AMES, Iowa — The author of the "The Physics of NASCAR" knows you can't win races without getting the math and science right. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, nationally recognized for her magnetic nanomaterials research and for advancing science and math education, will speak at Iowa State University.
Her presentation, "The Science of Speed: Faster, Stronger and Safer," will be at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, in the Memorial Union Sun Room. It is free and open to the public.
Leslie-Pelecky is a professor of physics and director of the West Virginia Nano Initiative at West Virginia University. Her work has been featured in everything from Time Magazine to The New York Times to Sporting News. She blogs at www.buildingspeed.org, explaining the math and science behind current events in motorsports.
Her book, "The Physics of NASCAR," grew out of her determination to understand the cause of a particular NASCAR accident that seemed unexplainable. She takes NASCAR (and science) fans behind the scenes at top race shops, onto the asphalt at Texas Motor Speedway and into the garage with the Gillett Evernham Motorsports’ (now Richard Petty Motorsports) No. 19 car. She looks at how a car that moves at tremendous speeds, yet handles with precision and doesn't kill its driver, is designed and manufactured.
Leslie-Pelecky's research focuses on the fundamental understanding of magnetic materials and their application to medical diagnosis and treatment processes, such as magnetic resonance imaging and chemotherapy. She also has directed major projects aimed at improving science education at all levels. Educational materials on NASCAR science are being developed for middle and high schools.
Leslie-Pelecky earned undergraduate degrees in physics and philosophy from the University of North Texas, and a Ph.D. in condensed matter physics from Michigan State University. She was a professor at the University of Nebraska for 14 years before joining the faculty at West Virginia University.
Her presentation is co-sponsored by Sigma Xi and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by the Government of the Student Body.
More information on ISU lectures is available at http://www.lectures.iastate.edu, or by calling 515-294-9935.
