Scientist will discuss universe’s ‘dark side’

University of Chicago physicist Edward “Rocky” Kolb will talk about “The Dark Side of the Universe” Oct. 4, 2018 at the University of Louisville.

Kolb’s free, public talk – the annual Bullitt lecture in astronomy – will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium.

He will talk about how dark matter and dark energy combine to constitute 95 percent of the universe, as scientists now can only identify 5 percent of the universe’s total mass and energy. Kolb will address how unlocking the mysteries of the “dark side” will illuminate the nature of time and space and connect the quantum with the cosmos.

Kolb is the physical sciences division dean and the Arthur Holly Compton distinguished service professor in astronomy and astrophysics at University of Chicago, where he also works with the Enrico Fermi Institute and the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics. His research deals with applying fundamental particle physics to the study of the very early universe. An award-winning teacher, Kolb also advocates for science education for the general public and has written a general-interest book “Blind Watchers of the Sky.”

UofL’s physics and astronomy department and the Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium present the annual Bullitt lectures through an endowment established by the family of former U.S. Solicitor General William Marshall Bullitt.  

For more information, contact Benne Holwerda at 502-852-6790 or benne.holwerda@louisville.edu or check the physics and astronomy department’s website.