West Virginia Universitys Eberly College of Arts and Sciences will welcome alumnus David D. Meisel, a distinguished professor of physics and astronomy at the State University of New York at Geneseo, back to campus Thursday (Oct. 17) and present him with the colleges Alumni Recognition Award.

Meisel will also present a free public lecture,”The Hunting of SNARKS : Interstellar Dust Coming in Directly Over the AreciboBig Dish,”at 7:30 p.m. in G24 Eiesland Hall.

The 1961 WVU graduate received a B.S. in physics from WVU and earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in astronomy from The Ohio State University. He worked as a research associate at Leander McCormick Observatory at the University of Virginia after graduation, and in 1970 joined Geneseo as an assistant professor.

A prominent astronomer for over three decades, Meisel made his first significant scientific contribution with his investigations of the Comet Kohoutek in 1970. His contributions have extended to the development of instrumentation and analytical methods, including spectroscopic techniques that influence the research of astronomers worldwide.

His recent work has focused on meteor, upper atmospheric, and space science research, including collaborative endeavors with researchers from Penn State, Rochester Institute of Technology, Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico and the Swedish Institute for Space Physics.

He is currently the lead astronomer on a project that has provided the first evidence that micro-meteors originating outside the solar system are affecting the Earths atmosphere. This discovery indicates that the solar system is not as isolated as has been previously thought, Meisel said.

Active as a researcher, writer and speaker, his papers have appeared in a variety of national and international scientific journals, including Icarus, Science, Nature, Solar Physics and The Astrophysical Journal. He has also appeared on French, Japanese, Russian, Canadian and U.S. television broadcasts.

“He truly loves astronomy and he will share that with anyone interested, whether students, colleagues or community members,”said Geneseo Physics Department Chair Jerry Reber.”No matter when you come to campusweekends, evenings, nightsyou will find him working on one of the many projects he is involved in at that time. He lives for his work, and he works with his students.”

Meisel is a fellow of the British and Canadian Royal Astronomical Societies, a member of the International Informatics Academics in Kazan and Moscow, a national lecturer through the Harlow Shapely Visiting Lectureship Program and executive director of the American Meteor Society.

“We are very pleased to bring Dr. Meisel, a distinguished astronomer and alumnus, back to campus to share some of his work with our students, faculty and the local community,”said M. Duane Nellis, dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. His presentation should be of interest to the many stargazers we have in the Morgantown area.