The Department of Physics and Astronomy is hosting students in Grades 7 and 8 on campus in-person on November 26th for free hands-on activity workshops, inspiring talks, and a panel discussion, to encourage and engage female and non-binary students to explore physics. This event is free, and participants are expected to stay for the whole event. Registration is now closed for the 2022 event.
If you are in middle school and have an inquisitive, creative mind this one-day, free event will broaden your understanding of what physics is, what physicists do, and what is so interesting about this field. Join us on November 26th to connect with like-minded students in exciting workshops, meet role models, and hear mentors share their experiences. Attendees choose their top four workshops and are guaranteed attendance in two of those.
Schedule:
- 9:30-9:55 Sign-in Desk Open
- 10:00 Opening Remarks
- 10:05-11:00 Keynote lecture. Dr. Nathalie Ouellette, James Webb Space Telescope Scientist. "Unveiling the Secrets of the Universe"
- 11:00-12:00 Workshop 1
- 12:00-12:45 Lunch (provided)
- 12:45-2:00 Workshop 2
- 2:00-2:45 Panel Q&A with current Physics & Astronomy students
- 2:45 Closing comments
- 3:00 Student pick-up
Keynote info:
Unveiling the Secrets of the Universe: Humans have been observing the stars for thousands for years, but we've only recently been able to discover many of its secrets thanks to tools and instruments like telescopes. The first images from the Webb Space Telescope showcasing the infrared Universe have proven the importance of considering all the different ways the cosmos is speaking to us. Thanks to Webb, we have the capacity to see farther than ever in our Universe, peer through the cosmic dust sprinkled throughout galaxies and discover and study new alien worlds. Together, we'll learn about all the different types of light astronomers observe, what this light teaches us about celestial objects, and why having a diversity of tools and points of view makes for better science.
Nathalie Nguyen-Quoc Ouellette is an astrophysicist, science communicator and lifetime lover of all things space! She obtained her Ph.D. in Physics & Astronomy at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario in 2016. Her research focuses on galaxy formation and evolution. Nathalie is currently the Deputy Director of the Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) and the Mont-Mégantic Observatory at the University of Montréal. She is also the Outreach Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope in Canada collaborating with the Canadian Space Agency.