The Physical Science (PS) Series offers events that showcase the current understanding of the origin of the Universe, properties of matter and energy and the relationships between them, and space exploration.
Previous PS events have covered dark matter, Switzerland’s CERN Laboratory, the Hubble Telescope, quarks and the cosmos, navigating earth and space, and the physics of baseball.
Distinguished speakers have included Astronaut John Grunsfeld; Nobel Laureate John C. Mather; and Laura Trouille, Astronomer, Northwestern University & Adler Planetarium.
“Vandals of the Void: Damaging Meteors from Chelyabinsk to Chicago” with William S. Higgins
Two years ago, a window-shattering shock wave injured 1400 Russians, and startled the world, as a small asteroid hit Chelyabinsk. Violent meteors are rare, but they can be devastating—and meteors have assaulted Chicagoland at least twice. Continue reading “C2ST Speakeasy: “Vandals of the Void: Damaging Meteors from Chelyabinsk to Chicago” with William S. Higgins”
Community Cinema, presented by WTTW and ITVS in partnership with Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, is excited to offer an advance screening of MAKERS: Women In Space, tracing the history of women pioneers in the space program and featuring the next generation of women engineers, scientists, mathematicians and astronauts.
Continue reading “Community Cinema Showcases ‘Makers: Women In Space’”
Is Gravity a realistic view of the hazards of intergalactic travel, or just a reboot of old movie serials with weightlessness thrown in? Is it an examination of solitude and the human need to connect with others, or a soporific woman’s weepie about the pains of unfulfilled motherhood? Gravitas or grasping for meaning?
Continue reading “Cinema Slapdown Round 53: Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity”
Predicting the Technologies of Our Future
Star Trek is a story of exploration that has fascinated us for the last 50 years.
A crucial part of this story are unbelievable scientific and technological advances — warp drive, wormholes beaming technology, holodecks — that make the exploration of the universe possible.
Let’s Play Two! That’s right–it’s time for a C2ST Double Header.
Due to unprecedented demand, Dr. Alan Nathan will be giving an encore of his Physics of Baseball program on Friday, August 2nd.
Continue reading “The Physics of Baseball #2: “You Can Observe A Lot By Watching” – Yogi Berra”
“You Can Observe A Lot By Watching” – Yogi Berra
Following Yogi’s advice, Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Illinois Alan Nathan will use high-speed video clips to highlight some of the interesting physics underlying the game of baseball. The talk will focus on the subtleties of the baseball-bat collision, the intricacies of the flight of a baseball, and many other things. Continue reading “The Physics of Baseball: “You Can Observe A Lot By Watching””