Plait and Oluseyi to Talk Astronomy and More at Public Forum Feb. 26

Free Event Starts at 8 p.m. at FIT’s Gleason

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Florida Institute of Technology associate professor Hakeem Oluseyi, who has provided his expert astrophysical insight on CNN, Discovery, Science Channel and more, will join Slate’s Bad Astronomy blogger and “Crash Course Astronomy” presenter, Phil Plait, for an evening of discussion about astronomy, science and more starting at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26 at Gleason Performing Arts Center on the Florida Tech campus in Melbourne.

Dan Batcheldor, associate professor and interim head of Florida Tech’s Department of Physics and Space Sciences, will moderate.

The free event, presented as part of Florida Tech’s ongoing Public Science Lecture Series, will feature a 30-minute Q&A session in addition to the discussions between Oluseyi and Plait.

The two scientists first met several years while recording a TV show.

“We hit it off immediately,” Plait said recently on his blog. Oluseyi is “a bit larger than life – booming deep voice, huge brain, big laugh (which happens a lot), and very thoughtful. You’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the future, I’d wager.”

Plait and Oluseyi will talk about current astronomy topics and newsy science matters, Plait said, in addition to the lengthy Q&A. Questions from children are encouraged, he said.

Afterward, if the skies are clear, Florida Tech’s Student Astronomical Society will host an open evening at the Olin Observatory.

“It’ll be a great night,” Plait said.

For more information, visit http://cos.fit.edu/pss/aapls.php.

You can find Plait’s Bad Astronomy blog at www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy.html.

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