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Penn College professor says it’s time to talk about time

David Richards finds time to be a most interesting topic and one that can certainly be explored and discussed with audiences.

There is how science perceives time and how people perceive it, according to Richards, a Pennsylvania College of Technology physics professor.

Richards will present “Manipulating Time Using Science, Technology and Literature” at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 at the school’s Klump Academic Center.

During an interview with the Sun-Gazette, Richards said there is the scientific concept of time and how to measure it.

“It is a fascinating topic,” he said. “People have a hard time defining it. People agree that it’s a precious commodity.”

Richards will cover questions regarding the manipulation of time to live a longer life, why relative time is important in modern technology and how one can use literature to manipulate one’s perception of time.

His talk will consider the fundamental definition of time and some of the ideas behind efforts to control it.

“I do talk a little bit about Einstein’s theory of relativity. I am not really talking about traveling through time,” he said.

Time, Richards said, is not absolute.

“It depends on speed and gravity and perception,” he said. “It’s tied to many things people don’t think about. It’s not something that is truly understood.”

His talk is part of the school’s Colloquia Series featuring presentations by noted authors and academics.

A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation.

“As a physicist, I have always been fascinated by time,” Richards said.

Richards holds a Ph.D. in instructional systems from Penn State University, a master of science in physics from the University of Alabama and a bachelor’s degree in physics from Mary Washington College. He is a full professor at Penn College in the Natural Science Department, where he teaches physics, astronomy and spaceflight courses.

He has taught at the college since 1995, receiving the Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Technology Award in 2005 and an Excellence in Teaching Award in 2007.

He is currently the principal investigator of a 2014 National Science Foundation STEM scholarship grant, and has received NSF research fellowships at the University of Rochester and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

Richards has served as vice president and president of the Central Pennsylvania Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers, receiving a Distinguished Service Award in 2008, and was a member of the national executive committee for Research in Physics Education.

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