The lecture will focus on some common misconceptions about Albert Einstein, his scientific contributions and how his views on social, political and educational issues are still relevant today. This year marks the centennial of the writing of Einstein's five landmark papers of 1905, on the quantum radiation theory of light, the special theory of relativity, and the use of statistical mechanics to prove the existence of atoms.

Dr. Stachel was the founding editor and director of the Einstein Papers Project, which is engaged in publishing The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein. He has written the definitive book on Einstein's work of 1905, the centenary of which is this year. The book is called Einstein's Miraculous Year: Five Papers That Changed the Face of Physics (Princeton University Press, 1998). He has written two of the most important books on Einstein's life and science, Einstein from 'B' to 'Z' and Einstein's Miraculous Year: Five Papers that Changed the Face of Physics.

The Maurer Lecture Series, sponsored by the Department of Physics in Fulbright College, is named for alumnus Dr. Robert D. Maurer, co-inventor of the first telecommunications-grade optical fiber and winner of the National Medal of Technology.

The lecture is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.

Maurer lectures have been organized every year since 1995. Past lectures have included N. Bloembergen, William Phillips (both Nobel Laureates), Richard Zare, Lawrence Krauss (author, astrophysicist), and Phillip Morrison, Steven Chu, and Leon Lederman, among others. These lectures were co-sponsored by ASGC.

On Friday, April 8, Dr. Stachel will offer a physics colloquium entitled, "1905: Einstein's Miraculous Year" at 3:30 p.m. in Giffels Auditorium. A reception at 3:00 p.m. will precede the colloquium. More information on the colloquium can be found on the Physics Department Web Site.

For more information contact Karen Love, Administrative Secretary, Department of Physics, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, 226 Physics Building, (479) 575-5836, kmlove@uark.edu