March 3, Saturday -- Tracy Caldwell Dyson, a NASA astronaut and UC Davis alumna, will give a free public lecture beginning at 4 p.m. in the ballroom of the UC Davis Conference Center, followed by a question-and-answer session. Caldwell Dyson received her doctorate in chemistry from UC Davis in 1997 and joined the astronaut program in 1998. On her first space mission in August 2007, she spent two weeks at the International Space Station. In April 2010, she launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket and spent 174 days at the International Space Station as a flight engineer, returning in September 2010. During the six-month mission, Caldwell Dyson conducted experiments and made three spacewalks to carry out repairs to the space station.

The talk is part of the College of Letters and Science Annual College Celebration, marking 60 years since the establishment of the college. The event is co-sponsored by the Cal Aggie Alumni Association.

Admission is free but advance registration is required. Register online at http://www.ls.ucdavis.edu/about/news-and-research/deans-speaker-series-tracy-caldwell-dyson.html.