LATROBE, PA – Saint Vincent College will host Dr. Roger F. Malina for the 82nd presentation in the Threshold Lecture Series at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17, in the Fred M. Rogers Center. As part of the day, Saint Vincent is also set to formally dedicate the Verostko Center for the Arts.
Malina is a physicist, astronomer and executive editor of Leonardo publications at MIT. He serves dual appointments as professor of arts and technology and professor of physics at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he focuses on the connections among the natural sciences, arts, design and humanities.
He formerly served as the director of the Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille Provence (OAMP) in Marseille, France and as a principal investigator for the NASA Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Satellite at the University of California, Berkeley.
Admission to Malina’s presentation is free and open to the public; however, seats are reserved and by ticket only. Reservations can be made by phone at 724-805-2177 or online at https://www.stvincent.edu/threshold. The lecture will also be available for viewing online at the same link.
As the longtime Executive Editor at Leonardo, Dr. Malina was brought in contact with Roman Verostko and members of the Algorists group – a concentration of artists who pioneered the practice of using computer algorithms to generate their work – in the mid-1980s. The Center, named in honor of digital art pioneer Roman Verostko, intentionally features artwork and programming investigating intersecting disciplines and is devoted to the advancement and integration of the arts within the Saint Vincent College community.
Construction of the Verostko Center was part of a $22 million expansion of the Dale P. Latimer Library. With over 5,000+ square feet devoted to hosting rotating exhibitions that present work by contemporary artists as well as selections from Saint Vincent’s impressive holdings, the Center serves as a dedicated space intended to enliven academic exploration and provide direct contact with artists and their work. The Center cares for more than 4,000 objects ranging from ancient to contemporary in a variety of media that form the permanent art collections of Saint Vincent College and Saint Vincent Archabbey.
Immediately following Dr. Malina's lecture, the public will have the opportunity to explore the Center's latest exhibition, including Roman Verostko and the Cloud of Unknowing: From Ideas in Mind to Ideas in Code as well as selections from Saint Vincent's art and rare book collections. To learn more about the Verostko Center, visit www.verostkocenter.org.
Saint Vincent College established the Threshold Lecture Series in 1981 when the Kennametal Foundation of Latrobe made a substantial grant to the College for the creation of an ongoing series of lectures and cultural events. Past lecturers include Joyce Carol Oates, Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Susan Stamberg, and Cornel West.
Given the evolving situation concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, all visitors to Saint Vincent College are required to wear a mask while indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Guests will be required to follow all COVID-19 mitigation strategies set forth in the Saint Vincent Health and Safety Plan while on campus. For the latest information about these protocols, please visit https://www.stvincent.edu/resources/covid-19-updates/index.html.
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PHOTO 1: Dr. Roger F. Malina
PHOTO 2: Students in Verostko Center for the Arts Gallery
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