Past events

Space Debris Removal: Technology, Missions and Science

Feb. 15, 2022
Space debris has become a subject of popular interest in media and in scientific community. The space debris problem, not so much a problem now, but a potentially big problem in the future, can be remediated by using active debris removal strategies. Read More ›

The Biggest Black Holes in the Universe

Mar. 31, 2022
Don’t be fooled by the name, black holes are not just empty space; they’re the most powerful and extreme objects in the universe! In fact, they’re so powerful that nothing, not even light, can escape them. Filled with an incredible energy, they can destroy entire galaxies quickly and easily. Read More ›

Green Chemistry: A Story of Shelfish, Synthesis, and Sustainability

Feb. 15, 2022
Futuristic molecules such as nanoparticles and biopolymers have existed for years now! Come hear Dr Audrey Moores talk about the cutting edge ways we are creating these materials sustainably! Read More ›

A Quantum Quandary: A Panel on Quantum Information

Jan. 27, 2022
Our first public talk of 2022 with three talented professors from McGill, all of whom study quantum information. This is the information one can store in a quantum state! Read More ›

Enabling New Probes of the Cosmos with Novel Technology

Dec. 14, 2021
Join us for our final public lecture of the year! We all agree that the Universe is incredible, but have you ever thought about how neat the instruments we use are? Learn more at Professor Matt Dobb's talk! Read More ›

Astronomy in the Blink of an Eye: Searching for the fastest events in the Universe

Oct. 19, 2021
Join us for our next public lecture, with Dr. Emily Petroff from McGill University! Come and learn about fast radio bursts, these bright flashes of light from distant galaxies that have captured the world of astronomy over the last decade! Read More ›

Talking with Martians: A panel on red-planet research

Sept. 22, 2021
For our first event of the Fall, we are excited to bring you a panel with three McGill Researchers who study our fascinating neighbor, Mars! Read More ›

My Bacteria Teacher: What extremophilic microorganisms can teach us about life in the Solar System

May 27, 2021
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A Journey to the Infinitely Small

April 1, 2021
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Quantum Materials - how quantum mechanics determine the property of materials

Jan. 21, 2021
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Gamma Rays & Cosmic Rays

Dec. 3, 2020
How the most energetic light is helping to solve a century-old mystery Read More ›

Lights, Action, Camera: Making Movies of Molecules and Materials

Nov. 5, 2020
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Observing Black Holes Large and Small

Sept. 10, 2020
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Is it Still Physics?

June 30, 2020
How physics thinking can apply to other fields Read More ›

Fast Radio Bursts

June 22, 2020
How these big booms are changing the landscape of astronomy Read More ›

Life as a Theoretical Physicist Live Panel

June 2, 2020
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Take it to the Limit: Mammoth Machines and the Tiniest Particles

May 21, 2020
This talk will cover how we study the smallest building blocks of matter using the collider and the famous ATLAS experiment. Read More ›

Life as an Astronomer at the South Pole

May 6, 2020
A livestream given by Maclean Rouble, Cynthia Chiang, and Josh Montgomery where they discuss what it is like to be an astronomer at the south pole. Read More ›

Biophysics: How Physicists Think About Life

Jan. 21, 2020
In this talk, Zheng will discuss the question of how and why life arose in the first place, and the role of physicists in shedding light on this question. Read More ›

The Oldest Light in the Universe

Dec. 5, 2019
In this talk, Sievers will explain where the cosmic microwave background comes from, how it is studied, and some of what has been learned from it. Read More ›

String Theory: How the Universe Speaks in Numbers

Nov. 21, 2019
In this talk, Trinh will discuss the history of research about string nature and how this theory could explain many questions about the universe. Read More ›

Public Lecture by Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland

Nov. 7, 2019
This year, for the Anna McPherson Public Lecture we have the honour of having Dr. Strickland talk about the work for which Gérard Mourou and she were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018. Read More ›

Cosmic Dawn: The Search for the First Stars

Sept. 18, 2019
In this lecture, Peterson discusses how cosmologists study the first starts in the universe to understand where they came from. Read More ›

Origins: How the Earth Shaped Human History

Sept. 18, 2019
When we talk about human history, we focus on great leaders, revolutions, and technological advances. But how has the Earth itself determined our destiny? How has our planet made us? Read More ›

The Secrets of Quantum Levitation: Superconductivity and its Application

June 4, 2019
In this lecture, we will learn how superconductivity works at the atomic scale before covering its various applications, from levitating trains to Dark Matter detectors. Read More ›

From Radioactivity to Quarks: The Evolution of Nuclear Physics

May 7, 2019
In this talk, Singh will trace the exciting journey of nuclear physics, from the discovery of radioactivity to quarks, and how scientific ideas progess over time in light of new theoretical and experimental developments. Read More ›

On the Nature of Time

April 9, 2019
In this talk, Guilherme Franzmann will talk about the nature of time itself and how understanding time plays a key role in understanding Quantum Gravity, Cosmology and the Big Bang. Read More ›

CAP Lecture: The best extrasolar planets

Mar. 20, 2019
How close are we to actually detecting extrasolar life? The prospect seems remote, but technology is bringing us closer. Metchev will discuss developments in astrophysics which have allowed scientists to discover the best extrasolar planets in search for life. Read More ›

The Physics of Batteries and their Role in Future Technologies

Mar. 12, 2019
In this talk, Enright will explore how batteries work at an atomic level and what this causes at our level, and discuss and what challenges exist now, and where future technologies can go. Read More ›

'Seeing' atoms: Our world at the nanoscale

Feb. 5, 2019
In this talk, Megan Cowie will discuss the history of nanotechnolohy, starting from how we came to know about atoms, to where we are now: building nano-scale technology that shapes our everyday lives. Read More ›

New Windows on the Cosmos

Jan. 24, 2019
In this talk, Dr. Freedman will address technological advancements that have lead to remarkable discoveries in the field of cosmology, and show how new facilities being built on Earth will uncover some of the biggest mysteries in astronomy today. Read More ›

Neutron Stars - Extraordinary Cosmic Laboratories

Dec. 13, 2018
In this talk, Vanessa Graber will take us on an exciting journey to the interior of neutron stars and show us how combining astronomy, astrophysics and quantum physics can teach us about the exotic behaviour of matter under extreme conditions. Read More ›

Why Does it (Anti-)Matter?

Nov. 15, 2018
In this talk, Hannah Wakeling will discuss how antimatter appears in our daily lives without most of us even realising it. Plus, find out how we can use antimatter in colliders such as the Large Hadron Collider and SuperKEKB to search for the truth about beginning of the Universe! Read More ›

Capturing Atomic Motion with the Worlds Fastest Cameras

Oct. 25, 2018
In this talk, Marty Otto will discuss how state of the art laser science and electron microscopy allow us to observe processes in nature as they unfold in real-time. Read More ›

Unpacking Gravitational Waves: The Road to Discovery

Sept. 27, 2018
In this talk, Benjamin Dringoli will discuss the dawn of gravitational wave astronomy, taking us on a journey from the early theoretical work by Einstein and others to the LIGO detection that made headlines just a few years ago. Read More ›

Neutrinos and the Hunt for these Ghostly Particles

May 3, 2018
In this talk, Dr. Thomas Brunner will give a historic introduction to neutrinos and present current and future detectors that aim at unlocking some of the neutrinos' mysteries. Read More ›

Entanglement Matters

April 5, 2018
In this talk, Dr. Witczak-Krempa will discuss the ongoing entaglement revolution and how it is changing our understanding of matter, ranging from superconductors to ultra-cold gases. Read More ›

Weather, Macroweather and Climate: Big and Small, Fast and Slow, Our Random Yet Predictable Atmosphere

Mar. 1, 2018
In this talk, Dr. Lovejoy will explain this new thing called macroweather which sits in between weather and climate, and he will seek to convince you that the atmosphere is not what you thought it was. Read More ›

Discovering the Truth in High Energy Physics

Feb. 8, 2018
In this talk, Dr. Dominguez will explain how physicists use the Large Hadron Collider to discover the truth about how the universe really works. Read More ›

How Green Chemistry Invents New Ways from Abundant Resources and Energies

Jan. 4, 2018
In this talk, Prof. Audrey Moores from the Department of Chemistry at the McGill University will discuss sustainability and some potential roles chemistry can play, such as using iron to replace precious metals in important industrial processes. Read More ›

Winning the War on Climate Change: Twelve Myths Debunked

Dec. 7, 2017
In his talk, Prof. Normand Mousseau from the Department of Physics at the Université de Montréal will debunk twelve climate change myths. With this gained clarity, it will become clear that the solution to climate change issues is not foremost of technological or scientific nature, but is fundamentally political. Read More ›

The Beautiful Two-dimensional World: An Exploration of Flatworld

Nov. 2, 2017
Prof. Michael Hilke from the Department of Physics at McGill University will talk about his research on special types of materials, such as graphene. He talk will go into the two-dimensional lives of electrons living on these special materials. Read More ›

Metamaterials: Going Beyond What Nature Gives Us

Oct. 5, 2017
Prof. Amy Szuchmacher Blum from the Department of Chemistry at McGill University will talk about her research on metamaterials. We will learn about the applications of metamaterials and examples of how the Blum group are repurposing proteins from viruses to make these exciting new materials. Read More ›

What Was Before The Big Bang - And How Might We Tell?

Sept. 7, 2017
Prof. Robert Brandenberger from McGill University will talk about his research on the origins of the universe. We will explore how seeds laid down in the very early universe developed into the large-scale structure we observe today, and how this may teach us about the beginnings of the universe. Read More ›

Machine Learning and Crowdsourcing Made Easy for Physicists

May 4, 2017
Everybody Can Teach a Machine a Little Physics! This lecture will give a basic introduction to machine learning and show examples of its application in physics. Some of these physics problems are tackled via a citizen-science/crowdsourcing approach, where science enthusiasts can inspect physics data (often in the form of images) and provide feedback that is used to train machine learning models. Read More ›