Fall 2018

09/22/18 | Opening Up the Solar System and Beyond: The Promise of Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion -- John Foster (U-M Engineering)

Part of the 50th Anniversary Live Presentation of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey
Co-Presentation with: UMS and the College of Engineering
We survey propulsion technologies that can enable reduced trip times for robotic and human missions alike beyond Mars, opening up the full solar system to in depth exploration and eventual colonization. Enabling these advances is the utilization of the power of the nucleus-nuclear energy.

09/29/18 | Dark Matters -- Aaron Pierce (U-M Physics)

This talk will give an update on the hunt for dark matter and the quest to understand how most of the matter in our universe came about.

10/06/18 | Gravitational Waves with LIGO: Beyond the Big Chirp -- Ansel Neunzert (U-M Physics)

Collecting a zoo of black holes. Hunting for elusive signals from spinning neutron stars. Grappling with terabytes of data. On occasion, imitating thirsty ravens. These are just a few of the things that LIGO scientists are busy with, as the field of gravitational wave physics takes off from its historic first detection. This talk will provide a view of LIGO from the ground: key concepts, recent results, a taste of challenges large and small, and a particular focus on the work done here at University of Michigan.

10/20/18 | Bringing the Stars Down to Earth -- Artemis Spyrou (Michigan State University)

The elements we see around us are all forged in the glowing fires of stars. Nuclear energy and nuclear reactions are driving these fires, and the only way to ever understand how they work is by producing the relevant nuclei here on Earth and studying their properties. For this reason, among others, the most powerful particle accelerator in the world, FRIB, is currently under construction in the heart of Michigan. When built, FRIB will finally give us unique access to those nuclei that are responsible for building the whole Universe.

10/27/18 | Living in the Anthropocene: Toward a Resilient Human Society -- Ben van der Pluijm (U-M Earth & Environmental Sciences)

Today's Anthropocene time marks humanity's domination of Earth's changing environment. Societal resilience to the impacts of change requires preparation and adaptation, and, increasingly, mitigative action.

11/03/18 | Particle Physics Buffet -- Dante Amidei (U-M Physics)

Recent news, eternal questions, and current conundrums in particle physics.

11/10/18 | The Proton Radius Puzzle -- Wolfgang Lorenzon (U-M Physics)

Until recently, we thought we knew exactly how big the proton is. Now we are not so sure anymore. What has happened and how are we going to solve the puzzle?

11/17/18 | Wrinkles, Crumples, and Origami: The Physics and Geometry of Thin Elastic Sheets -- Ian Tobasco (U-M Mathematics)

The world is full of pattern forming thin elastic sheets, from organic ones like leaves and flowers to inorganic membranes manufactured in the lab. What are the limits of such biologically-inspired design?