May 1 Star Party to spotlight AI energy demands through lens of E = mc2

Middle Tennessee State University Physics and Astronomy Department lecturer Irina Perevalova will shift focus from distant galaxies to a pressing issue closer to home at the final First Friday Star Party of the semester.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University Physics and Astronomy Department lecturer Irina Perevalova will shift focus from distant galaxies to a pressing issue closer to home at the final First Friday Star Party of the semester.

Perevalova will discuss “AI vs. People: Battle for Energy” during the next Star Party starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 1, in Wiser-Patten Science Hall Room 102.

“There is a growing demand for electricity in an increasingly digital world fueled by artificial intelligence, or AI,” Perevalova said.

Her talk will outline the broader “energy hunger” facing modern society, offering a snapshot of how electricity is currently generated and where future solutions may lie.

At the heart of the discussion is a concept first introduced by Albert Einstein: the idea that energy and matter are fundamentally linked. His famous equation, E = mc², shows that even a small amount of mass can be converted into an enormous amount of energy — a principle that powers the sun and, here on Earth, nuclear technology.

Perevalova will briefly survey major energy sources before focusing on nuclear power, an area gaining renewed attention as industries search for reliable, low-carbon energy options.

“Industry seems to be moving in the direction of nuclear energy to power these data centers,” Perevalova said.

Weather permitting, telescope viewing will take place at the MTSU Observatory to wrap up the Physics and Astronomy Friday Star Parties May 1 this spring. (MTSU file photo) — Weather permitting, telescope viewing will take place at the MTSU Observatory on campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn., to wrap up the Physics and Astronomy Department’s First Friday Star Parties May 1. (MTSU file photo)

Nuclear energy, rooted in the same physics described by Einstein, offers the ability to produce large amounts of continuous power. But at the same time, it raises important questions about safety and long-term sustainability.

Held each fall and spring semesters on the first Fridays of the month, the two-hour Star Party events feature a faculty presentation related to astronomy followed by a telescope viewing at the nearby MTSU Observatory, weather permitting.

The event is free and open to the public, with visitors encouraged to arrive early and bring curiosity about both the skies above and the challenges shaping the world below.

After-hours parking is free, and a searchable campus parking map is available at bit.ly/2026parkingmap.

This month’s topic was requested by a Star Party patron. To submit suggestions for future topics or for more information about Friday Star Parties, visit mtsu.edu/observatory/star_parties/.

Learn more about the Physics and Astronomy Department at https://physics.mtsu.edu/.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)