Rethinking the Universe
Urry, a scholar at Yale University, will discuss "The Discovery of Dark Energy: How and Why We Had to Re-think the Universe" at the Kenyon Athletic Center theater. Urry is the Israel Munson Professor of Physics and Astronomy, the director of the Yale Center of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and chair of the Department of Physics.
"I will tell the story of the discovery of the accelerating universe and the mysterious 'dark energy' causing its acceleration, and how we are re-thinking the nature of the world in which we live," Urry said. That talk is the Donald B. Hamister Distinguished Lecture in Physics. A reception follows the lecture in the athletic center lobby.
On Friday, February 12, at 3:10 p.m., Urry will address "Supermassive Black Holes and Galaxy Evolution" at the Franklin Miller Jr. Lecture Hall (room 109 in Hayes Hall).
Before joining Yale in 2001, Urry was on the senior scientific staff at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which runs the Hubble Space Telescope for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Her research focuses on active galaxies—galaxies with unusually luminous cores powered by super-massive black holes. Urry has also championed the role of women in science.