Missouri S&T’s 150th anniversary celebration is joining the state of Missouri’s Bicentennial Alliance to host a lecture series on the history and culture of the region.

The series, titled “Honoring our Past, Envisioning the Future: Missouri S&T Lecture Series for the Bicentennial,” will explore social and economic growth topics relative to Missourians. All presentations will be available for live public viewing online; lectures taking place later in the year may have in-person attendance. The seven topics, scheduled from February to December 2021, include:

— “Mining: From Missouri to the Moon” 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22. Three faculty members will take a look at how Missouri S&T prepared miners over the past 150 years and how it is now preparing engineers for a future in space mining.

— “STEM at the elementary level and certification” noon Friday, March 5. Dr. Beth Kania-Gosche, chair and professor of teacher education at S&T, will highlight the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education at early levels.

— “Having a blast with explosives” 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 6. More than seven billion pounds of explosives are used in the U.S. each year. Dr. Catherine Johnson, assistant professor of mining and explosives engineering at S&T, will show how the fields of mining, construction, defense, homeland security, demolition, oil recovery, fireworks, special effects and more are involved in this industry.

— “Batteries in the microgrid/solar houses” 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21. Tom Yarborough, a Ph.D. student in civil engineering at S&T, will review how batteries in microgrids manage and store renewable energy, and what that means for the future of Missouri solar houses.

— “Building microsatellites for the future” 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5. Dr. Hank Pernicka, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at S&T, will show how microsatellites could be used to inspect satellites, do small repairs or refuel spacecraft, and help eliminate the need for risky extravehicular activity, or “spacewalks,” when something goes wrong.

— “Missouri’s German heritage” 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19. Dr. Petra Dewitt, assistant professor of history and political science at S&T, will speak about how German-speaking settlers influenced area agriculture, arts, sciences and beer.

— “Remembering Missouri’s most famous generals” 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8. Black Jack Pershing led the American Expeditionary Forces to victory in World War I, Omar Bradley led U.S. Army troops in World War II in Europe, and Maxwell Taylor led the 101st Airborne Division through the Battle of the Bulge. Learn about these Missouri generals from Dr. John McManus, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of history and political science at S&T.

For online meeting links or more information on the lecture series, visit 150.mst.edu/bicentennial-alliance-lecture-series. To learn more about the state of Missouri’s bicentennial, visit missouri2021.org.

About Missouri University of Science and Technology

Founded in 1870 as the University of Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,600 students and part of the four-campus University of Missouri System. Located in Rolla, Missouri, Missouri S&T offers 99 different degree programs in 40 areas of study, including engineering, the sciences, business and information technology, education, the humanities, and the liberal arts. Missouri S&T is known globally and is highly ranked for providing a strong return on tuition investment, exceptional career opportunities for graduates, and an emphasis on applied, hands-on learning through student design teams and cooperative education and internship opportunities. Missouri S&T is the top public engineering university of 2021 as ranked by College Factual. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.