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Len Ackland, associate professor of journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder, will explore the controversial history of the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant in an upcoming lecture, " As Rocky Flats Made Nuclear Bombs, Where Were the Media and Citizens?"

The talk will be Tuesday, Nov. 9, from 3:30-5 p.m. in Old Main Chapel. Ackland is the author of "Making a Real Killing: Rocky Flats and the Nuclear West," a recently published book documenting the involvement of ranchers, the government, politicians, plant workers and citizen activists in the history of the bomb component factory.

"Although Rocky Flats is no longer producing bombs, the nuclear age is far from over," Ackland said.

"The debate over the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the recent nuclear accident in Japan and the military coup in nuclear-armed Pakistan are just three events which underline that reality. Understanding the history of Rocky Flats can help us better address both present and future nuclear challenges."

The lecture is part of the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ-Boulder Center of the American West monthly interdisciplinary seminar series and is free and open to the public.

Ackland formerly was a reporter for the Des Moines Register and the Chicago Tribune and editor of the "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists." He is also the founding director of the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ-Boulder Center for Environmental Journalism, the first of its kind in the nation.

The Center for Environmental Journalism is part of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, which offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs to students interested in journalism careers. For more information call (303) 492-4114 or visit the Web site at .