UNLV professors Len Zane and William Epstein will be the first two speakers for the fall 1997 season of the University Forum Lecture Series.

On Sept. 9, Zane, director of UNLV's Honors College and professor of physics, will speak on the topic, "Numbers, Mountains, and the Supersonic Fly."

Numbers often imply more information than can rationally be attributed to them, according to Zane. In his talk he will address the general question of how much substance ought to be attached to numbers by looking at two specific cases: the height of Mount Whitney, an example of a number that is attributed an accuracy that stretches one's credibility, and the oft quoted speed of the deerfly, cephenemyia, that defies all attempts at rational understanding.

"Welfare Reform and the New American Cruelty" will be the topic when William Epstein, professor of social work, speaks on Sept. 18.

Believing that the American people have bought into the cruel assumptions that justified the 1996 welfare reform legislation, Epstein argues that to make any progress against its social problems, the U.S. will have to spend much more money to pursue greater social equality.

Yet any additional expenditures, particularly on unsuccessful citizens, are not politically feasible, according to Epstein, who predicts that the nation will knowingly face the next millennium with an inevitably tumultuous social policy.

Both presentations are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History. All University Forum lectures are open to the public free of charge.

The University Forum lecture series is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and underwritten by the UNLV Foundation. For additional information on the series, call 895-3401.