Contact: Allison Matthews

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Ill-fated British passenger ships Titanic and Lusitania. Infamous Nazi German battleship Bismarck. World War II U.S. aircraft carrier Yorktown and John F. Kennedy’s PT-109 torpedo boat.

The renowned oceanographer who led underwater archaeological expeditions to locate these and other famous 20th century wrecks will speak Feb. 7 at Mississippi State.

Professor Robert Ballard’s presentation “The Last Great Frontier” begins at 7 p.m. in the Bettersworth Auditorium of the university’s historic Lee Hall.

While free to all, the special event requires admission tickets that may be secured in advance by visiting Colvard Student Union, Suite 314 or telephoning 662-325-2930.

The program is the latest in the MSU Student Association’s Global Lecture Series.

A retired U.S. Navy officer reared in San Diego, California, Ballard directs the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Ocean Exploration. Additionally, he is:

—President and founder of Ocean Exploration Trust;

—Explorer-in-residence at National Geographic Society;

—Senior scientist emeritus at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; and

—A commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.

Ballard is a 1974 URI doctoral graduate. In addition to world-famous shipwreck discoveries, his career has included research missions to learn about deep-sea vents and how life not only survives, but also thrives, in deep waters with extreme pressure and temperatures.

Recognized as a powerful storyteller and passionate scientific educator, he has pioneered distance learning in classrooms around the world. For more biographical information, visit www.egr.uri.edu/oce/meet/rballard.

Details about MSU’s Student Association and its Global Lecture Series are found at www.sa.msstate.edu or follow on Twitter and Instagram @MSU_SA.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.