Perimeter Institute: The Building Blocks of the Universe - Phiala Shanahan public lecture webcast
More than 99 percent of the visible matter in the universe is built from protons and neutrons and the nuclei that they form. This rich structure emerges dynamically from the complex interactions of quarks and gluons, the most elementary particles that have been discovered.
Understanding how nuclear physics arises from the underlying quark and gluon dynamics is a computational challenge that pushes the capabilities of the world’s largest supercomputers.
In her public lecture at Perimeter Institute on Wednesday Nov. 7, Phiala Shanahan will introduce the audience to the subatomic realm and describe what supercomputer calculations of quarks and gluons can reveal about the origins of mass, the primordial nuclear reactions that power the Sun, and the nature of the elusive dark matter that permeates the universe.
Shanahan is an Assistant Professor of Physics at MIT. She grew up in Adelaide, Australia, and obtained her BSc from the University of Adelaide in 2012 and her PhD, also from the University of Adelaide, in 2015. Before joining the MIT faculty, Shanahan was a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT from 2015-2017, and held a joint position as Assistant Professor at the College of William & Mary and Senior Staff Scientist at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility from 2017-2018.
Shanahan has been honoured by both the Australian Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society, is the recipient of a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation, and was listed in the Forbes Magazine 30 under 30 in Science in 2017.
She is currently an Emmy Noether Visiting Fellow at Perimeter Institute. Perimeter’s Emmy Noether Visiting Fellowships support exceptional young women at critical stages of their physics careers. Get to know this year’s Simons Emmy Noether Fellows and learn more about all of Perimeter’s Emmy Noether Initiatives.
Waiting line experience
There will be a waiting line for last minute cancelled (or ‘no show’) seats on the night of the lecture. Doors open at 5:30pm. Come to Perimeter and pick-up a waiting line chit at the Waiting Line sign and then participate in pre-lecture activities - no need to wait in line. An announcement will be made in the Bistro at 6:45pm if theatre seats are available. Note: you must arrive in person to be part of the waiting line and be in the Bistro when the waiting line announcement is made.
No disappointments
Everyone who comes to Perimeter will be able to participate in the lecture. The public lecture will be shown simultaneously on closed circuit television in the quiet of the Time Room or the licensed comfort of the Black Hole Bistro for any members of the waiting line who are not able to get a theatre seat.
Live webcast online
Enjoy the live webcast of Perimeter Institute Public Lectures from the comfort of your own home. Join us at 7:00pm night of the lecture and be part of the ONLINE virtual audience.
For most lectures the on-demand playback will be online within 24 hours after the live event. Check our YouTube page for the playbacks.
Who can attend: Everyone
Fee: Attendance to the lecture is free, but advance tickets are required. Due to the overwhelming response to past lectures, tickets will be honoured until 6:45pm only. If you have not arrived by 6:45pm your reservation may be filled by guests in the waiting line, and you may be asked to join the end of the waiting line.
Tickets: Available online October 22 at 9:00am
Organized by: Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Location: Perimeter Institute, Mike Lazaridis Theatre of Ideas, 31 Caroline St. N., Waterloo, ON