Chanda Prescod-Weinstein The Disordered Cosmos

American cosmologist and activist Professor Chanda Prescod-Weinstein will appear via video link in a conversation facilitated by Sydney Observatory Astronomy Ambassador Karlie Noon.

Prescod-Weinstein will introduce the audience to her debut book, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, & Dreams Deferred (2021), which brings to light the contributions of those who have been left out of the cannon of physics and culture – expanding our understanding of the universe while advocating for a more just and inclusive practice of science.

She will also talk about her spectacular career trajectory from starry-eyed child to cosmologist, who had to navigate not only the mind-expanding fields of theoretical physics and maths but also the racism and sexism within the academic system.

SPEAKERS

Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire. The author of The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred, she is also a columnist for New Scientist and Physics World. Her research in theoretical physics focuses on cosmology, neutron stars, and dark matter. She also does research in Black feminist science, technology, and society studies. Nature recognized her as one of 10 people who shaped science in 2020, and Essence magazine has recognized her as one of “15 Black Women Who Are Paving the Way in STEM and Breaking Barriers.” A cofounder of Particles for Justice, she received the 2017 LGBT+ Physicists Acknowledgement of Excellence Award for her contributions to improving conditions for marginalized people in physics and the 2021 American Physical Society Edward A. Bouchet Award for her contributions to particle cosmology. Originally from East L.A., she divides her time between the New Hampshire Seacoast and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Karlie Alinta Noon is a Gamilaraay astronomer and science communicator who promotes Indigenous astronomical knowledge systems and advocates for women in STEM. She was the first Indigenous female to obtain degrees in physics and mathematics and is currently completing a PhD looking at the gas dynamics of the Milky Way. Noon was an ACT Young Australian of the Year finalist and a Eureka Prize Emerging Leader finalist in 2019, as well as the first Astronomy Ambassador at Sydney Observatory.

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