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AlumniMallett Selected 2007 Penn State Alumni Fellow
Ron Mallett has experienced the type of year that one would love to re-live. And—if there is anyone on the planet who could make that dream a reality some day—it is Mallett, a world-renowned physicist and authority on time travel. Within a twelve-month period, Mallett has received Penn State Altoona's Outstanding Alumni Award, toured the country and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to promote his book, negotiated with Hollywood producers and directors to make a movie based on the book, and appeared on the United Kingdom's most popular talk show. Most recently, he was among twenty-two recipients of the Alumni Fellow Award, the most prestigious award given by the Penn State Alumni Association. Mallett is the seventh Penn State Altoona nominee to receive the award, which recognizes outstanding professional achievement and contributions to society. "This has been the most exciting year of my professional career," states Mallett, author of Time Traveler, A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality. "It all began in September 2006 when I was honored with the Outstanding Alumni Award during the Ivyside Society induction ceremony at Penn State Altoona." "One memorable moment for me was when a student approached me to sign his book and said, 'Thank you for helping us to dream again.'" The ensuing months have been a whirlwind of activity for the University of Connecticut physics professor. Since the release of Time Traveler last November, Mallett has conducted twenty-five book signings and offered presentations in nine states from New Hampshire to California and Florida to Washington. His appearance at Ivyside Park attracted a near-capacity crowd and resulted in a particularly meaningful encounter. "I was deeply touched by the interest that was shown by the audience to my lecture and book," says Mallett, a former Penn State Altoona student. "One memorable moment for me was when a student approached me to sign his book and said, 'Thank you for helping us to dream again.'" Mallett has been interviewed on several nationally syndicated radio programs, including Art Bell's Coast to Coast and National Public Radio's This American Life. Inspired by significant listener response to the latter program, the highly respected Hollywood United Talent Agency contacted Mallett, offering to represent him in negotiations for the film rights to his book. A mixture of memoir and popular science, the book was released in the United Kingdom in August by Doubleday under the title The Time Traveller: One Man's Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality. [Note the English spelling of Traveller.] "Since its release, there has been a media explosion of interest in the UK," Mallett said. "I was doing BBC radio interviews nearly every single day after the book's release. England's major national newspaper, the Daily Mail, did a piece, and I appeared on the Richard & Judy Show. I've been told by my foreign rights agent that the show is the UK equivalent of Oprah! It was a fantastic opportunity that I believe will give worldwide attention to my book." In August 2007, The Time Traveller earned a spot on the Amazon UK's best sellers' list. Plans call for the book to be translated into Korean and Chinese in 2008. As he continues to receive acclaim around the globe for his research into time travel, Mallett points to the Alumni Fellow Award as one of his greatest personal honors. "I find that words are inadequate to express my gratitude for being selected for this most prestigious award," Mallett humbly states. As part of the Alumni Fellow experience, Mallett was invited to lecture to classes at Penn State Altoona. Asked what advice he most wanted to impart to students, Mallett said, "Looking back on all of the incredible events that have occurred for me during my years as a Penn State student and as a professional scientist, the advice that I would give to any student would be to follow your dream." —JIM CALTAGIRONE More About Mallett
Ronald L. Mallett is professor of physics at the University of Connecticut. His primary research interests are in general relativity, black holes, relativistic astrophysics, and quantum cosmology. After two years as a research scientist at United Technologies Research Laboratory, Mallett joined the faculty of the University of Connecticut as assistant professor in 1975. He was promoted to associate professor in 1980 and professor in 1987. Mallett discovered the foundation for a time machine based on circulating light and Einstein's theory of relativity. This work was first outlined in Mallett's paper, "Weak gravitational field of the electromagnetic radiation in a ring laser," published in Physics Letters A. Mallett predicted that circulating laser light could not only twist space, a phenomenon known as frame dragging, but also create a time loop through which subatomic particles and information can be sent into the past. An accomplished academician and researcher, he began his undergraduate studies at Penn State Altoona and earned three degrees in physics from the Eberly College of Science: a bachelor's in 1969, master's in 1970, and doctorate in 1973. The Alumni Fellow ProgramEstablished in 1973, the Alumni Fellow program honors prominent alumni who provide a dimension to the academic curriculum not otherwise available in the traditional college classroom. Recipients are invited to return to Penn State campuses to share their knowledge and expertise with the University community. The Alumni Fellow Award is administered in cooperation with each of Penn State's academic colleges and has achieved high academic prestige and visibility within the Penn State community. The Board of Trustees has designated the title of Alumni Fellow as permanent and lifelong. Previous Alumni Fellows nominated by Penn State Altoona:
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