Pace VanDevender, Ph.D Physicist

WHEELS Speaker Event

Saturday Afternoon, January 27th

“From Extreme Ball Lightning to Magentized Quark Nugget Dark Matter”or

"Well, that didn’t work, until it did!"

This is the story of an adventure that began with a phone call from Albuquerque High School English teacher John Tricota in 1997. It disrupted the career of Sandia Labs CTO and Vice President of Science and Technology Pace VanDevender.

The call led to Pace examining Extreme Ball Lightning, which is observed as a glowing ball of light that can last up to 20 minutes in clear weather while moving over 100 tons of material. By 2005, Pace was convinced that the phenomenon was real and potentially important. He retired from Sandia to research its cause.

The period of 1997 to 2012 was full of experiments and theories that did not work but did eliminate bad ideas. A breakthrough occurred in 2012 that connected Extreme Ball Lightning to Magnetized Quark Nuggets (MQN) and Dark Matter, the mysterious stuff holding galaxies together.

Since then, the MQN collaboration has published 6 papers in the international refereed literature and collected the best evidence yet pointing to the nature of dark matter. However, it is still possible that some unknown physics produces the observations, not MQNs. So the next goal is to collect an MQN and use it to build the core of a thermonuclear fusion reactor.

Date: Saturday, January 27
Time: 2 pm to 3 pm
Location:WHEELS Museum
1100 2nd Street, SW - ABQ
Admission:Free - Donations Encouraged and Gladly Accepted
Register: Call (505) 243-6269 or Email Leba4@aol.com

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Fine Musical Traditions with Bob Bovee

WHEELS Musical Event
Thursday Morning, February 8th

Bob performed a year ago at WHEELS to a packed audience. He’s returning this year with more authentic cowboys songs, ballads, blues, ragtime, square dance music, sentimental songs, novelty numbers, yodels, and tin pan alley favorites.

He plays guitar, harmonica, banjo and autoharp, and when he sings, you’ll be singing along with him. Plus, he spices his shows with stories, history and folklore.
Since 1971 Bob has traveled the country taking old time music to audiences of all ages at festivals, fairs, concerts, dances, schools, libraries, music camps, radio and TV programs. This is rural music as played in homes, at dances and for earlier entertainments such as minstrel shows and country radio.
Watch Bob Play at a House Concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrVa5fzxhmM&t=3s
Date: Thursday, February 8
Time: 11 am to noon
Location:WHEELS Museum
1100 2nd Street, SW - ABQ
Come early and Tour the Museum
Admission:$ 10. Extra Donations Encouraged and Gladly Accepted
Register: Call (505) 243-6269 or Email Leba4@aol.com