Overview

The Saturday Physics Series consists of five to seven scheduled talks oriented toward adults and high school students. Lectures occur on specific Saturdays afternoons throughout the school year, typically in Duane G1B30. Unless otherwise noted, lectures begin at 2:30 p.m., and usually last about one hour. Material is aimed at the level of high school juniors and seniors. The series is free, open to the public, and no reservations are required. Simply show up and enjoy the show! 

To join our mailing list, please contact Veronica Lingo.

2023 Season

Saturday February 25 — "The Big Bang: The Universe, Past, Present and Future"

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  • Presented by: Professor Paul Beale, Department of Physics, University of Colorado Boulder
  • 2:30 p.m.
  • Abstract: Science is a human endeavor. The discovery that the universe began abruptly 13.8 billion years ago is one of the great scientific stories of the last century. We will explore the empirical evidence of the Big Bang, the scientific framework that allows us to infer with considerable certainty what happened in the first moments of the universe, the scientists that solved the puzzle of how that led to our existence, and what the future holds.

Saturday March 11 — "Black Holes: a Virtual Voyage"

  • Presented by: Andrew Hamilton, Professor, Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences and Physics, University of Colorado Boulder
  • 2:30 p.m.
  • Abstract: Black holes have become famous in both science and pop culture for their unique gravitational power. But what really happens in the mysterious interior of a black hole? Join Professor Hamilton on a virtual voyage inside a black hole using a real-time, interactive, general relativistic Black Hole Flight Simulator.

Saturday April 15 — "An Airline Crash Investigation: Physics vs Lawyers"

  • Presented by: Michael Dubson, Department of Physics, University of Colorado Boulder
  • 2:30 p.m.
  • Abstract: On July 26, 2002, FedEx flight 1478 crashed on landing at the Tallahassee Regional airport. The crew of three survived, but were fired by FedEx. The pilots contested their firing and I was hired to investigate. I was able to show experimentally that the runway lighting very likely failed due to condensation on the projection system. Yet the pilots' lawyers decided that my testimony would not help their clients, and my results were not presented. I will present the physics and sociology of this curious case.

Getting to Campus

The University provides a Campus Map.

For more information please contact Veronica Lingo.