The lighter side of black holes

July 10, 2012

From July 9-12, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics will host the 14th Canadian Conference on General Relativity and Relativistic Astrophysics. This biennial meeting alternates in location between Eastern and Western Canada and this is the first time that it will be held in Newfoundland.

About 40 participants from across Canada and around the world will gather on the St. John's campus to discuss a wide range of topics including mathematical and numerical relativity, quantum gravity, string-theoretic approaches to gravity, relativistic astrophysics and cosmology.

The conference is sponsored by Memorial University through the Conference Fund Committee, dean of science and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics;  the Atlantic Association for Research in the Mathematical Sciences (AARMS), the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI).

As part of the conference Dr. Robert Mann, University of Waterloo, Perimeter Institute, will present a public lecture intended for non-specialists titled The Lighter Side of Black Holes.

Black holes are perhaps the most unusual objects in the universe. They bend light, stop time and appear to destroy the laws of physics at their core. This talk will introduce the general public to black holes, providing an overview of what is know about them and of the puzzles they present for physics in the 21st century.

The lecture will take place Tuesday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Bruneau lecture theatre and is sponsored by the Faculty of Science. No tickets are required and a reception will follow.

For more information about the lecture, visit the conference website at www.ccgrra14.ca or contact Ivan Booth at ibooth@mun.ca or 709-864-4401, Hari Kunduri at hkkunduri@mun.ca or 709-864-4358, or Benjamin Tippett at bktippett@mun.ca or 709-864-8417.


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