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Let There be Lightning:
A Highly Visible Form of Energy Transfer, Part II
by Bill Mikuska
SATURDAY, May 17, 2014 at 10 am
PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF DATE AND LOCATION
The meeting will be held at the Mikuska residence, brunch will then follow at a nearby cafe
To be held at
Mikuska Residence
Map
3005 Avenue Loire
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Brunch following the meeting will be at
Labriola Bakery Cafe
Map
3021 Butterfield Road
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Contact Freddie Smith for Reservations / Cancellations at 312-842-7100 or
Freddie@mcri.org
by Noon THURSDAY, May 15, 2014
10:00 AM: Presentation
Hamlets's comment “Aye, there's the rub” best describes lightning. Lightning is enigmatic
in that cosmic rays and radioactivity provide substance for cloud electrification through
convection, and the friction between ice and water droplet collisions in the graupel-ice
model for cloud electrification provide another. Reality is probably a bit of both. In
this multi-part presentation, lightning’s history, awareness, and protection provide
the links between the Earths electrostatics, microscopy, transient luminous events,
thermo-nuclear attack/event detection and volcanic lightning among others. “Macek’s
back was a sheet of light and my hand produced a shower of erupting sparks
loud enough to be heard all over the place” said Nicola Tesla one evening about his
pet cat. His father remarked that “this is nothing but electricity, the same thing
you see on the trees in a storm.” Tesla wondered “Is nature a gigantic cat? If so,
who strokes its back?”
Bio Sketch: Bill C. Mikuska received his BS and MS in chemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology with emphasis in
physical chemistry and chemical physics. Research studies included gas-surface interactions by molecular
beams and X-ray induced defects in alkali halide crystals. A 30 year teaching career at Triton College followed
where he engaged students to use polarized light microscopy in independent study projects. He was president of
the State Microscopical Society of Illinois for 9.5 years and has received the Emile Chamot award. Bill is also a
fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society. He taught classes in polarized light microscopy to high school
students, high school and middle school teachers, and engineers at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and at
the Argonne National Laboratory. Most recently he became a member of the Rowfant Club, a bibliophilic society
founded in Cleveland in 1892. His interests range from classical music (organ performance and practice),
Venetian and French glass, antique bronzes, art, meteoritics, mineralogy, and botany.
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