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Cosmology Basics: Three Things To Know

$35.00

Kasey Wagoner, Ph.D.
Levels: All
Available Now! 1 PD Hour

Category:

Description

Description

(Telescope Photo Credit:  Jon Ward)

This Live Webinar took place on September 19, 2019.

At the Network, we so often hear people say they aren’t sure whether the science they’re reading, watching, and hearing is widely accepted among scientists.  Many also say that cosmology is too difficult to understand.  Dr. Kasey Wagoner works with a global team of 250 cosmologists building telescopes in the high Atacama Desert in Northern Chile.   The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) is currently making observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), studying how the universe began, what it is made of, and how it evolved to its current state.  The Simons Observatory, which will see first light in 2020, will add several new telescopes to this exploration, setting the stage for the next generation of CMB experiments.

Kasey gives a basic, understandable introduction to scientists’ understanding of our awe-inspiring universe.  It focuses on three topics: 1) in the past, the universe was much hotter and much denser; 2) the scientific model that describes the universe’s evolution; and . . . so importantly, 3) the observations that tell us how we know what we know.  Join Dr. Wagoner and others from around the world!

Videos about the telescopes in the Atacama Desert in Chile:

1.  The Eternal Sky: Building the Simons Observatory  (View)  (6 mins)

2.  The Eternal Sky (View)  Big Bang or Big Bounce, how did our universe begin?  Cosmologists discuss possibilities and what observational data from the telescopes will tell us.  (9 mins)

3.  The Eternal Sky Episode Three (View)   Science of the Small.  From the vantage point of thousands of meters above sea level, scientists hope to detect minute temperature fluctuations in the afterglow of the universe’s birth.  (9 mins)

You can subscribe to the Simons Observatory youtube channel.  It’s free.  Subscribe here!

 

Kasey Wagoner, Ph.D.
Lecturer of Physics, Princeton University
Education and Public Outreach Coordinator
Simons Observatory and Atacama Cosmology Telescope
Levels:  Secondary, College and Beyond
Thursday, September 19, 7:00  PM EST (US)

CPD Hours: 1

 

 

 

 

What you will get:

  • A basic understanding of cosmology without getting overwhelmed.
  • A chance to connect with a scientist who’s part of a global team of scientists doing primary researcher.
  • Your questions answered.  NO questions are dumb!

 

Who is this for?

  • Everyone who wants to know about the universe!
  • Teachers will appreciate knowing the most important components of the cosmological model today; and having a direct connection with the premier team of cosmologists in the world with the most up to date science.
  • Students will be inspired with understanding the science and seeing the human side of science.  Teachers you may want to encourage your students to participate in this live event.
  • Montessori teachers, in particular will be interested in understanding the science that undergirds the Cosmic Education Curriculum.

 

The Simons Observatory collaboration team of 250 scientists from around the world met at UC Berkeley in July 2019.

 

Kasey Wagoner Says:  I have always enjoyed looking up at the night sky and thinking about how the universe could be understood with the fundamental physical principles we have discovered on earth. When I moved to New Jersey in 2015 I joined the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and Simons Observatory (SO) collaborations. Both of these groups measure the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation. They use these measurements and our understanding of physics to improve our knowledge of the universe and how it has evolved.

Before coming to Princeton I worked on laboratory tests of gravity. These experiments aimed to test models which attempt to unify gravity with quantum mechanics. These experiments provide a fun, but challenging, opportunity to test some of the most fundamental aspects of physics in the lab.

Outside the office/lab I spend most of my time hunting for interesting, new foods with my wife (like me, she enjoys all kinds of ethnic foods) and my dog Ike (unlike me, he mostly likes whatever he can get in his mouth on our daily walks). I am also an avid sports fan and spend a lot of time watching and playing anything I can. Recently I started making wine and doing minor wood working projects. These activities have helped keep me grounded and my head out of the stars!

Become a Premium Member!   Fully participate on the site and in all courses for only $8 per month.  Click here for more info! 

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Anthony Robert Zelle, Esq., Tony is an Earth lawyer. While serving as Chair and President of the Earth Law Center, following 30 years in private practice trying cases and arguing appeals, he served as lead editor and author of the only comprehensive book on the subject: Earth Law: Emerging Ecocentric Law-A Guide for Practitioners. Developed for law school curricula, and now part of developing LLM programs internationally, the book has also become the primary reference source for practitioners.

The focus of Tony's current work is developing Earth law in practice and creating revenue-generating opportunities for Earth lawyers.

Learn more about Tony’s journey from a recent Boston College Law School Magazine profile.https://lawmagazine.bc.edu/2025/02/voice-for-the-earth/

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Maisie Paddon, Maisie is spearheading the advancement of Earth Law by integrating its principles into transformative policies and business strategies that resonate with Earth-centric practices and Nature's patterns. At the helm of Project 2040, she seeks to revolutionize financial systems, foster circular economies, and develop regenerative food systems. Her extensive experience in top-tier management consulting, with roles at Ernst & Young and Capgemini, showcases her ability to lead complex innovation programs and engage with C-suite leaders. With a solid foundation in Philosophy and Climate Science, Maisie is deeply committed to beneficial systemic change. She champions the inclusion of Nature's voice in discussions that tackle the multifaceted crises of today's modern world, while aligning her efforts with global frameworks like UN SDGs, ESG principles, and ISO standards. Her holistic and emotionally intelligent approach underscores her pursuit of sustainable and equitable solutions.

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Kerry Hudson, Hudson works as an activist and public interest lawyer with a focus on social justice, and an academic and employment history addressing heirs' property reform and protections of the Florida aquifer. He served as co-founder and manager for a medical practice that focused on Environmentally Acquired Diseases, and the effects of that most macro of human phenomenon—climate change, on the most granular, personal issues—individual health and the chronic and intractable maladies brought on by changing climate. He has served as Education Director for Rights of Nature and eco-centric education, creating informational content addressing topics such as environmental protections and property law, and the Public Trust Doctrine, and creating supplemental educational content for the law school textbook Earth Law: A Practitioner’s Guide. He holds an MFA in writing, has a publication history with both fiction and non-fiction, and has authored funded grants examining strategies to mitigate generational heirs' property abuses. He holds a J.D. with a focus on Environmental Justice, social equity, and restorative justice and has created informational and educational content addressing the intersection of environmental and legal issues such as the one-percenters' climate change preparations. Currently based in London, He works on a long-form manuscript addressing the importance of property law, social justice, and the climate change crisis.

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Tara A. Pierce, Tara holds degrees in painting, the humanities, a J.D., and an LL.M. in Oceans, Environment, & Sustainability. This transdisciplinary background enriched her legal studies and contributed to the successful publication of several papers on Earth Law and Restorative Ocean Farming. Her latest thesis synthesised her entire academic and hands-on experiences into an approach to transforming the law into a healing practice. Tara regularly guest lectures on Ocean & Coastal Law developments for various institutions in the United States and Europe.

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Joseph O’Brien, Joseph recently graduated from Brown University with a concentration in environmental studies. At Brown, he organized an experimental climate negotiation simulation featuring non-human, non-state, and state actors. With a background in regenerative agriculture, political theory, and contemplative education, he is excited to support this year's cohort jump into the chaotic, beautiful, and generative world of Earth Law.

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Janet Marley is completing an MA in Ecopsychology at Naropa University. She is currently researching styles of governance in traditional indigenous societies of Turtle Island and how such wisdom ways can positively influence modern ecocentric regenerative residential communities and bioregional initiatives. She has a BA in Religious Studies from Brown University. Janet is a community organizer with an abiding interest in designing and co-creating intentional living and learning centers that model and teach connection, communication, and reciprocity with the natural world. Her gifts and roles include Teacher, Naturalist, Healer, Event Producer, and Facilitator of ceremony, council, rites of passage, vision quests, ecotherapy, and trauma integration work. She is a Montessori-trained educator and mom of two young children. She currently serves as a board member for The Circle for Change Initiative and is the Director of Programming and Events at the Manitoulin Eco Park, an indigenous-led nature connection facility in Ontario, Canada.

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