The Northwest Ohio Chapter of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) hosts a nationally-renowned speaker Feb. 14-15, 2008, at The University of Toledo. Dr. Martha P. Haynes, Goldwin Smith professor of astronomy at Cornell University, kicks off the AWIS Distinguished Women in Science Speaker Series.

Haynes, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, will present a colloquium for the regular department of physics and astronomy series on Thursday, Feb. 14, at 4 p.m. in McMaster Hall, Room 1005. The topic is “HI Cosmology in the Local Universe with ALFALFA.”

Haynes also is the featured speaker for a public program on Friday, Feb. 15. Her topic is “Seeking Clues to Dark Matter: Hunting for Stealth Galaxies with the World’s Largest Radio Telescope.” The program takes place at 4 p.m. in UT’s McMaster Hall, Room 1005, and is free of charge.

“Dr. Haynes is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, which is one of the highest honors a scientist can achieve in this country,” said Dr. Nancy D. Morrison, professor of astronomy in the department of physics and astronomy at UT, and interim secretary for the regional chapter of AWIS. “The distinguished speaker series is part of a project our chapter has embarked on to provide students and faculty members with exposure to successful women scientists. We also want to give them the opportunity to speak with these scientists in small groups or on a person-to-person basis.”

In April, Dr. Zena Werb, professor of anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco, speaks as part of the Distinguished Women in Science Speaker Series. Her programs are slated for April 17-18, 2008. The topic of her public lecture will be breast cancer.

For more information about Dr. Haynes’ presentations or the Distinguished Women in Science Speaker Series, contact Morrison at 419.530.2659. For a list of scheduled speakers in this series, see http://jura.astro.utoledo.edu/~colloq/#next.