Theoretical Particle Physicist to Speak at Indiana State University's Speakers Series Programs

A physicist who studies the origin and makeup of the universe is the next speaker for Indiana State University's 203-14 University Speakers Series.

Stephen M. Barr writes and lectures extensively on the relation of science and religion. He will discuss "Particle Physics and Cosmology" on March 4 at 7 p.m. in University Hall Theatre at Indiana State.

Barr is a professor in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Delaware and is a member of the university's Bartol Research Institute. His research centers mainly on "grand unified theories" and the cosmology of the early universe. He has written 150 research papers, as well as an article on Grand Unification for the Encyclopedia of Physics.

Many of Barr's articles and reviews have appeared in First Things, on whose advisory council he serves. He has also written for The Public Interest, The Weekly Standard, National Review, Modern Age, Academic Questions and other national publications. He is the author of Modern Physics and Ancient Faith (University of Notre Dame Press, 2003), A Student's Guide to Natural Science (Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2006) and Science and Religion: The Myth of Conflict (Catholic Truth Society, 2011).

A theoretical particle physicist, Barr received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1978 and went on to do postdoctoral work at the University of Pennsylvania. After holding research faculty positions at the University of Washington and Brookhaven National Laboratory he joined the faculty of the University of Delaware in 1987.

He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He has served on the board of The Fellowship of Catholic Scholars and was elected in 2010 to the Academy of Catholic Theology.

Like all University Speakers Series programs, Barr's presentation is free and open to the public.