COOS BAY, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College invites the community to join us on Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 6:00 pm, for “The Physics of Anime” with Dr. Roman Gomez from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), San Antonio, TX. Dr. Gomez will also be giving us an update on what he has been working on at SwRI! This is a free event; all ages are welcome.
Coos County residents can join us in-person in the Umpqua Hall lecture room (room 184) on the Coos Campus, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay.
Curry County residents can join us for a watch party in the Community Room on the Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway, Brookings.
For those not able to attend in person the lecture will be streamed live on the College’s YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/@southwesternOR/streams.
About the Lecture:
Anime is a medium that has recently become quite popular. Given its nation of origin, it introduces us to some very new concepts and ideas. Some religious and cultural concepts are distinctly Japanese and help broaden our social and cultural worldviews. However, while familiar, others may still be relatively new to many viewers, one of which is science. While some anime directly addresses scientific principles, others, especially those in the science fiction genre, introduce these concepts in their storytelling. Surprisingly, anime sometimes gets their physics right, giving us a vehicle for enjoyably discussing very complex concepts if we allow a few “miracles” to occur. This lecture will discuss some of these concepts in depth in a beginner-friendly way. It’s meant to be one one-part physics lecture, one one-part geek-out session, and a lot of fun, just like watching anime.
About the Presenter:
Roman Gomez has over 18 years of work experience in the field of space science and engineering. Roman has worked as a Lead Scientist at Southwest Research Institute since 2008, where they developed, calibrated, implemented, and analyzed data from plasma instruments on spacecraft. Roman was involved in projects such as the MMS-HPCA mission and the IES-Rosetta ion and electron spectrometer. Prior to that, they worked as a Research Scientist at the same institute, where they participated in the development of space plasma instrument prototypes and completed their PhD in space science and engineering. Roman also has experience as an Adjunct Professor of Physics at St. Mary’s University since 2018, where they teach physics courses. Roman has previously worked as an Adjunct Professor at Northwest Vista College, instructing students in astronomy and physics basics. Additionally, Roman served as a Graduate Research Assistant at Rice University, focusing on dark matter search and contributing to projects in gamma-ray and x-ray astronomy. Dr. Gomez has a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Biology from Texas State University (1999-2002) and holds a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Physics from Rice University (2003-2011).
For more information about the lecture series contact Dr. Aaron Coyner, Associate Professor, Engineering and Physics at aaron.coyner@socc.edu or 541-888-7244.
For more information on upcoming lectures contact Krystal Hopper Meyers, STEAM Pathways Assistant, at 541-888-7416, or krystal.hopper@socc.edu.
To learn more about STEM degrees at Southwestern visit: https://www.socc.edu/programs-classes/stem/.
