Edward "Rocky" Kolb, NASA/Fermilab Astrophysics Group head, will discuss the relationship and mystery between "inner space" and "outer space" in tonight's second annual George V. Coyne, S.J., Lecture in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Kolb, chair and professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago, is also the director of the Astrophysics Center at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill.

Kolb's lecture, "The Quantum and the Cosmos," is the second in the annual lecture series endowed to the university by Mercedes Hurley Hughes, an alumna of the College of Arts & Sciences and an emeritus trustee of the university. The lecture will center on how humans understand the universe by connecting the smallest things, the quantum or "inner space," with the largest, the cosmos or "outer space."

"At the present we can account for only 5 percent of what the universe is made of," Kolb said. "Ninety-five percent of it is a mystery, and some of it is related to the dark matter and the mysterious dark energy that is causing the universe to expand," Kolb said.

By figuring out what the universe is made of, society will be able to answer some of its most fundamental questions, Kolb said.

"Learning about space has a profound interest in other fields, like philosophy and theology," said Dr. Ruth Howes, the physics department chair. "It changes how we think of ourselves and our universe."

The same drive that led past explorers and scientists to discover new lands is what is driving current scientists and researchers to discover the universe, Kolb said.

"Humans are naturally curious," he said. "There is something inside of us compelling us to explore."

Hughes said she hoped the lecture would generate interest in hard sciences such as physics and astronomy.

"The lectures also give the students an opportunity to see the bigger picture," she said.

According to Howes, the lectureship allows Marquette to pull in big names in astronomy and astrophysics to speak at the university, and continue the Jesuit tradition in astronomy.

"The lectures are really a fantastic experience," said Brian Kaster, president of the Society of Physics Students and College of Arts & Sciences senior. "The topics are fascinating and the speakers are great people."

Kolb's lecture is at 7 p.m in the Weasler Auditorium. It is free and open to the public.