The William M. Staerkel Planetarium welcomes Randy Lloyd from the University of Illinois Extension Office in Bloomington for the next talk in the "World of Science" lecture series.  His presentation, "Wind on the Prairie: A New Look at Growing Energy," will be given on Friday, November 7, at 7pm in the planetarium.  Tickets are $1 at the door; Friends of the Staerkel Planetarium are admitted free of charge.

Those who have driven between Bloomington and Champaign on Interstate 74 lately might have noticed the growing number of wind turbines north of the highway.  Lloyd will discuss the development and growth of the Twin Groves Wind Farm in McLean County.  How much energy is generated by this colossal complex?  Lloyd will address the future of wind energy in Central Illinois from the perspective of a scientist and also from the perspective of a person who has four wind turbines on his property!

Randy Lloyd has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Educational Administration from Illinois State University.  He taught primary and secondary school for 35 years before joining the UI Extension in 2002.  There he serves as an agriculture awareness coordinator and as a school program coordinator, through which he provides workshops and educational resources for teachers.