MIT Expert to Speak at Caltech on National Missile Defense

PASADENA, Calif.— MIT Professor of Science, Technology, and National Security Policy Theodore Postol will deliver the final presentation of the 2002-2003 Social Activism Speaker Series at the California Institute of Technology. This event will take place on Wednesday, April 2, at 8 p.m. in Ramo Auditorium on the Caltech campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Postol is a leading expert and critic of the National Missile Defense Program, a system designed to detect, intercept, and destroy incoming nuclear warheads before they re-enter the atmosphere. With controversial views on the Department of Defense program, Postol asserts that his work has exposed critical flaws in the national missile defense policies. Postol's criticism raises questions about the efficacy of missile defense, particularly in light of the current war against Iraq. A graduate of MIT in physics and nuclear engineering, Theodore Postol has studied weapons technology for most of his career. He worked at the Argonne National Laboratory and the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment before joining the faculty at MIT. He is the recipient of several awards, including the Leo Szilard Prize and the Hilliard Roderick Prize.

This is the fourth year for the Social Activism Speaker Series, which focuses attention on current social and political issues by inviting prominent activists to speak to the Caltech community and the public, and to share their experiences and perspectives. This series is coordinated with the help of the Caltech Y, and is made possible by contributions from the President's Office, the James Irvine Foundation, Student Affairs, Campus Auxiliary and Business Services, Dean of Graduate Studies, Women's Center, Residence Life, the Alumni Association, the Diversity Initiative Fund, the Mellon Foundation, the Graduate Student Council, Jack and Edith Roberts, and the Associated Students of Caltech.

Ramo Auditorium is located near the center of the Caltech campus, south of Beckman Auditorium. Free parking is available in the lots south of Del Mar Boulevard between Wilson and Chester Avenues, and in the Wilson Avenue parking structures between San Pasqual Street and Del Mar Boulevard.

For more information, visit http://sass.caltech.edu or contact Greg Fletcher, Caltech Y, (626) 395-6163.

Media Contact: Deborah Williams-Hedges (626) 395-3227 debwms@caltech.edu