NORMAL - Make no mistake, Robert Ballard will talk about the Titanic when the famed ocean explorer speaks Tuesday at Illinois State University.

Although he's participated in more than 120 underwater expeditions in a 40-year career, discovering other famous shipwrecks and natural phenomena along the way, he wouldn't dream of leaving out the famous ocean liner that sank in 1912, he said.

Under the theme, "Exploring the Living Dream," Ballard will sandwich tales of finding the Titanic 20 years ago between his other discoveries in a multimedia presentation. His appearance, sponsored by The College of Applied Science and Technology, is part of ISU's continuing sesquicentennial celebration.

Ballard said the Titanic wasn't his most important discovery. "The Titanic was just misplaced," he quipped.

In contrast, his discovery of thermal vents in the Galapagos Rift Expedition in 1977 helped revolutionize the understanding of sea life. "It shaped our present explorations," he said in a telephone interview last week from California.

Shipwrecks he has explored include the Bismarck, a World War II German warship; the British passenger ship the SS Luisitania sunk by a German U-boat in World War I; and the PT-109 commanded by John F. Kennedy.

As a result of his work with Woods Hole Oceanographic Research Institute, he has won numerous awards from such organizations as the Explorers Club and the National Geographic Society. In 2002, President Bush presented him with the National Endowment for the Humanities Medal.

Ballard has shared his discoveries through many award-winning National Geographic programs, television specials, magazine articles, books and Imax films.

At 64, he said it's still about exploring and mounting the expeditions.

"There is a purpose for it," he said, noting it's not like bungee jumping off a bridge.

His purpose includes inspiring children.

"I get thousands of letters from kids," he said, adding one of his favorite letters was 150-foot-long scroll unrolled at a school.

It was being inspired by children's interest in the Titanic that he started the JASON project 18 years ago. It educates millions of children across the United States in math and science.

Immersion Presents, a newer and more high-tech project, (www.immersionpresents.org), targets high-risk kids who can visually join the expeditions "on the fly," he said. Children can view an expedition in a central room with high-definition plasma screens and satellite images to experience history as it happens.

"The technology we have is breathtaking," he said.

Right now, Ballard is thinking of his next expedition in August to the Black Sea to explore two shipwrecks off the coasts of Turkey and Crimea.

The National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence, who earned a Ph.D. in marine geology and geophysics from the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography, has 13 honorary degrees and is a strong advocate for higher education.

"It's time to pass it on to the next generation," he said, adding that two graduate students at the University of Rhode Island will join him on his next adventure. Having Ph.D. graduate students along for the ride is a "pretty awesome responsibility," he said.

"They are like children," he said. "You worry (about them) and care for them."

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Science and Technology Week

Who: Robert Ballard, undersea explorer, Titanic discoverer, and creator of the JASON Project, an educational program that helps students learn about undersea exploration.

Topic: Exploring the Living Dream

When: Tuesday, Illinois State University

- 3 p.m. - A chat with Ballard, including informal remarks with a question-and-answer session at Milner Library

- 7:30 p.m. - Lecture, question-and-answer session at Braden Auditorium

- 9 p.m. - Book signing, Barnes and Noble bookstore on the second floor of the Bone Student Center

Also

Other speakers as part of Science and Technology Week celebrations at ISU include:

- Joaquin A. Vila Rulz, professor in ISU's School of Information, on "Location Based Services" technology, 7:30 p.m. Monday at Circus Room at Bone Student Center

- Temple Grandin, professor and author of "Views on Animals, Nature and Autism," 7:30 p.m., Old Main Room at Bone Student Center

- Col. Richard B. Jenkins, commander of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, on "Science and Technology Solutions," 7:30 p.m., Old Main Room