By Diane Ainsworth, Public Affairs

04 OCTOBER 00 | Speaking on the science, art and politics of public health in the 21st century, keynote speaker and the first of this year's Regents' Lecturers, Trevor Hancock, drew a large crowd of public health specialists, students, staff and faculty during his residency on campus last week. The Regents' Lectureship, a prestigious honor in the UC system, provides an opportunity for each campus to invite a small group of leading scholars, scientists, artists, government officials and others to give public lectures and spend a short time in residence to meet with faculty and students. Berkeley Regents' Lecturers for the 2000-2001 academic year also include physics Nobel laureate William Phillips, internationally renowned architect Legorreta Ricardo and director of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute Steven Beckwith. Following are highlights of the lecturers and their scheduled residencies on campus, if known.

William Phillips, physics and chemistry

Phillips, a leading researcher in ultra-low temperature atomic physics at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1999 for his work to develop methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light. He also shared the award in 1997, for his pioneering work in the cooling and trapping of atoms, with two other physicists, one American and one French. A resident of Gaithersburg, Md., Phillips is internationally known for advancing basic knowledge and new techniques to chill atoms to extremely low temperatures. The discipline emerged in the mid-1970s with the advent of laboratory lasers, and has allowed scientists to observe and measure quantum phenomena in atoms that seem to defy the physical principles governing room-temperature conditions. Phillips is in residence this week (Oct. 2-6).

Ricardo Legorreta, architecture

Legorreta is known for his designs of the Main Library of San Antonio, Texas, Chula Vista Library in California, the College of Santa Fe, and the Visual Arts Center in New Mexico. His creations also include museums and cathedrals such as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Managua and the Children's Discovery Museum in San José, Calif. Legorreta is a permanent adviser to the Secretary of Culture and the Arts in Mexico and has been the recipient of the Fine Arts National Award of the Mexican Government. Among his many public buildings, the architect designed the Hotel Camino Real in Mexico City, the Renault factory in Torreon and Club Mediterrané in Huatulco. He is tentatively scheduled to be on campus in April 2001.

Steven Beckwith, astronomy

Beckwith is director of NASA's Space Telescope Science Institute and a professor of physics and astronomy at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The science institute is the astronomical research center responsible for operating the telescope, which is the largest and most complex astronomical observatory ever placed in orbit. With more than 20 years of scientific research and international space science management, Beckwith's principal research interests are the formation and early evolution of planets, including those outside the solar system, and the birth of galaxies in the early universe. He served previously as director of the Max-Planck Institute and was on the astronomy faculty of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Beckwith's one-week residency has not been scheduled yet.

Other Regents' Lecturers include:

Asis Al-Azmeh, leading secular intellectual of the Arab world. Nominated by the Departments of Political Science and History and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. In residence February 26 - March 9, 2001.

John Battelle, president and chief executive officer of "The Industry Standard" weekly magazine. Nominated by the Graduate School of Journalism and Haas School of Business Administration. In residence for two weeks, not yet scheduled.

Francis Francois, former executive director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Nominated by the Institute of Transportation Studies. One-week residency, not yet scheduled.

Rich Gold, composer, writer, artist. Nominated by the School of Information Management and Systems. Tentative residency set for Nov. 27 - Dec. 1. Hans Mark, director, Defense Research and Engineering, Washington, DC. Nominated by the Department of History, Goldman School of Public Policy, Regional Oral History program, Center for Studies in Higher Education and Departments of Engineering and Nuclear Engineering. On campus March 19-30, 2001.

Jane Metcalfe, president and co-founder, "WIRED" magazine. Nominated by the Graduate School of Journalism and the Haas School of Business Administration. Residency has not been scheduled yet.

George Mueller, chief executive officer, Kistler Aerospace Corp. Nominated by the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Physics and Mechanical Engineering. In residency February 5-9, 2001.

Steve Reich, distinguished composer. Nominated by the Department of Music. In residency November 6-10, 2000. Louis Rossetto, founder and editor-in-chief, "WIRED" magazine. Nominated by the Graduate School of Journalism and the Haas School of Business Administration. Residency not scheduled yet.