Blinn College District alumnus and aerospace scientist Michael Harrison will demystify the mysterious realm of dark matter during a Zoom presentation at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 8. Harrison’s presentation is free and open to the public at bit.ly/3nOAHA5.
Harrison, whose career as an aerospace scientist has spanned almost 40 years, will focus on dark matter and dark energy, including a review of the Higgs boson particle that was discovered in 2012.
The program is being hosted by the divisions of Business and Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Technology and Innovation, and Natural and Physical Sciences.
Harrison attended Blinn from 1975-76 and earned his bachelor’s degree in theoretical physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After graduating from MIT, he began working at TRW Space Technology in Redondo Beach, California. During his aerospace science career, he has worked primarily in the design of data acquisition and satellite guidance systems.
Harrison has been a longtime speaker for clubs and civic organizations, explaining scientific concepts in an easy-to-understand way.
“In 1984, I started speaking to clubs and other civic organizations to demystify the space program and scientific announcements,” he says. “Nothing is more satisfying to me than when people come up after a speech to share the fact that they desperately wanted to understand these ideas, and my approach allowed them to capture the concepts for the first time.”
A question-and-answer session will follow Harrison’s presentation.
For more information, contact Ashley Hermes, engineering programs director, at ashley.hermes@blinn.edu.
