Library Annual Meeting & Talk

Needham Free Public Library, 1139 Highland Ave, Needham Heights, MA | Get Directions »
FREE

Author James D. Livingston, PhD. will present a talk, "Rising Force: The Magic of Magnetic Levitation," on Thursday, June 7 at 7:30 p.m. following the Needham Free Public Library's Annual Meeting at 7 p.m.

From Harry Potter to David Copperfield, there is magic in conquering gravity. The book’s uplifting coverage includes flying frogs, levitated sumo wrestlers, magnetic bearings in blood pumps, uranium centrifuges, wind turbines, maglev surgery inside a living pig, and the latest news of high-speed maglev trains.

Jim Livingston studied engineering physics at Cornell University, and received a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University in 1956. After retiring from General Electric after a lengthy career as a research physicist, he taught for 20 years in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT before retiring again. Although a physicist by profession, he has long had a strong interest in American history, and today much of his time is focused on writing (and reading) in history and in science.