Tuesday, June 13, 7 PM. Doors open at 6 PM.
Penticton Lakeside Resort and Conference Centre, and online via Zoom.
No registration required for in-person attendance.
Galaxies, Cosmology, and the Radio Telescope Revolution
Understanding how galaxies form and evolve within the standard cosmological framework that describes the Universe is among the biggest challenges in astronomy today. The properties of gas-rich, star-forming nearby galaxies are key to this picture, both because they resemble the Milky Way in which we live and because they make up the bulk of the galaxy population in most cosmic environments. This talk will describe the connection between galaxies, dark matter and cosmology, how the atomic gas in galaxies is a powerful cosmological probe, and how a revolution in our view of these objects and many others the night sky is underway with a new generation of radio telescopes. These facilities are paving the way for groundbreaking discoveries with the SKA telescope – an international mega-science project in which Canada will soon be a full member – which will come online towards the end of this decade.
Biography
Dr. Kristine Spekkens is a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and at Queen’s University, both located in Kingston, Ontario. She leads a research group that focusses on understanding the structure and evolution of nearby galaxies through deep multi-wavelength observations, and is particularly interested in using their atomic gas reservoirs as a cosmological probe. Dr. Spekkens leads a variety of initiatives to survey atomic gas in nearby galaxies using the biggest radio telescopes in the world. In addition to her scientific research, Dr. Spekkens is deeply involved in the international partnership to build the billion-dollar Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope, which is currently under construction and in which Canada will soon be a full member. Nationally, Dr. Spekkens is the Canadian SKA Science Director; internationally, she is the Canadian representative and vice-chair of the SKA Observatory Science and Engineering Advisory Committee.