Feb. 13, 2020

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MILWAUKEE — Dr. Laura Cadonati, professor of physics at Georgia Institute of Technology and former deputy spokesperson for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO), will deliver the 2020 Coyne Lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, in the Tony and Lucille Weasler Auditorium, 1506 W. Wisconsin Ave.

Cadonati will present “Seeing with New Eyes: Exploring the Universe with Gravitational Waves.”

During her speech, Cadonati will discuss the discovery of gravitational waves, as well as summarize what has been learned so far about black holes, neutron stars and the history of the universe. She will also outline future prospects for the exploration of the universe with gravitational waves.

Over the past five years, LIGO and its sister project Virgo have observed several gravitational waves produced by the collisions of black holes and neutron stars — discoveries that have effectively opened a new observational window on the cosmos.

The Coyne Lecture in astronomy and astrophysics is hosted by the Physics Department of the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences. The event is free and open to the public.

The Rev. George V. Coyne, S.J. Lecture Series began in 2005.

More about Cadonati

Cadonati formerly served as chair of the LIGO Data Analysis Council, as well as the Division of Gravitational Physics for APS Physics. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Milano in Italy and her doctorate from Princeton University. Cadonati is the recipient of the National Science Foundation Career Award and was awarded the Georgia Tech Outstanding Faculty Research Author Award in 2018.

Media wishing to attend the lecture should contact Shelby Williamson in the Office of Marketing and Communication at shelby.williamson@marquette.edu or (414) 288-6712.

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About Shelby Williamson

Shelby is a senior communication specialist in the Office of Marketing and Communication. Contact Shelby at (414) 288-6712 or shelby.williamson@marquette.edu