KICP Lectures, Talks, & Events, 2019
 
Broader Horizons: Stephen Hoover, Civis Analytics
March 7, 2019 | 5:30 PM | ERC 401
Picture: Broader Horizons: Stephen Hoover, Civis Analytics
Organizer: Andrew Neil

Interested in a career in data science? What does a data scientist do, exactly, and how does a physicist or astronomer become a data scientist? Stephen is a data scientist at the Chicago-based company Civis Analytics, where he helps to build predictive modeling tools for Civis's software offerings and consulting work. He received his PhD in physics from UCLA, and went on to work with the South Pole Telescope group as a postdoc. He joined Civis Analytics in 2014, and in this talk, will discuss his transition from academia and the current nature of a data scientist's job.

 
Broader Horizons: Nicole Larsen, AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow
April 25, 2019 | 5:30 PM | ERC 401
Picture: Broader Horizons: Nicole Larsen, AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow
Organizer: Andrew Neil

Nicole Larsen is a 2018-2019 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the US Department of Defense (and a previous KICP Fellow). In this talk, she will discuss the Venn Diagram of science and public policy - where they intersect, how policy benefits from science, and what a career in policy might have to offer a STEM PhD - and she will talk about her path from physics to policy and her day-to-day life in the federal government.

 
The Excited State - Improv Comedy Show feat. Prof. Brian Nord PhD
May 9, 2019 | 8:00 PM | The Revival (1160 E. 55th St.)
Picture: The Excited State - Improv Comedy Show feat. Prof. Brian Nord PhD
Website

Friends in the Chicago Science Community:

We're excited to announce the next performance of "The Excited State" improv comedy show. This month"s Special Guest is Prof. Brian Nord (Fermilab and University of Chicago Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics).

Science has never been so fun... or scientists so funny! "The Excited State" is an improv comedy show. The performance takes audiences on a hilarious---and utterly improvised---journey of discovery through scientific history, breakthroughs, and common misconceptions. The troupe is comprised of Chicago's most outgoing scientists from UChicago, UIC, IIT, Fermi Lab, Argonne and elsewhere. Each performance features a "Special Guest" from the scientific community.
Read more >>

Related Links:
KICP Members: Brian Nord

 
IDEA Day - Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Astronomy
May 23, 2019 | 12:30 PM | ERC 401
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Journal Club (DEIJC) presents "IDEA Day", an afternoon of talks and dialogues at Astro-KICP, on the afternoon of May 23rd, 2019 (12:30-5pm). This event - the first of its kind organized by early career scientists - is supported by the Chicago Center for Teaching's Inclusive Pedagogy Grant 2018-19. This event is open to all members of the community, and is designed to foster community learning on the issues that marginalized astronomers and physicists face in academia.

The afternoon's speakers include:
a) Ashley Walker, undergraduate student at Chicago State University, on "The Miseducation of Black Junior Astronomers", highlighting the astrophysical contribution of black undergraduate and graduate students.
b) Dr. Khanh Nghiem, Clinical Psychologist at Student Counseling Services at UChicago, on "Mental Health at UChicago and Diversity Considerations'."
c) Keynote Speaker - Dr. Lucianne Walkowicz, Astronomer, Adler Planetarium, on "Choose Your Own Adventure: Developing A Values-Oriented Framework for Your Career'."

Related Links:
KICP Students: Gourav Khullar; Nora Shipp

 
2nd Annual John A Simpson Lecture - Alan Watson
October 21, 2019 | 4:00 PM | MCP 201
Alan Watson, University of Leeds, "The Highest-Energy Cosmic Rays - present status and future prospects"

The highest-energy cosmic rays, which have energies up to and beyond 1020 eV, are studied using the phenomenon of 'extensive air showers'. The University of Chicago has been prominent in this field almost since its inception, first through the work of Pierre Auger and Marcel Schein in the early 1940s, and more recently because of involvement in CASA, the Pierre Auger Observatory and POEMMA. After a brief historical introduction, I will describe the techniques currently used and discuss measurements derived using data from the Pierre Auger Observatory. These have set new standards to aid our understanding of the origin of the highest energy cosmic rays. We are now, at last, tantalisingly close to pinning down where these fascinating particles are created. Future plans for the Auger Observatory and for a space project, in both of which scientists from the Enrico Fermi Institute have important roles, will be briefly described.

Related Links:
KICP Members: Alan Watson
Scientific projects: Pierre Auger Observatory (AUGER)

 
Broader Horizons: Ryan Keisler, Descartes Labs
October 24, 2019 | 5:00 PM | ERC 401
Picture: Broader Horizons: Ryan Keisler, Descartes Labs
Host: Andrew Neil

Ryan Keisler leads a team of applied scientists at Descartes Labs, a New Mexico-based software company modeling the world with satellite imagery and other kinds of sensor data. Previously Ryan worked on the South Pole Telescope project from 2006 to 2015, first while receiving his PhD in physics at UChicago, then as a postdoc at UChicago and Stanford. Come learn about his path from academia to industry, what he has enjoyed about each, and the joys and challenges of working with earth observation data.