Does the name Charles Townes ring a bell? Townes was a Greenville native who graduated from Furman University and won the 1964 Nobel Prize in physics (along with Nikolay Basov and Alexander Prokhorov ).
Born in 1915, he accomplished a lot in his 100 years (that’s right – 100 years. He passed away in 2015.) He invented this thing called the MASER (stands for Microwave Amplification by Stimulation Emission of Radiation). He also worked with theory + application of the MASER, researched nonlinear optics, radio astronomy, and infrared astronomy. Townes + his team were the first to measure the mass of the black hole that exists in the middle of the Milky Way galaxy.
If you like science and are fascinated by the story of Charles Townes – we have good news for you. Tonight in Travelers Rest from 7-9 p.m. on the football field at Gateway Park, you can experience the Charles Townes Art + Technology Experience . This multimedia art installation, created by artists Jeff Sumerel and Goda Rupeikaitė-Sumerel, is an interactive display of light and sound which will highlight the achievements from the life of Townes. Attendance is free + the show will be on a loop that reoccurs every five minutes.
Come out to celebrate the life of one of Greenville’s notable natives. 👏
Quiz
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