UNB hosts Gravity Recognizing 100 years of Einstein s Relativity
Author: Communications
Posted on Apr 30, 2015
Category: UNB Saint John , UNB Fredericton
Einstein introduced his ‘general theory of relativity’ 100 years ago, revolutionizing our notions of space and time. The University of New Brunswick’s department of mathematics and statistics is hosting a panel discussion to evaluate the successes and shortcomings of Einstein’s theory and discuss the prospects of the theory lasting another 100 years.
Gravity: Recognizing 100 years of Einstein’s Relativity will take place on Wednesday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the Toole Hall Auditorium, 3 Bailey Dr., UNB Fredericton.
A talk will be delivered by Sanjeev Seahra, associate professor of mathematics at UNB. Dr. Seahra obtained his PhD from the University of Waterloo in 2003 and was then a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Cosmology & Gravitation in Portsmouth, U.K. He joined UNB in 2007. His research interests include cosmology, the early universe, as well as quantum and modified theories of gravity.
“General relativity not only explains the motion of celestial bodies with exquisite precision, it also predicts the expansion of the universe and the existence of black holes—like the gigantic one at the centre of our galaxy.” said Dr. Seahra.
Seahra explains that the theory is not perfect. It needs mysterious dark matter to understand the structure of galaxies and dark energy to explain why the universe's expansion is speeding up.
On May 6, Dr. Seahra will be joined by a panel of gravity researchers and a science historian to discuss questions from the public. Panel members including:
- Masooma Ali (PhD Candidate at UNB)
- Jonathan Ziprick (Postdoctoral Fellow at UNB)
- Hari Kunduri (Professor at Memorial University)
- Steve Turner (Professor Emeritus at UNB)
The event is free and open to the public. Members of the community can email/tweet their questions in advance to gravity.unb@unb.ca, or #UNBGRAVITY.