(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)February 25, 2009

MAHWAH – Best-selling science author Dava Sobel, whose book, “Galileo’s Daughter” won the 1999 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for science and technology, will be the featured speaker at the Meadowlands Environment Center in March.

The book, which also received the 2000 Christopher Award and was a finalist for the 2000 Pulitzer Prize in biography, is based on 124 surviving letters to Galileo from his eldest child, a cloistered nun.  Their loving relationship, traced through the correspondence, overturns the myth of Galileo as an enemy of the Catholic church.  Although his discoveries in astronomy made Galileo world famous, his writings brought him to trial before the Inquisition, after which he was forced to deny his own beliefs.  Ironically, his definition of the relationship between science and religion has since become the Church’s official position.

Sobel, a former “New York Times” science reporter, is also the author of “Longitude” and “The Planets.”  In her 30 years as a science journalist she has written for many magazines, including “Audubon,” “Discover,” “Life” and “The New Yorker,” served as a contributing editor to “Harvard Magazine” and “Omni” and co-authored five books, including “Is Anyone Out There?” with astronomer Frank Drake.

The Meadowlands Environment Center was formed to increase awareness and enjoyment of the local ecosystem.  The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and Ramapo College of New Jersey entered into a partnership in 2003 to develop a comprehensive environmental education program for schools and the general public.  Together, the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and the College encourage the use of the environment as a classroom, increase awareness of the resources of the Meadowlands and help communities recognize the critical issues that affect the Meadowlands District.

The lecture will be presented Saturday, March 14 at 1 p.m.  Tickets cost $5; $4 for members of the Meadowlands Education Center, located at Two Dekorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst.  For further information, please call 201.460.8300.

For media inquiries, contact Anna Farneski, assistant vice president, Marketing and Communications, 201.684.6844.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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