Joseph F. Mulligan Lecture The Life and Work of Nikola Tesla Erika Nesvold UMBC Nikola Tesla was a man of contradictions. He specialized in dramatic public demonstrations of his work, but led a largely solitary and very private personal life. He was a prolific inventor, an intuitive engineer, and a brilliant physicist, but was tormented by mental illness in the later years of his life. Despite personal setbacks and professional conflicts, Tesla was a pioneer in the field of electrical engineering and invented many of the devices we use today, including the alternating current induction motor, the remote control, and radio communication. He did early work with x-rays, robotics, and fluorescent lights. For this year's Mulligan Lecture, I will present a brief overview of Nikola Tesla's biography and discuss some of his most important discoveries and inventions. Location: Physics Bldg., Room 401 Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 3:30 pm