Nobel Prize Winning and World Renowned Astrophysicist, Dr. John C. Mather to Speak at the Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS)

Daytona Beach, FL (February 17, 2015) – The Museum of Arts & Sciences has been presented with the opportunity to host Nobel Prize winning and world renowned astrophysicist, Dr. John C. Mather, for a presentation on Friday, February 20, 2015 from 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the new MOAS Planetarium. Dr. Mather will share the exciting science that the yet-to-be-launched space-based observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, is slated to accomplish in the coming years. The presentation will begin with a brief lecture, followed by an up close Q&A session with the audience.

Tickets for the talk are free to MOAS Members or are included in general admission to the Museum. Seating is limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Dr. John Mather is the Senior Astrophysicist as NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Dr. Mather won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2006 for his work on the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE) that has contributed to the understanding of the big-bang theory and the beginnings of the universe. Mather is also the project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – successor to the Hubble Space Telescope – slated for launch no earlier than 2018.

Dr. Mather will be delivering a lecture at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach on Friday evening.

###

About the Museum of Arts & Sciences - The Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS) is the primary art, science and history museum in Central Florida. The area's largest museum, MOAS is nationally accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate. Situated in beautiful Tuscawilla Preserve, the Museum features the Kim A. Klancke, M.D., and Marsha L. Klancke Environmental Education Complex; The Root Family Museum with popular Americana including vintage automobiles and the largest collection of Coca-Cola® memorabilia in Florida. MOAS also houses The Cuban Foundation Museum; The Charles and Linda Williams Children's Museum; Helene B. Roberson Visible Storage Building; Florida's prehistoric Giant Ground Sloth skeleton; African artifacts; the finest collection of American art in the Southeast; a Chinese art collection; a state-of-the-art Planetarium with a variety of shows daily and the new Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art which features the most extensive collection of Florida art anywhere in the world.

Museum Hours are 10am-5pm (Monday-Saturday) and 11am-5pm (Sunday). Museum of Arts & Sciences admission is $12.95 adults; $6.95 children 6-17; $10.95 seniors and students; members and children 5 and under are free. Daily Planetarium shows and weekly laser shows. Museum of Arts & Sciences admission includes one Planetarium show. Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art admission is $10.95 adults; $4.95 children 6-17; $8.95 seniors and students; members and children 5 and under are free. Combo ticket admission is $18.95 adults; $9.95 children 6-17; $16.95 seniors and students; members and children 5 and under are free. Combo ticket admission includes on Planetarium show. Additional Planetarium shows are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children ages 17 and under. Parking is free. Admission is FREE for Volusia County residents the first Tuesday of each month (does not include Planetarium shows). MOAS is fully accessible to the handicapped. MOAS is located at 352 S. Nova Road, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114. For more information call 386.255.0285 or visit the website www.moas.org.

MOAS is a not‐for‐profit educational institution founded in 1955 and chartered by the State of Florida in 1962. The Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. Programs sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the County of Volusia.