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A&S Hall of Fame 2014 - Dr. Keith B. MacAdam

Keith B. MacAdam was born in Rochester, N.Y., attended Swarthmore College and earned a doctorate in Physics in 1971. After research at University of Stirling in Scotland, Yale University, and the University of Arizona, he came to UK as an Assistant Professor in 1977. He built a campus-based research program in experimental atomic-molecular-optical (AMO) physics with students and post-docs, supported by the National Science Foundation and the Research Corporation.

Stargazing at MacAdam Observatory with Tim Knauer

The University of Kentucky's own MacAdam Observatory provides students with the opportunity to use the most powerful telescopic lenses on campus and see the universe. On clear nights, students are welcome to join director Tim Knauer and his graduate assistants as they look out into the stars and observe those celestial bodies.

Here, Tim and assistants Kyle and Aaron join us to talk about running the observatory and their experiences there.

A Random Walk from the Laboratory to the Boardroom

After receiving a graduate degree at UK, Bill Roark successfully worked in the aerospace industry for many years, and started his own company, Torch Technologies. He will discuss his work experience and how his science background has helped and affected his career path.

Date:
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Location:
CP 155

Modern Genesis: The Amazing Story of our Cosmic Origins

Worsham Theater on the UK Campus Map

Presented by the Department of Physics & Astronomy, professor Sandra Faber of the University of California will speak on "Modern Gensis: The Amazing Story of our Cosmic Origins". Less than one hundred years ago, astronomers did not know about galaxies or that the Milky Way is a galaxy in a vast, frothy sea of galaxies. Today, astronomers have made remarkable progress in understanding how galaxies form in our expanding universe and the crucial role that they play in how the elements we are made of were built, and even how our planets and our solar system came to be.  This lecture will distill a century of dramatic cosmic discoveries to present a comprehensive yet digestible account of why we are here and where we are going...cosmically speaking.

Sandra Faber is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the Interim Director of the UCO/Lick Observatory.  She is an observational astronomer with primary research interests in cosmology and galaxy formation. Some of her major discoveries include the first structural scaling law for galaxies (called the Faber-Jackson relation), the discovery of large-scale flow perturbations in the expansion of the universe, and the ubiquity of massive black holes at the centers of galaxies.  In 1984, she and three colleagues presented the first detailed treatment of galaxy formation based on “cold dark matter,” which has since become the standard paradigm for galaxy formation in the universe.  Faber was one of three astronomers who diagnosed the optical flaw in the Hubble Space Telescope, and she played a major role in its repair.  From 1994-2005 she was Principal Investigator of the DEIMOS spectrograph, a large optical multi-object spectrograph for the Keck telescope that is the most powerful instrument of its kind in the world.  She and colleagues used DEIMOS to conduct the DEEP redshift survey of the distant universe, which collected spectra of 50,000 distant galaxies and exploited the immense power of Keck to see and study galaxy formation 10 billion years back in time.  She now leads the CANDELS project, the largest project in the history of the Hubble Space Telescope, to extend our view of galaxy formation back nearly to the Big Bang.  In 2009, she was awarded the Bower Award for Achievement in Science from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, and in 2012 she received the Bruce Medal of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and the Russell Prize of the American Astronomical Society, both for lifetime scientific achievement. Most recently, she received the National Medal of Science from President Obama in February 2013.

 

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Location:
Worsham Theater, UK Student Center

Skype with an Astronaut at A&S Sneak Peek

Catch a sneak peek of the amazing opportunities with the College of Arts & Sciences!

Dr. Ravat's Exploring the Solar System class had the privilege of doing a Skype interview with NASA Astronaut Dr. Drew Feustel. The Mission Specialist veteran detailed his drive to become an astronaut, his experiences in Space, and how NASA research connects to life on Earth.

Watch the full video here! vimeo.com/63330398

Skype with Astronaut Andrew Feustel

Dr. Ravat's AST/EES 310 class had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Andrew Feustel, NASA Astronaut and Mission Specialist for STS-125 and STS-134, on April 2nd, 2013. During this fascinating hour-long conversation, Dr. Feustel described what it is like to go into space, the importance of the scientific advances enabled by NASA, and recounted his experiences on the International Space Station and on the last human service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

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