Kaufmanis Public Lecture - Cosmic Gold: Neutron Star Mergers, Gravitational Waves, and the Origin of the Elements
Kaufmanis Public Lecture October 2019 (rescheduled from April 2019)
Presented by Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy
6:30 p.m. – Doors open
7 p.m. – Free Public Lecture and Q&A
RSVP HERE
Event is free and open to the public. No tickets required for event. Seating is first-come, first-served the day of the event.
About the lecture
DR. ELIOT QUATAERT, UC BERKELEY
Scientists have recently developed a new way to `see' the universe, using gravitational waves predicted by Einstein nearly a century ago. These waves can teach us about some of the most exotic objects known, including dead stars known as black holes and neutron stars. Remarkably, they have also helped solve a longstanding puzzle about where in the Universe some of the elements we know and love here on Earth are produced, including uranium, platinum, and even gold. Dr. Eliot Quataert will describe the exciting and remarkable new results coming out of our first steps into this new era.
The Kaufmanis Lecture is presented in memory of beloved Professor of Astronomy Karlis Kaufmanis. One of the University of Minnesota's greatest teachers, he taught more than 26,000 students. The Karlis Kaufmanis Lecture Series brings distinguished scientists to campus to provide public lectures on the latest topics in research.
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For questions, contact Andrea Stronghart at mifa@umn.edu or (612) 624-7053.
Parking and Directions
The nearest parking option is the East River Road Garage (385 East River Parkway).
- Directions from parking garage: Take the parking garage elevator to the plaza level (Level "1") and walk north across Delaware Street to Coffman Memorial Union. Once inside, take the escalator or elevator to the First Floor and then walk down the hallway to Coffman Theater.
- In inclement weather, take the elevator to "Level A" and follow the signs to the “Gopher Way” tunnel to Coffman. You'll emerge in the basement of Coffman. Take the stairs then the escalator up to the ground floor. Take another escalator to the first floor. Upon exit of the escalator, take a left and walk down the hallway to the Coffman Theater.
- Handicap accessible route: Take the elevator to "Level A" and follow the signs to the “Gopher Way” tunnel to Coffman. You'll emerge in the basement of Coffman. Take the elevator (next to the staircase). Go left past the escalator and continue to follow the hallway to the West elevator. Take the elevator to the first floor. Upon exit of the elevator, take a right, take another right toward the escalator and then left down the hallway toward the concessions stand and Coffman Theater.
For more information on parking locations and pricing: