McGill.CA / Science / Department of Physics

2007/08 Anna I. McPherson Lectures

George Smoot

University of California, Berkeley & Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory


Public Lecture

Thursday, February 14th 2008, 18:30
Frank Dawson Adams Building, Auditorium

Relics of the Big Bang

Using our most advanced forensic techniques and instruments we sift through relic clues and evidence to understand the violent events surrounding the birth and subsequent development of the Universe. This approach - Cosmic Scene Investigation (CSI) - along with careful analysis, discussion, and computer modeling (some done here) have allowed us determine what happened over billions of years with amazing certainty and accuracy. Some of the findings or surprising and even shocking twists of plots and there remain even more mysteries to be solved. In spite of that we can tell the tale of the creation and history of the Universe and show key supporting evidence some of it from very early times including using the cosmic background light to provide a direct image of the embryo universe.


Scientific Lecture

Friday, February 15th 2008, 15:00
Strathcona Anatomy and Dentistry Building, Room M1

Cosmology Today

This talk reviews the present status of cosmological observations today and makes a forecast on things soon to come.