The Big Bang and the Universe’s Big Future

From September 10-14, I’ll be working with the Davidson Institute’s Young Scholars program to put on an online colloquium titled, “The Big Bang and the Universe’s Big Future.” Abstract: Astronomers, on a CSI-style mission, have followed the clues to find the culprit behind the...

An Amazing and Expanding Universe in Motion

From August 7-11, I’ll be working with the Davidson Institute’s Young Scholars program to put on an online colloquium titled, “An Amazing and Expanding Universe in Motion.” Abstract: Looking for something entirely different? Take a tour through our ever changing universe that is...

An academic life punctuated with bullets

Every university seeks to convince parents (and itself) that it is a safe place where learning and personal development are fostered in a protective yet stimulating environment. This is part of the myth of the Ivory Tower: we form the intellectual fortress where the knowledge-wealth of a society is stored,...

A Few Caveats regarding Day Length

I have to admit I have spring fever. I seem to have moved to a part of the country where the seasons actually follow the solstices and equinoxes, and politely divide themselves into 4 fairly equal parts. My crocuses are blooming, shorts are starting to appear on some of the more robust males on campus, the...

Fun with Mnemonics

In Astronomy we have two terrible patterns of words to try and remember. One is the order of the planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (image left, credit: NASA). The other is the spectral types of stars: O, B, A, F, G, K, M. For both these patterns we have unsatisfying...