April 2023: Saturday Space Science Series
Virtual Space Science Program for High School Students
Are you fascinated by space? Are you curious about the origins of the Universe or the evolution of galaxies? The CMB-S4 collaboration, a world-wide scientific organization of professional astronomers and astrophysicists invite you to join us for the Saturday Space Science Series! This virtual lecture series for high school students will explore the Big Bang, dark matter, dark energy, the expansion of the Universe, and more. You will learn about current astronomy research and careers in astrophysics and cosmology. Students who attend all four Saturdays will receive a certificate of participation.
Dates: April 8,15,22 and 29
Time: 10:00 am – 12:30 pm (central time zone)
Series Overview
The first session is on April 8. The speakers are Marilena LoVerde and Kimmy Wu, and they will speak about the Big Bang and the CMB, respectively.
The second session is on April 15, with Erin Healy and Bruce Partridge. They will talk about dark matter and dark energy, respectively.
The third session is on April 22. The speakers are Clara Vergès and Eve Vavagiakis, and they will talk about the first 5 minutes of the history of the Universe, and unsolved problems in cosmology, respectively.
Lastly, the final session is on April 29, with Mark Devlin and Sara Simon. They will speak about the instrument, cryostats, detectors, the sites, etcetera, and how CMB-S4 will answer the open questions in cosmology that Eve will talk about the previous week.
October 2022: Saturday Space Science Series
Virtual Space Science Program for High School Students
The Cosmic Microwave Background Stage 4 (CMB-S4) Saturday Space Science series. Are you fascinated by space? Are you curious about the origins of the Universe or the evolution of galaxies? The CMB-S4 Collaboration, a worldwide scientific organization of professional astronomers and astrophysicists invites you to join us for the Saturday Science Series! This virtual lecture series for high school students will explore the Big Bang, the expansion of the Universe, and more. You will learn about current astronomy research and careers in astrophysics and cosmology. Students who attend all four Saturdays will receive a certificate of participation.
Dates: October 8, 15, 22, and 29
Time: 10:00 am – 12:30 pm (central time zone)
Register at : https://forms.gle/AjtWYvx26TPR2tRf9
Contact: Juliet Crowell, [email protected]
Scientists & Schedule
- October 8, 10:00am-12:30pm CT: introduction to Cosmic Microwave Background, Caterina Umilta, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Kasey Wagoner, Princeton University
- October 15, 10:00am-12:30pm CT: Dark Matter & Dark Energy, Cynthia Trendafilova, SMU and Martine Lokken, University of Toronto
- October 22, 10:00am-12:30pm CT: Unsolved Problems in Cosmology, Clara Verges, Center for Astrophysics/ Harvard & Smithsonian and Eve Vavagiakis
- October 29, 10:00am-12:30pm CT: Cosmic Microwave Background Instruments, Tom Crawford, University of Chicago and Tyler Natoli, University of Chicago
August 18, 2022: Big Bang Bingo Night Trivia
August 18, 7:00 pm -8:30 pm the Education and Public Outreach Committee hosted and evening of CMB-S4 science trivia. Program attendees explored the Big Bang, dark matter, dark energy, and more and answered challenging questions. This evening of fun trivia and science exploration inspired teamwork and CMB-S4 scientists answered questions and engaged in dialogue.
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June 20-24 2022: STEAM Camp for Middle School Girls
June 20-24: Hosted at the Norman B. Camp in Wisconsin, Outreach is hosting a five day long STEAM-themed camp for middle school girls from the Chicago-area, featuring hands-on science experiments, night sky party, art activities for girls to learn more about all-things STEM– especially astronomy!
STEAM Camp Leaders: Juliet Crowell and Nancy Brown, and Kate Meridith
Partners: GLAS Education , Norman B. Barr Camp and CMB-S4
Contact: [email protected]
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December 8 2021: Astronomy Night for Cub Scouts
When: Wednesday, December 8th from 6:30-9:00 pm
Where: William Eckhardt Research Center (ERD), University of Chicago, 5640 Ellis Ave., Chicago,
What: Astronomy Night
- 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – hands-on science activities in the ERC building
- 7:30 -8:30 – walk over to the Ryerson telescope (group will be escorted)
Who: 25 attendees total (including parents and 13 cub scouts)
- 13 girl and boy scouts ages 7-8
- 9 parent chaperones
Safety: All program attendees wear required to wear masks and hand sanitizer was provided.
We hosted an astronomy & night sky viewing experience for a group of Cub Scouts (ages 5 and up) joined by parents/ chaperones. This event started with Cub Scouts visiting the University of Chicago Astronomy & Astrophysics Department where they engaged in hands-on science activities and then the group walked to the Ryerson telescope for a look at the night sky.
Student Volunteers: Aster Taylor, an astrophysics student, and Ronik Bhaskar, a computer science major.
November 23 2021: Cosmology & Art for Afterschool Learners at Project Exploration
Dr. Chihway Chang talked to middle school students about dark matter and dark energy. Dr. Chang focused on the Dark Energy Survey and art illustrations and science facts on the project website at DarkBites. Students used drawing materials and coloring pencils to create their own illustrations.
October 29 2021: Joliet Junior College STEM Scholars Tour Reseach Laboratories at University of Chicago
Joliet Junior College (JJC) STEM Pathway: “This pathway focuses on science, technology, engineering, and math and is perfect for those who are analytical and mathematically minded. You can expect professors with industry experience and a variety of electives to choose from so you can customize learning based on your individual interests.”
Laboratory Tour Goals: One of the goals of the JJC STEM Scholars program is to bring attention to the world of possibility that exists in the sciences. Many of the JJC STEM students are first-generation college students and this experience allowed them to explore research environments and to interact with research scientists and graduate students.
The in-person visit to UChicago will allow JJC STEM Scholars to:
- engage with scientist and graduate students
- learn about current STEM current cutting-edge research and career opportunities
- explore science labs and ask questions during this in person interaction
Science Guides and Tour Leads included: Dr. Bradford Benson, Dr. Katie Harrington, Dr. Kirit Karkare, and Dr. Tyler Natoli
October 2021: Saturday Science Series for High School Students
Are you fascinated by space? Are you curious about the origins of the universe or the evolution of galaxies? Join us for the Saturday Science Series! This virtual lecture series will examine the Big Bang, the expansion of the Universe, and more. You will learn about research processes in astronomy and careers in cosmology and astrophysics. Students who attend all four lectures will receive a certificate of participation. Please register at Saturday Science Series. If you ha ve any questions, feel free to contact Juliet Crowell at [email protected]. We hope to see you there!
Saturday Scientists
- October 9, 10:00am-12:30pm CT: Lloyd Knox (UC Davis) and D aan Meerburg (University of Groningen)
- October 16, 10:00am-12:30pm CT: Gabriela Marques (Florida State University) and Renée Hložek (University of Toronto)
- October 23, 10:00am-12:30pm CT: Kevin Huffenberger (Florida State University) and Colin Bischoff (University of Cincinnati)
- October 30, 10:00am-12:30pm CT: Cyndia Yu (Stanford University) and Grant Teply (UC San Diego)
April & October 2021: Mission to Mars: Art & Space
Demographic: Middle School children, ages 9-13, from the Carole Robertson Center, Chicago IL
Why Do We Need This Program? The current pandemic has put a tremendous strain on the education sector, affecting our youth. Science e ducation is compounded with a pre-existing deficit in STEM programs’ interest and engagement relative to girls and underserved communities of color. What does the future look like without the contributing talent of these evolving voices? The Mission to Mars program will effectively address this emergency not only in content but in context. It is adaptable to function both online, in person, or as a hybrid experience, a quality that allows more accessibili ty for those who are not as easily mobile to participate as well as being immune to the social distance crises of the future.
Premise of the Program: As a group, we’re preparing to board the next space shuttle headed to Mars to create the very first extrater restrial museum: Mission to Mars Museum. Each student can bring one item for “display”: something they’ve made, something bought, something found, someth ing that makes you happy or makes you remember, something that makes you feel safe, etc. The prerequisite to taking your object on the voyage to be displ ayed in the museum on Mars is to talk about the artifact you picked and why it’s special, i.e., the “story” of the object (thus the “story” of the storyt eller).
CMB-S4 Contribution: Dr. Kev introduced students to the Solar System and presented hands-on activities supported by outreach staff (E PO) in the room.
Mars is sometimes called the Red Planet because of the color of its soil. How did the soil become red or rusty colored? Post the Mars Sand activity, a sk kids: What ideas do you have about why metal turned rusty?
- Dr. Kev’s March 2020 presentation on the Solar System at CRC
- Bill Nye Mars Sand video
- Solar System Sheet
- Relevant Solar System vocabulary
Collaborators:: The Chicago Council on Science and Technology; Carole Robertson Community Center; Shonna Pryor from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago; CMB-S4 Education and Public Outreach (EPO) Manager; CBM-S4 scientist Kevork N. Abazaijan, Professor of Physics & Astronomy and Director of the Center for Cosmology the University of California, Irvine.
August 11 2021: Teen Jeopardy Night
Are you READY! We are launching our first-ever CMB-S4 Jeopardy Night. Are you up for an evening of physics fun? Join us for a night filled with scienc e research challenges. Represent your high school, win fun prizes, and lead your team to VICTORY! If you did not attend the Saturday Science Series talks, no worries. CMB-S4 scientists will be on hand to support your team. Come as a group or as an individual. Let the games begin!
1st Place:
- Hasini P., IVA High School, Irvine CA
- Hasini also earned a certificate for attending all four sessions of the April 2021 CMBS-4 Saturday Science Series
- “Yesterday’s Jeopardy Night was very fun!”
2nd Place:
- Amitha M., Plano East Senior High School, Plano TX
- “Thank you so much for the opportunity to participate in this wonderful event. I enjoyed meeting the scientists and learning more about astronomy thr ough the Jeopardy game!”
3rd Place:
- Christal B., Cypress Ranch High School, Cypress TX
- “Thank you again so much for this fun opportunity!”
June 19 2021: Window to the Universe: 3D Design Program
Join us on June 19th at 10:00 am CT for a live webinar to learn how to design telescope cameras that are used to map the Universe. Scientist Benjamin Schmitt from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian will share his research, life at the south pole, and explore the telescope camera design challenge.
Dr. Schmitt will be joined by Kent Lambert at the University of Chicago Hack Arts Lab who will 3D print a telescope camera model. We will also be joined by the Museum of Science and Industry Fab Lab team who will teach you how to create your own 3D projects.
- Introduction to Dr. Schmitt & Design Challenges: video
- Take on one of the design challenges using materials you have at home, learn more here.
Register to attend this live event and share your designs with us by uploading a photo of your creation. This program will be presented as a Zoom webinar. All registrants will r eceive the webinar link a week prior to the program.
April 2021: CMB-S4 Saturday Science Series
In collaboration with Fermilab Saturday Morning Physics, the CMB-S4 Collaboration introduces ou r first Saturday Science Series. Join over zoom to learn about the origin and history of the universe, the Cosmic Microwave Background, and how we plan t o expand the frontiers of knowledge with the CMB-S4 experiment.
Organizers: Juliet Crowell and Felipe Maldonado
- April 3 — The Expansion of the Universe — Felipe Maldonado (Florida State University) and Kevin Huffenberger (Florida State Universi ty)
- April 10 — The Lambda-CDM Model — Gabriela Marques (Florida State University) and Kasey Wagoner (Princeton University)
- April 17 — The Cosmic Microwave Background — Colin Bischoff (University of Cincinnati) and Tom Crawford (University of Chicago)
- April 24 — The CMB-S4 Experiment — Cyndia Yu (Stanford University) and Tom Crawford (University of Chicago)
March 2021: Frontiers of CMB Science
The Institute for the Science of Origins at Case Western University and Astronomy on Tap Champaign present two nights of cutting-edge science in conjunction with a meeting of the CMB-S4 exper iment.
Tuesday March 9 at 7:30 pm EST / 6:30 pm CST / 5:30 pm MST / 4:30 pm PST
The Cosmic Microwave Background provides a snapshot of the early universe, long before the evolution of stars, galaxies, and planets. Precision measur ements of the CMB over the last twenty years are the basis of our highly successful model of cosmology. The next decade of CMB research promises new disc overies in related to astrophysics, particle physics, and the origin of our universe. Four young researchers on the next-generation CMB-S4 experiment wil l highlight some of the most exciting frontiers in cosmology.
Thursday March 11 at 7:30 pm EST / 6:30 pm CST / 5:30 pm MST / 4:30 pm PST
The cosmic microwave background is the light released when the universe became transparent when it was about 400,000 years old. It has been traveling through the universe ever since. We have been measuring and studying it for just over 50 years, but it still has much to teach us about the universe. John Ruhl and Johanna Nagy, build the instruments that enable us to study the universe using the CMB. John is the Connecticut Professor of Physics at Case W estern Reserve University. Johanna did her Ph.D. with John and just started her faculty job last May at Washington University in St. Louis. Join us to he ar about the instruments that we use to measure the CMB and a professor-student success story.
August 11 2020: A Scientist Walks Into A Bar: Cosmic Microwave Background and the Origins of the Universe
Host Kate Golembiewski chats with cosmologists Renée Hložek (University of Toronto) and Kimmy Wu (the University of Chicago and Stanford) about the co smic microwave background: electromagnetic radiation left over from the beginning of the universe.