RASC National Society Video: Astronomy Today, Framing the Future
Dark matter. Humans on the Moon. Black holes and exoplanets. They’re hot topics in the news, and it just so happens women are discussing them. Join us for a panel discussion that passes the Bechdel Test, bringing four great Canadian minds together to talk about observational astronomy, cosmology, astroparticle theory, planetary geology and the future of science that is out of this world.
The panel is presented by The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and SkyNews. Hosted and moderated by SkyNews editor-in-chief Allendria Brunjes and RASC outreach co-ordinator Jenna Hinds, RASC Next Gen committee chair Emilie Laflèche and RASC Diversity and Inclusivity committee chair Roland Dechesne will be moderating audience discussion.
Speakers
Sophia Gad-Nasr is working on her PhD in cosmology and astroparticle theory at the University of California and engages in scientific outreach on a daily basis. She runs her own blog, astropartigirl.com, writing about various topics in physics in an effort to engage the public in science and help people see that science is fun and interesting. Through science communication, she works to break down the stereotype that physics is hard and raise awareness to the difficulties women and underrepresented minorities deal with in the field.
Sara Mazrouei discovered her interest in space and astronomy at an early age, and has used her expertise gained through completing a PhD in planetary geology to share knowledge about space with the public. An advocate for women and people of colour in STEM, her hope is to relay her own passion for discovery into excitement for learning at all ages. She is currently an educational developer at Ryerson University.
Nicole Mortillaro is a senior science reporter at CBC. She has an avid interest in all things science. As an amateur astronomer, Nicole can be found looking up at the night sky appreciating the marvels of our universe. She is the editor of the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, a regular writer with SkyNews and the author of several books, including the 2021 Night Sky Almanac published with RASC.
Sarah Gallagher is the science advisor to the president of the Canadian Space Agency. Her research focuses on studying growing supermassive black holes at the centres of distant galaxies and the interactions between galaxies in crowded environments. She has over 100 refereed papers that include data from 10 different space observatories, and her research has been recognized with an Ontario Early Career Researcher Award and a Western University Faculty Scholar Award. She regularly speaks to the public of all ages about black holes and other wonders of the universe.