“How the Universe Works” is a new public science literacy series, in partnership with the Vancouver Public Library.
Curious about how the universe actually works? Meet the experts from UBC’s Department of Physics & Astronomy (PHAS) to find out fun facts about everything from eclipses to space junk in this new, accessible science series. Monthly talks are hosted in the Vancouver Public Library downtown branch at 350 West Georgia Street. Please RSVP as seating is limited.
Search for this series via the Vancouver Public Library’s Events page: use the search box to search for “science” events, or type in “How the Universe Works” to find this series.
Join in on the conversation: these popular talks are for anyone who is interested in science and what is happening in science in the world: no experience, or science background is necessary to enjoy, learn and participate!
2025 Series Schedule
- Jan 30: The Sky is Falling! All about Space Junk, with Dr. Aaron Boley, PHAS faculty and Co-Director of the Outer Space Institute. RSVP here. Poster download here.
- Feb 20: Eclipses – Lunar Eclipse, 2025, with Dr. Thomas Rennie, PHAS Post-doctoral Fellow. RSVP here. Poster download here.
- March 20: Exoplanets – the Search for Habitable Planets in Our Solar System, with Dr. Michelle Kunimoto, PHAS faculty. RSVP here. Poster download here.
- April 24: “The Milky Way: Our place in the universe“, with Dr. Allison Man, PHAS faculty. RSVP here. Poster download here.
- May 15: “Quantum mechanics: the music of the universe“, with Dr. Mark Van Raamsdonk, PHAS faculty. RSVP here. Poster download here.
- June 19: “An introduction to Radio Astronomy“, with Dr. Thomas Rennie, PHAS Post-doctoral Fellow. RSVP here. Poster download here.
*SUMMER BREAK: We take a holiday break for the months of July and August. See you in September!*
- September 25: “Beautiful Black Holes“, with Dr. Jess McIver, PHAS faculty. RSVP here.
- October 9: “Putting the ‘Super’ in Superconductivity“, with Dr. Alannah Hallas, PHAS faculty and QMI Hallas Group Research lead. RSVP here.
- November 20: “How did the Universe begin?“, with Dr. Mark Halpern, PHAS faculty. RSVP here.
- December 11: “The Physics of Christmas“, with Dr. Douglas Scott, PHAS faculty. RSVP here.
Reviews
Thank you everyone who has shared feedback on this event! Here are some comments collected from VPL re: the How the Universe Works talks:
“An educational and engaging lecture”
“It was stimulating and interactive”
“Great presentation and presenter! Made complex ideas easy for an amateur to understand and created foundation for further learning”
“It was pretty meaningful experience, it inspired me a lot to pursue my goal to be an engineer! Thank you so much to everyone who supported this meaningful session! Cheers!”
“Very valuable community presentation, great!”
