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CORVALLIS, Ore. -Stephen Sparks, one of the leading volcanologists in the world, will present the 2008 Thomas Condon Lecture at Oregon State University on Wednesday, Dec. 10.

The lecture, "Volcanic Eruptions and Their Impact on Human Society," will begin at 7 p.m. in LaSells Stewart Center on the OSU campus. It is free and open to the public. The Condon Lecture, recognizing one of the pioneers of Oregon geology, helps to bring scientific information to a general audience.

Sparks will also present the George Moore Lecture on Thursday, Dec. 11, at 4 p.m. in Kelley Engineering Center, Room 1001, a professional lecture designed for students and faculty, on "The Dynamics of Kimberlite Eruptions."

Sparks, the author or co-author of 258 scientific publications and books, has studied the physics and fluid dynamics of magma eruption, volcanic gases and their impact on the atmosphere, climate change linked to volcanism, and volcanic rocks. His diverse research ranges from active volcanoes to those that are 3 billion years old. He has mapped volcanoes, monitored their eruptions, and developed novel approaches to hazard and risk assessment.

As the director of the Centre for Environmental and Geophysical Flows at the University of Bristol, Sparks has received numerous career honors and awards. He is president-elect of the volcanology, geochemistry and petrology section of the American Geophysical Union.

The Condon Lecture is sponsored by OSU's Research Office, and the George Moore Lecture by the Department of Geosciences in the OSU College of Science. More information on Sparks can be found on the web.