How will the universe end? What is the latest news from the search for dark matter? And how do science and art intersect? Katie Mack, Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at Perimeter Institute, is coming to Australia this summer to explore these topics and more at a series of six events open to the public.
Most of the events are free, and you can find the full schedule, with locations and ticket information, at the Space Australia website.
Each event is unique – Mack will participate in panel discussions about science communications, an informal ‘Science in the Pub’ panel, and public lectures on her favourite topic: the end of the universe. She’ll also team up with poet Alicia Sometimes to explore connections between science and art.
As a cosmologist, Mack spends her days asking some of the biggest questions about the universe, how it evolved, and what it is made of. She is also a noted science communicator and author of a critically acclaimed popular science book, The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking). For Mack, sharing her science with the world is just as important as doing the research itself.
“We physicists are lucky enough to spend our time contemplating the ultimate questions about the nature of reality. For me, personally, I am passionate about doing public outreach because I can't contain my excitement about everything I'm learning,” she says. “I also think that, as a field, we have a responsibility to make what we learn available to the public at large. Human societies all around the world have determined that it's worthwhile to put some of our resources toward a better understanding of how the universe works, but it's only a good investment if that information is made available. This doesn't mean that every physicist should be going out and giving talks, but some of us definitely should, and I'm thrilled that my position at Perimeter allows me to be one of them!”
Tickets for all events are available now. Make sure to book them early, as space is limited.
À propos de l’IP
L'Institut Périmètre est le plus grand centre de recherche en physique théorique au monde. Fondé en 1999, cet institut indépendant vise à favoriser les percées dans la compréhension fondamentale de notre univers, des plus infimes particules au cosmos tout entier. Les recherches effectuées à l’Institut Périmètre reposent sur l'idée que la science fondamentale fait progresser le savoir humain et catalyse l'innovation, et que la physique théorique d'aujourd'hui est la technologie de demain. Situé dans la région de Waterloo, cet établissement sans but lucratif met de l'avant un partenariat public-privé unique en son genre avec entre autres les gouvernements de l'Ontario et du Canada. Il facilite la recherche de pointe, forme la prochaine génération de pionniers de la science et communique le pouvoir de la physique grâce à des programmes primés d'éducation et de vulgarisation.
