Seminar: Kim-Vy Tran on How to Explain General Relativity with Wineglasses and other Astronomer Party Tricks

The Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT is excited welcome Dr. Kim-Vy Tran of Harvard University. Gravitational lensing is a direct consequence of General Relativity.  The bending of light by massive objects has matured into a powerful cosmic tool for exploring a wide range of astrophysical phenomena such as measuring how quickly the universe is expanding to finding the earliest galaxies and stars.  But how do you explain a rather abstract concept in a way that captures the imagination of and shares the thrill of discovery to an enthusiastic general audience?  Using a variety of visual tools, I describe my ongoing survey of gravitational lenses to illuminate the dark Universe.

Dr. Kim-Vy Tran is the Associate Director for Internal Relations at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard and Smithsonian

Please contact Learning and Events Coordinator Claire Sadar if you are interested in attending.