Searching for the ends of the universe, Robert Williams has led the Hubble Space Telescope project to find new parts of the universe never before seen by astronomers. Williams will talk about his work at the next Discover Science Lecture Series at the University of Nevada, Reno April 21.

With dramatic photos as a backdrop, Williams will present his talk "Hubble Space Telescope: Piecing Together the Workings of the Universe" about the telescope's scientific mission and how it has been key to our current understanding of the evolution of the universe from the earliest times to the present epoch.

In orbit and still operating well after 25 years, the $8 billion space telescope has been the vehicle for charting previously unseen astronomical features and produced many notable discoveries. As director of the Space Telescope Science Institute, Williams once pointed the telescope at a "dark" piece of sky, found 3,000 previously unknown galaxies - some as old as 12 billion years - and snapped some photos. The image of this small spot of space is now famously known as the Hubble Deep Field.

Williams is Senior Research Astronomer of the Space Telescope Science Institute. He served as Director of the Institute from 1993 to 1998. The Institute, along with Goddard Space Flight Center, operates the Hubble Space Telescope for NASA. In 1998 he was awarded the Beatrice Tinsley Prize of the American Astronomical Society for his leadership of the Hubble Deep Field Project, which revealed the early universe.

Williams was director of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile from 1985 to 1993, was a visiting research associate at the European Southern Observatory in Garching, Germany from 1983 to1984 and is an adjunct professor at the John Hopkins University.

Now in its sixth year, the annual Discover Science Lecture Series brings renowned scientists and science lecturers from around the country to share their knowledge with the community.

The Hubble Telescope lecture will be held at 7 p.m., April 21 in the Redfield Auditorium in the Davidson Mathematics and Science Center on the University campus. Parking is reserved for the event on the top level of the Brian J. Whalen Parking Complex on North Virginia Street. Admission is free. For more information, call 775-784-4591 or visit the College of Science website at www.unr.edu/science.