Penn State Altoona News

Tuesday, November 7, 2006 - 506 hits

Time Travel Author and Former Penn State Altoona Student to Present Lecture

ALTOONA -- Former Penn State Altoona student Ron Mallett has attained a level of stature in academia to which many aspire but only a select few attain. A world-renowned physicist, he is regarded as a leading authority on time travel. Fascinating research has been accompanied by fame and professional acclaim, but the motivating factor that led Mallett to pursue three degrees in physics was deeply personal.

“When I was 10, my father died of a heart attack. He was only 33 years old,” Mallett said. “I was devastated. Not long after his death, I read H.G. Wells’ classic, The Time Machine. At that point, I conceived of the notion of building a time machine to see my father again. Eventually, I found out that Einstein’s theories of relativity might lead to that possibility. In order to understand Einstein’s work, I had to understand physics. Ultimately, that led to my decision to major in physics.”

Mallett began the pursuit of his dream as a first-year student at Penn State Altoona in the fall of 1966. By 1973, he had earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and Ph.D. ­- all in physics. He'll return to the college Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. to present a lecture on "Time Travel: Its Past and Future" in the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts. The free lecture will be followed by a book-signing of his October 2006 release, Time Traveler, A Scientist’s Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality.

A professor at the University of Connecticut, Mallett has discovered, through research, the foundation for a time machine based on a circulating cylinder of light. He outlined his principle of time travel in his paper, “Weak gravitational field of the electromagnetic radiation in a ring laser,” published in Physics Letters A. Citing Mallett’s work, physicist and writer Dr. Michael Brooks said, “We’ve known for a long time that time travel is possible in theory. What we’ve never known is how to do it. But what Mallett has come up with here is a means to achieve it. He’s got a blueprint for a time machine.”

When the topic of time travel surfaces in the media, Mallett often is the primary source for journalists around the globe. He has been featured in various print and electronic media, including Newsweek, FOX News and The Learning Channel. He also is in demand as a public speaker. Mallett said the most common misconception is that time travel has not been achieved experimentally. Audiences for his presentations generally include a few skeptics.

“However, after I show the sound basis for time travel in Einstein’s theories of relativity and indicate real experiments demonstrating time travel, then people come away with a realization that time travel is possible,” Mallett remarked.

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. His primary research interests are in general relativity and gravitation, black holes, relativistic astrophysics, and quantum cosmology. His celebrity increased recently with the release of his book.

While Mallett regards his book as part of his legacy, he said, “It would be nice to be thought of as one of the pioneers of time travel. But more importantly, I want to communicate to people the excitement of a life dedicated to teaching and the exploration of the unknown.”

Free tickets are available in the Penn State Altoona Bookstore and in the Box Office of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts. For more information, call (814) 949-5452.