Calzetti to Deliver Final Talk in Fall 2020 Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series

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On Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 4 to 5:15 p.m., Daniela Calzetti, department of astronomy, will present the final talk in the Fall 2020 Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series. Her talk, “Stars are not ‘Spherical Cows,’” will be delivered via Zoom webinar. Registration is now open.

The lecture is described as addressing the following topics:

Stars are the sources of all the light we see in the universe. Whether investigating our own celestial neighborhood or the most distant corners of the universe, we use stars as our beacons. The universe is mostly made of dark energy, and galaxies and clusters mostly of dark matter. But it is stars like our sun that trace them all. Stars are not eternal balls of gas churning out energy from their nuclear furnaces. They are born, they live, and they die. The birth of stars is particularly important as it can be traced back to the birth and evolution of galaxies across cosmic times. Calzetti will review progress over the past decade in understanding how stars form out of the gas clouds that pervade galaxies, and how this has helped with furthering our understanding of the universe. Space missions, as well as advanced ground-based telescopes, have played key roles in advancing our knowledge. With many challenges still ahead of us, the way forward will require innovative thinking for the future missions and facilities that will enable humanity one day to say, “We know where we came from.”

Prior to the talk, John McCarth, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and Tricia Serio, dean of the College of Natural Sciences, will give introductions. A. Q&A session will follow the lecture.