The 7 PM presentation at the Academy's home on East 63rd Street will feature a staged reading of several crucial scenes of Einstein's Gift, the Vern Thiessen play that is set to begin performances Oct. 1 at the Acorn Theatre.

The evening will also include a panel discussion that will address the themes of scientific ownership and ethics that are addressed in the play. The panel is set to include Dr. Frank Von Hippel, filmmaker Daniel Ragussis, physicist Peter Steinberg and Epic Founding Producer Ron Russell.

Einstein's Gift explores the lives of scientists Fritz Haber and Albert Einstein. Haber, according to production notes, was a German chemist who "won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1918 for the synthesis of ammonia from its elements, a discovery that was applied to the development of synthetic fertilizers. But Haber also put his genius to use for the German military at the start of World War I and became known as the father of modern chemical warfare. Likewise, Einstein, a pacifist, inadvertently contributed to the development of the atomic bomb by advising Roosevelt on his fears of how an enemy might develop such a weapon."

The New York Academy of Sciences is located in Manhattan at 2 East 63rd Street at Fifth Avenue. Admission to the event is free.

* Produced by Epic Theatre Center and directed by Ron Russell, the cast of Einstein's Gift will feature Shawn Elliott as Albert Einstein and Aasif Mandvi as Dr. Fitz Haber with James Wallert, Melissa Friedman, Sarah Winkler, Glenn Flesher, Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. and Nilaja Sun. The play will officially open Oct. 6; the limited engagement will conclude Nov. 6.

Einstein's Gift will play Tuesdays-Saturdays at 8 PM with matinees on Saturdays at 2 PM and Sundays at 3 PM. For tickets, call (212) 279-4200 or visit www.ticketcentral.com. The Acorn Theatre is located in Manhattan at 410 West 42nd Street.