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CORVALLIS - A scientist and author from Tacoma, Wash., will explore the ambitious and mysterious world of computer climate modeling in a lecture on Thursday, Feb. 10, at Oregon State University.

Mott T. Greene, a professor at the University of Puget Sound, will give a talk called "Doing Science When the Noise Is the Signal: The Strange Case of Computer Climate Modeling." The free public lecture begins at 4 p.m. in OSU's Memorial Union Room 206.

It is part of the 2004-05 Horning Lecture Series at OSU, "Scientific Revolutions Old and New."

Greene says computer climate modeling is one of the most ambitious - and unusual - undertakings in modern science. These computer models are virtual objects in a virtual world, yet scientists conduct "experiments" and make "discoveries" through their models.

Most models, he adds, are so large and complex that no single individual can understand how they work, succeed, or fail.

In his talk, Greene will explore the scientific and social forces that have influenced the evolution of computer climate models during the last 50 years - and look at possible future developments.

Greene, who is the John B. Magee Professor of Science and Values at the University of Puget Sound, was recognized in 1996 as the Carnegie Foundation College Professor of the Year in the state of Washington. He is the author of three books, including a forthcoming biography of Alfred Wegener that will be published this fall by The Johns Hopkins University Press.