How the Universe Works: How did the Universe begin?

Event Date:
2025-11-20T18:00:00
2025-11-20T19:30:00
Event Location:
Vancouver Public Library - Central Branch (Alice MacKay Room, Lower Level)
Speaker:
Mark Halpern
URL:
PHAS Outreach
Related Upcoming Events:
Other Talks
Intended Audience:
Public
Local Contact:

Kirsty Dickson (communications@phas.ubc.ca)

All are welcome to this event!

*Note: If registration is full, we are still usually able to accommodate walk-ins and wait-listed guests; please come by in case there are free seats!

Event Information:

Curious about how the universe actually works? Join the experts from UBC’s Department of Physics and Astronomy to find out fun facts about everything from the Milky Way to radio waves in this new, accessible science series: How the Universe Works! All are welcome!

Abstract:

In this talk we will explore how measurements we make today tell us the age of the Universe, and about conditions when it was much younger.  We have very direct evidence for conditions when the Universe was one week old and when it was a few minutes old.  With a specialized camera at the South pole we are probing the first tiny fraction of the first second.

Bio:

Mark Halpern is a Physics Professor at UBC who builds instruments to study cosmology.  He studies the thermal glow from the early Universe with instruments put into deep space or at the peaks of the Chilean Andes or the glaciers of the South Pole.

Add to Calendar 2025-11-20T18:00:00 2025-11-20T19:30:00 How the Universe Works: How did the Universe begin? Event Information: Curious about how the universe actually works? Join the experts from UBC’s Department of Physics and Astronomy to find out fun facts about everything from the Milky Way to radio waves in this new, accessible science series: How the Universe Works! All are welcome! Abstract: In this talk we will explore how measurements we make today tell us the age of the Universe, and about conditions when it was much younger.  We have very direct evidence for conditions when the Universe was one week old and when it was a few minutes old.  With a specialized camera at the South pole we are probing the first tiny fraction of the first second. Bio: Mark Halpern is a Physics Professor at UBC who builds instruments to study cosmology.  He studies the thermal glow from the early Universe with instruments put into deep space or at the peaks of the Chilean Andes or the glaciers of the South Pole. Event Location: Vancouver Public Library - Central Branch (Alice MacKay Room, Lower Level)