The Jim Lafayette Memorial Series of Writers of Science Fiction and Fantasy, hosted by Otis Library, will welcome University of Connecticut professor emeritus of physics Ronald L. Mallett, Ph.D., in the library’s Community Room.  Professor Mallett will be giving a presentation entitled "The Real Science of Time Travel."  He will also discuss his memoir Time Traveler: A Scientist’s Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality, a dramatic and inspirational first-person story of Professor Mallet’s discovery of the basic equations for a working time machine that he believes can be used as a transport vehicle to the past.  Time Traveler has been translated into Korean, Chinese, and Japanese, and the memoir is currently in discussion to become a major motion picture.  Time Traveler will be available for sale and signing following the program.

Professor Mallett specializes in Einstein's general theory of relativity and has published numerous papers on black holes and relativistic cosmology in professional journals. His breakthrough research on time travel has been featured extensively in the media around the world, including print media such as New Scientist, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal and broadcast media such as NPR's This American Life, the History Channel, the National Geographic Channel, the Science Channel, and CNN.

Professor Mallett has also been featured in a major BBC documentary, The World's First Time Machine, and appeared in a feature-length Canadian documentary, How to Build a Time Machine, which won Best Documentary at the 2017 New York City Sci-Fi Film Festival. Both documentaries are available on Amazon Prime.

Now in its 17th year, the Jim Lafayette Memorial Series of Writers of Science Fiction and Fantasy honors the memory of local science fiction and fantasy fan and writer Jim Lafayette with appearances by authors of the genre.  Norwich native Faye Ringel, Ph.D., retired Professor of Humanities at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Otis Library volunteer, has been the driving force behind the Lafayette Author Series. Each year, she helps to organize and promote the event.  This is a free program; no registration required. 

Otis Library was designed to accommodate people of all abilities.  To request an accommodation, please contact Julie at jmenders@otislibrarynorwich.org.