The 14th Annual Biard Lecture --
The Sky & Other Ghosts: CHANDRA, Great Observatories, and Why We Build Telescopes
Dr. Grant Tremblay is an Astrophysicist and the Project Scientist for the Chandra High Resolution Camera at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. He is Vice President of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), Vice Chair of the NASA Astrophysics Advisory Committee, and Chair Emeritus of NASA's Physics of the Cosmos Executive Committee. Previously, he was a NASA Einstein Fellow at Yale University, a Fellow at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) near Munich, and an Astronomer at ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile. He is an author of more than 100 publications in astronomical journals and three books for the general public, including Remain in Light: The Once & Future Great Observatories, coming next year from Princeton Press. He frequently appears on Science and Discovery Channel documentary series including How the Universe Works, as well as in recent and forthcoming projects with the BBC and PBS NOVA.
Presentation Title: "The Sky & Other Ghosts: CHANDRA, Great Observatories, and Why We Build Telescopes"
Abstract: We are in a new golden age of cosmic discovery. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is our new great time machine in the sky, poised to write new chapters of the cosmic story. We’re celebrating the 25th launch anniversary of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, now force-multiplying JWST’s power to witness the growth of black holes at cosmic dawn. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescopemarches toward launch, the Vera Rubin Observatory is on the verge of First Light, and our national community must never forget that we are profoundly lucky as a field, enjoying enormous support by a taxpaying public that so effortlessly shares in our wonderment of the cosmos. And yet, as I join you all to speak about the transformative discoveries enabled by Chandra in its 25 years of flight, I fear that we are walking a knife's edge of completely losing the decade and far beyond. This talk will begin with an urgent and fairly gloomy summary of the looming threats to global (not just national) efforts meant to grow cosmic discovery into the latter half of this century. It will end with optimism, a plea, and a discussion with the audience about why we build telescopes, and why grand pursuits of discovery are worth the cost.
6:00 pm -- Door opens
6:30 pm -- Lecture
7:30 pm -- Questions & Answers
Reception with Hors D’oeuvre and beverages will follow immediately and everyone is invited.
The Biard Lecture is a free of charge event and open to all. To RSVP, please register at Registration for 14th Biard Lecture.
