Agenda
Vera Rubin Fest
June 24-26, 2019
At Georgetown University
Conference co-organized by Georgetown and Stockholm Universities
Please visit our Presentation Videos page to view recordings of individual presentations from the Symposium.
MONDAY, JUNE 24TH (Lohrfink Auditorium, Hariri Building)
8:00am - 9:00am
Registration, Continental Breakfast
9:00am – 10:30am
Introductory Session
These talks will provide a historical overview of cosmology and dark matter, focusing on Vera Rubin's contributions and the context of her work
Dr. Neta Bahcall: Where is the Dark-Matter? From Vera to Today.
Dr. James Peebles: Vera's Challenge to Modern Cosmology
Dr. Virginia Trimble: The Rubin Papers
10:30am – 11:00am
Coffee Break
11:00am - 12:30pm
Dr. Hiranya Peiris: Known Unknowns in Cosmology
Dr. Florian Kuhnel: Primordial Black Holes as Dark Matter
Dr. Risa Wechsler: Learning about Dark Matter from the Smallest Galaxies
12:30pm – 2:00pm
Lunch
2:00pm - 3:30pm
Dr. Alessandra Buonanno: Gravitational Waves: A New Tool for Observing the Universe
Dr. Pearl Sandick: Dark Stars
Dr. Paul Shapiro: Reionization
3:30pm - 4:00pm
Coffee Break
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Dr. Elena Aprile: The XENON Project: At the Forefront of Dark Matter Direct Detection
Dr. France Cordova: NSF Science
5:00pm - 6:00pm
Reception, Copley Formal Lounge, with tours of the historic Hayden Observatory, led by student members of the Georgetown Astronomical society
TUESDAY, JUNE 25TH (Lohrfink Auditorium, Hariri Building)
8:00am - 9:00am
Registration, Continental Breakfast
9:00am – 10:30am
Dr. David Spergel: The Cosmic Microwave Background and the Case for Non-Baryonic Dark Matter
Dr. Martina Gerbino: Neutrino Mass from Cosmology
Dr. John Mather: Building the new to discover the new: imagining the future of astronomy
10:30am – 11:00am
Coffee Break
11:00am - 12:30pm
Dr. Pat Stengel: Supersymmetric Dark Matter
Dr. Shirley Ho: Using Machine Learning to Predict Non-Linear Evolution of Dark Matter Particles
Dr. Kim Boddy: Cosmological Probes of Dark Matter Physics
12:30pm – 2:00pm
Lunch
2:00pm - 3:30pm
Dr. Luca Visinelli: Axions
Dr. Sebastian Baum: Paleodetectors for Dark Matter
Dr. Jonathan Gardner: Studying Galaxy Evolution with the James Webb Space Telescope
3:30pm - 4:00pm
Coffee Break
4:00pm - 5:00pm
CONCLUDING TALKS
Dr. Michael Turner: From Dark Matter to Dark Energy and Beyond
Dr. Charles Bennett: The State and Future of Cosmology: An Experimentalist's View
6:30pm
Public lecture at the Carnegie Institution for Science
Dr. Neta Bahcall: The Dark Side of the Universe
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26TH (Fisher Colloquium Room, Hariri Building)
8:00am -9:00am
Registration, Continental Breakfast
9:00am - 9:45am
Keynote lecture
Dr. Abigail Fraeman: Exploring Vera Rubin Ridge, Mars with the Curiosity Rover
9:45am - 11:00am
Panel Discussion: Building on the Legacy of Vera Rubin to increase participation of women in Physics and Astronomy
This session will highlight topics of interest to students, teachers, and members of the broader community. The morning will begin with a keynote lecture by Dr. Abigail Fraeman from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory about the exploration she lead of the Vera Rubin Ridge on Mars with the Curiosity Rover. Following the keynote, there will be an interactive panel discussion including Dr. Fraeman, Prof. Katherine Freese, and Dr. Kathryne Sparks Woodle, moderated by Prof. Pearl Sandick. These remarkable women will talk about their science, their personal journeys, and challenges and strategies for increasing the representation of women in Physics and Astronomy. The session will wrap up with a poster session and networking event, where attendees will have the opportunity to meet each other and continue discussions in small groups.
11:00am - 12:00pm
Networking & Poster Session
Contributed posters covering both current research that builds on Dr. Rubin’s legacy and research on issues related to women in STEM
12:00pm - 2:00pm
Lunch and work session
Facilitated by ARCS Metro Washington members (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Patricia Sparrell (Co-President) and Elli Nesbitt (Co-Vice President of University Relations), as well as the panelists from the morning session, participants will develop action plans to further the participation of girls and women in STEM.