JACKSON TWP — William Kiser has seen staggering advances in technology during his 45 years and knows there’s no easier way to make a difference in this world than investing in science.

Kiser took that message to Seneca Valley High School Friday morning talking to about 200 students as part of the school’s STEM lecture series.

The series brings in professionals from all aspects of the STEM community, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math.

Kiser is the senior director of Penn State’s Electro-Optics Center in Freedom, about 30 miles from Seneca Valley.

Kiser is on the forefront of laser technology and does research for the military. In his words, he is integral in designing the “next generation of weapons and equipment to keep our country safe.”

During a presentation to the students, Kiser said it’s almost unbelievable how much technology has advanced during his lifetime.

His 45 years represent only a “blip on the radar screen of time,” Kiser said as he showed slides of gigantic, obsolete computers from the 1970s that had less operating power than today’s smartphones.

He reminisced about a childhood filled with encyclopedias and books and said he is still fascinated by the fact that anyone, anywhere with a push of a button now can access the entirety of human knowledge on the Internet.

That kind of technological advancement is the best example of just how much the world has changed during his life.

“There are all of these wonderful things out there and it’s up to you to dream them up and go execute them,” he told the students. “You can influence the way history unfolds.”

David Lowe, an advanced placement biology teacher at the high school, said the physicist is a good example of how one person can make a difference in science.

Lowe also praised the STEM lecture series and the school’s administration for enacting such a program.

“These lectures introduce our students to different opportunities they otherwise might have never known about,” Lowe said. “And that’s what schooling is all about.”

Rosa Silgado, a senior, said she enjoys going to the STEM lectures, if only for the fact that they often include interactive learning and firsthand accounts from professionals.

“The demonstrations usually include visual aspects, which is great,” she said. “It’s a lot better than sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher talk all day. ”