reception in the Freyberger Gallery, in the Perkins Student Center at 4 p.m., where light refreshments will be served.

Forrey is the recipient of the 2019 APS Prize for a Faculty Member for Research in an Undergraduate Institution, awarded to one physicist each year in recognition of outstanding research carried out at an undergraduate institution in the United States. The $10,000 prize, which will be awarded at the national APS meeting in May, cites Forrey's "wide-ranging contributions to theoretical physics, including ultracold atomic and molecular collisions, matter wave optics, metallic clusters and nanoparticles, and molecular astrophysics." The prize also cites Forrey's "exceptional engagement of undergraduate students" in recognition of the large number of students who have participated in his research. Forrey's lecture will weave together the topics cited in his award and highlight contributions made by his students at Penn State Berks.

The lecture series is named in honor of George J. Losoncy, a retired Penn State Berks employee who donated $50,000 to establish a research endowment in physics and astronomy at Penn State Berks.

For more information about this lecture or the Losoncy Lecture Series, contact Leonard Gamberg, professor of physics and event organizer, at 610-396-6124 or lpg10@psu.edu.