To an outsider taking a tour, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at The Florida State University is a mystery with glass and steel, lights flashing, and a labyrinth of hallways leading to squat cylindrical magnets organized in cinderblock cells.

Inside these cells -- and lots of other places inside the sprawling 370,000-square-foot facility -- researchers investigate scientific unknowns, pushing the limits of temperature, magnetic field and mechanical ingenuity to do so. Many visitors leave the magnet lab impressed, a little perplexed, and wanting more.

With that in mind, the lab has organized the Magnet Mystery Hour, an ongoing series of free talks that present the lab, its instruments and its research in a way that is accessible to the curious-minded, even if they haven’t had a science class since high school (or are currently in high school!). The talks are presented by the scientists themselves -- many of them leaders in their fields -- in a conversational format appropriate for older students and adults. Each talk is held on a Tuesday night at 7 p.m. and is paired with a short tour of the facility at 6:30 p.m. A question and answer session follows each talk.

MAGNET MYSTERY HOUR 2009-2010 ACADEMIC YEAR SCHEDULE

The Pull of High-Field Magnets, Sept. 22, 2009: Most of the scientists at the magnet lab who use the magnets don’t work there -- and they don’t pay to use the magnets, either. DC User Program Director Eric Palm explains who these “users” are, why they are in Tallahassee, and why it’s important to pool national resources to advance basic research.

Kitchen Table Science For Families, Oct. 20, 2009: Bring a child to this Magnet Mystery Hour to discover science projects adults and children can do together. Center for Integrated Research and Learning Director Pat Dixon introduces “kitchen table science” (or in this case, conference table science) to participants, who have an opportunity to build their own electromagnets and try other fun and low-cost experiments. Seating is limited, as are supplies, so please reserve your spaces by sending an e-mail to hancock@magnet.fsu.edu.

Petroleomics: Chemistry of the Underworld, Nov. 17, 2009: Ryan Rodgers of the magnet lab’s Ion Cyclotron Resonance (ICR) group explains how scientists use very sophisticated tools to simultaneously separate and identify thousands of separate chemical constituents within a single crude oil sample. Dubbed “petroleomics,” this new field of research has major implications for how oil companies drill for and refine natural resources.

Magnet Myths and Mysteries, Jan. 19, 2010: DC Facilities and Instrumentation Director Scott Hannahs discusses some of the most common myths about magnetism and the magnet lab -- and he’ll take your questions, no matter how strange they might be. If you like good anecdotes, you’ll not want to miss this.

Magnets: From Mini to Mighty, March 23, 2010: There’s a lot more to magnets than you think. This talk features a rundown of magnet types, uses and strengths, explained by Magnet Science and Technology Director Mark Bird in a way that will help make the facts stick.