Add to Calendar 2026-10-20T11:00:00 2026-10-20T12:00:00 PHAS Tuesday Tea! Event Information: Welcome to PHAS TUESDAY TEA! This is a super friendly tea event for the UBC physics community. We hope you join us! This event runs on Tuesdays from 11am-noon in the atrium outside of HENN 200. Come by for some social chit-chat and tasty treats. We welcome all new undergrad and grad students, staff and faculty to meet new-to-you colleagues and friends, to catch up with your physics community and to learn about current happenings in the PHAS Department.  Event Location: In the atrium outside of HENN 200

Add to Calendar 2026-10-20T14:00:00 2026-10-20T15:00:00 Measuring Black Hole Spin with Gravitational Waves: From Single Events to the Astrophysical Population Event Information: Abstract:  Over the past decade, the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) detector network has recorded hundreds of gravitational-wave signals from binary black hole mergers. Gravitational waves remain the sole means to directly measure a black hole’s spin, or intrinsic angular momentum—a property that serves as a unique probe of astrophysical processes ranging from sub-stellar to cosmological scales. Yet black hole spin remains poorly constrained: it has a comparatively weak imprint on gravitational-wave signals, can mimic other physical effects, and is highly susceptible to features in detector noise and systematic modelling uncertainty. Without careful safeguards, we risk spurious spin inference and false astrophysical conclusions.  I will describe efforts to produce accurate, precise, and unbiased black hole spin inference at every stage of LVK data analysis, from exceptional events such as the two most-massive binary black hole mergers observed to date, to the population writ large following the recent GWTC-5 data release. Bio: Dr. Simona J. Miller is a NASA Einstein Fellow at the City University of New York. Their research focuses on measuring the properties of merging black holes using gravitational waves. Previously, Miller graduated from Smith College (2020), was a Fulbright Germany Research Scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (2021), obtained a Ph.D. in physics at the California Institute of Technology (2026), and taught astronomy at Pomona College (2026). They are a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. Read their profile from the LIGO blog: https://humansofligo.blogspot.com/2020/01/simona-miller.html See their bio on the APS website: https://physics.aps.org/authors/simona_j_miller      Event Location: HENN 309

Add to Calendar 2026-10-27T11:00:00 2026-10-27T12:00:00 PHAS Tuesday Tea! Event Information: Welcome to PHAS TUESDAY TEA! This is a super friendly tea event for the UBC physics community. We hope you join us! This event runs on Tuesdays from 11am-noon in the atrium outside of HENN 200. Come by for some social chit-chat and tasty treats. We welcome all new undergrad and grad students, staff and faculty to meet new-to-you colleagues and friends, to catch up with your physics community and to learn about current happenings in the PHAS Department.  Event Location: In the atrium outside of HENN 200

Add to Calendar 2026-10-27T19:00:00 2026-10-27T21:00:00 Science Under the Stars! Cosmic Fall Event Event Information: The Department of Physics & Astronomy and the UBC Astronomy Club present Science Under the Stars! Science Under the Stars is a family-friendly introduction to astronomy, hosted every last Tuesday of the month at UBC. Join us this month for our Cosmic Fall Event! An Autumn inspired event for those looking Fall fun. Enjoy various activities such as: candle-making, painting and board games with friendly company, and of course, festive food! The UBC astronomy Club and the Department of Physics & Astronomy invite you - and your friends and family - to this inspiring night of science, curiosity and stargazing!  All ages welcome! Event Location: HEBB 114

Add to Calendar 2026-11-18T17:30:00 2026-11-18T20:00:00 PHAS Career Night! Event Information: Welcome to our 2026 PHAS Career Night For all Physics & Astronomy undergrads, come and meet PHAS graduates who have carved out interesting and varied non-academic careers in physics and astronomy fields. Our alumni panel will share their stories, tips, tricks and recommendations on driving your own career path with a Physics, Astronomy, or science degree in Canada and abroad.  Panelists, faculty and staff will be available after the presentations for questions and networking! Event Location: Gordon B. Shrum Building B1001 (https://maps.ubc.ca/?code=SHRM)