Speaker Series
Prof. Ghazal Geshnizjani
September 11th, 7:00 PM EST
Prof. Gheshnizjani has a PhD in physics from Brown University in 2005, followed by postdoctoral positions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Perimeter Institute, and the University at Buffalo. She is a faculty member at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and the University of Waterloo. She is a cosmologist and studies topics like the early universe, the cosmological Big Bang, and some topics in the late universe, such as dark energy models.
Abstract
``How did our universe begin?" is one of the oldest questions in human history. As theoretical cosmologists, our job is to create a mathematical picture of the early universe that explains observations on all scales. In the past thirty years, there has been remarkable progress in technology for precision astrophysical observations and in refining mathematical methods to explain them. For example, we can now measure ripples in space-time geometry with incredible precision, down to one part in a million. We also have advanced frameworks like general relativity and quantum theories to describe these early universe ripples. Despite these achievements, some puzzles remain unsolved, such as the Big Bang Singularity problem. We will explore the early universe and its mysteries on this journey back in time.
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Prof. Matthew Headrick
June 26th, 6:30 PM EST
Prof. Headrick's research interests lie in string theory and related areas of quantum field theory, general relativity, geometry, and quantum information theory. A particular interest is the relation between quantum entanglement and the geometry of space and time.
Abstract
A big puzzle in theoretical physics for the last 100 years has been how to reconcile quantum mechanics with Einstein’s general theory of relativity. In the last few years, some surprising ideas — involving strings, black holes, holograms, quantum entanglement, and more — have come out of physicists’ attempts to solve this puzzle. Prof. Headrick will explain some of these ideas, and what theoretical physicists actually do all day long.
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Is our universe actually a hologram? - A podcast with Prof. Headrick
Prof. Robert Fisher
June 19th, 3:30 PM EST (NEW TIME)
The primary theme of Dr. Fisher's research is the fundamental physics of turbulent flows, and its application to the two endpoints of stellar evolution -- star formation and supernovae -- using a combination of theoretical and computational techniques. Dr. Fisher is currently a professor of physics at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.
The Fascination of Exploding Stars
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Exploding stars, or supernovae, are of tremendous historical, cultural, and scientific importance. These extremely bright stellar explosions have been seen in the Milky Way galaxy throughout human history by our ancestors using nothing more than the eye. Indeed, the discovery of two supernovae during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, before the invention of the telescope, helped to spark the scientific revolution. Supernovae are responsible for the production of heavy elements -- they are the explosive nuclear forges which produce the calcium in our bones, and the silicon of our computer technology. They continue to be at the cusp of the human understanding of the cosmos and have been used to discover a strange new kind of energy known as dark energy, the subject of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Despite their tremendous importance, we still do not understand the nature and origin of supernovae. In this talk, Prof. Fisher will discuss recent and ongoing research conducted at UMass Dartmouth with his students which is helping to unravel this cosmic mystery. The talk will include stunning visuals illustrating the power of scientific computing.
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Professor James Sonne
June 12th, 6:30 PM EST
Dr. James Sonne earned his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky and has focused his career on neuroscience and the way the body produces movement from thought. As a scientist and educator, he is motivated to help students explore the power of scientific thinking for the benefit of future generations. He will be speaking to us about how the brain makes the body move.