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Science and Society | The Universal Timekeeper: Reconstructing History Atom by Atom

Science and Society | The Universal Timekeeper: Reconstructing History Atom by Atom

Online
Online

 

By utilizing the basic building blocks of matter as imperturbable little clocks, we are now able to reconstruct in quantitative detail a remarkable range of human and natural events. From detecting art forgeries to dating archeological sites, and from laying out a detailed history of human diet and the Earth's climate to revealing the events surrounding the origin of life, of the Solar System and of the Universe itself, atoms provide us with a precise chronology from the beginning of time to the moment humans emerge to contemplate such questions.

David J. Helfand, a faculty member at Columbia University for 44 years, served nearly half of that time as Chair of the Department of Astronomy. He is the author of over 200 scientific publications and has mentored 22 PhD students, but most of his pedagogical efforts have been aimed at teaching science to non-science majors. He instituted the first change in Columbia's famed Core Curriculum in 50 years by introducing the course "Frontiers of Science", now required for all first-year students. In 2005, he joined an effort to create Canada's first independent, non-profit, secular university, Quest University Canada, where he served as President & Vice-Chancellor from 2008-2015. He also recently completed a four-year term as President of the American Astronomical Society, and is currently Chair of the American Institute of Physics. His first book, A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age, appeared, appropriately, in 2016.

This talk is part of the Science and Society lecture series co-organized and moderated by Fred Dylla, Executive Director Emeritus of the American Institute of Physics and author of Scientific Journeys, Linda Dylla, former public information officer at the Jefferson Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy, and Colin Norman, the former News Editor at Science.

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This is an online event. Event URL will be sent via registration email.
Date:
Tuesday, May 3, 2022
Time:
5:00pm - 6:00pm Eastern Time
Library:
Lewes Public Library
Audience:
  Adults     Older Adults  
Categories:
  STREAM  
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