Media

The Shaw Prize Lecture on Astronomy

27 Sep 2010

 

How old is the universe? What is its shape? What is the composition of the universe?

Shaw Laureates in Astronomy 2010 Professor Charles L Bennett, Professor Lyman A Page Jr and Professor David N Spergel will give a lecture entitled "Taking the Universe's Baby Picture with WMAP" on September 29 at the University of Hong Kong. In the lecture, they will describe how the cosmic microwave background observations helped them to measure the age, shape and composition of the universe precisely.

The Shaw Prize in Astronomy 2010 is shared by the three professors for their leadership of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) experiment. Through observing the cosmic microwave background, the WMAP experiment has enabled precise determinations of the universe's shape, its composition and its age is 13.75 billion years (plus or minus 0.13 billion years). The WMAP measurements have had an enormous impact across astronomy, cosmology and physics.

In the lecture, the Laureates will introduce cosmology, describe how the WMAP space mission was designed to make the needed cosmological observations, and present the implications of the WMAP results for the understanding of the universe's beginnings, its current composition and its near term future.

Members of the press are cordially invited to the lecture. Details are as follow:

Date: September 29, 2010 (Wednesday)
Time: 2:45pm to 4:45pm (Media Registration will begin at 2:15 p.m.) |
Venue: Rayson Huang Theatre, The University of Hong Kong

About the Shaw Laureates:

Professor Charles L Bennett was born in 1956. He received a PhD in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1984. He is currently a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the Johns Hopkins University and a Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences.

Professor Lyman A Page Jr was born in 1957. He received a PhD in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1989. He is currently the Henry DeWolf Smyth Professor of Physics at Princeton University and a Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences.

Professor David N Spergel was born in 1961. He received a PhD in Astronomy from Harvard University in 1985. He is currently the Charles A Young Professor of Astronomy and Chair of the Department of Astrophysical Sciences of Princeton University and a Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences.

For details of the Shaw Prize, please visit http://www.shawprize.org/en/index.php 

For media enquiries, please contact Ms Trinni Choy (Assistant Director (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2606 email: pychoy@hku.hk or Ms Melanie Wan (Manager (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2600 email: melwkwan@hku.hk