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.
Abstract: Our quest to understand the origin, evolution and make-up of the Universe has undergone dramatic and surprising advances over the last decades. Much of the progress has been driven by measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation, the fossil light from the big bang, that provide a glimpse of the Universe as it was 14 billion years ago.
Continue reading “Exploring the Universe from the Bottom of the World”
Abstract:
Some scientists believe that the Higgs boson, a never-before-seen subatomic particle, is the fundamental building block of the universe that gives mass to matter. Recent high-energy particle experiments at CERN and Fermilab have hinted at the existence of this particle. But what exactly is the Higgs boson and why do some people call it the ‘god particle’? Continue reading “CERN: What’s it all about?”
Abstract:
Times change, literally, for human culture and the Cosmos as a whole.
According to astrophysicist Adam Frank, specific human conceptions of time don’t last forever and our “modern” version is already in the midst of a radical change. Continue reading “About Time: Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang”
PHYSICS WITH A BANG!
Students, families, teachers and especially the curious are invited to attend our annual Holiday Lecture and Open House. See fast, loud, surprising and beautiful physics demos performed by Profs. Heinrich Jaeger and Sidney Nagel. Talk to scientists about their latest discoveries. Continue reading “Physics with a Bang! / Ask a Scientist!”
Join C2ST and representatives from The Adler Planetarium and NASA’s Luna Institute as we view Earth’s closest neighbor, learn about our relationship with the Moon, and discuss NASA’s near-term strategies for exploring the Moon and why it can be a platform for the next generation of science.
The next decade will be the decade of the WIMP, the best candidate for dark matter. Astronomers tell us dark matter exists, as well as how much there is. Cosmologists have a simple, elegant, compelling explanation for dark matter: a weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) that was produced in the primordial soup. Continue reading “Chicago’s Dark Matter: WIMPs of the Underground”