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The Elizabeth Laird Lecture Series
The Elizabeth Laird Lecture Series
This lecture series was initiated in 1970 to honour Professor Elizabeth Rebecca Laird—a long-time associate, colleague, and friend of the Physics Department at The University of Western Ontario. It was the first lecture series in the Faculty of Science at Western to carry the name of an individual, which is particularly fitting given the many “firsts” in her long and distinguished career.
Dr. Elizabeth Rebecca Laird was born in Owen Sound, Ontario on December 6th, 1874. Laird wanted to start her graduate work immediately after receiving her B.A. in 1896 from the University of Toronto. Her scholarship applications were rejected on the basis of gender, despite the fact that she had been top of her class for three years.
From 1901 to 1940, as Professor and Head of the Mount Holyoke Physics Department, Laird trained many women who became active physicists and set an example for the participation of women in research.
In World War II, Laird came out of retirement to work at The University of Western Ontario on the development of radar. She made substantial contributions and was invited to remain at the University.
Recent Elizabeth Laird Lectures
Recent Elizabeth Laird Lectures
2025
2025
Dr. Kristine Spekkens
Dr. Kristine Spekkens
Dr. Kristine Spekkens is a Canadian astronomer and professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, specializing in extragalactic astrophysics. She also serves as the Canadian Science Director for the Square Kilometer Array (SKA). Dr. Spekkens’ research focuses on the structure and evolution of galaxies. She is currently leading research with a focus on understanding the structure of galaxies through multi-wavelength observations, and using their atomic gas hydrogen line morphologies as a probe. Additionally, she is on the advisory committee on the WALLABY executive team, where the WALLABY survey is currently observing half of the Southern hemisphere in the 21-cm line of neutral hydrogen to detect the gas distribution in external galaxies in the local Universe.
2024
2024
Dr. Kimberly Strong
Dr. Kimberly Strong
Dr. Kimberly Strong, FRSC, is a leading Canadian atmospheric physicist and Chair of the Department of Physics at the University of Toronto. She is a founding member of the Canadian Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Change (CANDAC) and Principal Investigator of the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in Eureka, Nunavut. Her work spearheads investigation of climate change, atmospheric chemistry, and stratospheric ozone through monitoring the Artic atmosphere. Please see her page for more insight into her groundbreaking research and leadership.
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