Unraveling the Universe – 8th Annual Expanding Canada's Frontier Symposium

Tonight the Astronomy & Space Exploration Society at the University of Toronto is hosting the 8th annual “Expanding Canada’s Frontiers” symposium. It is billed as the largest astronomy symposium in the country. The event starts 7 p.m. at the University of Toronto’s Convocation Hall and doors open at 6 p.m. This years theme is “Unraveling the Universe” and features several prominent Canadian researchers.

The speakers include:

• Dr. Alexei Vladimir Filippenko, from the University of California at Berkeley and one of the world’s premiere researchers on supernovae
• Dr. Michel Lefebvre, founder of the Canadian ATLAS collaboration project and recent chair of the Subatomic Physics Grant Selection Committee of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
• Dr. Gilbert Holder, the Canada Research Chair in Cosmological Astrophysics and associate professor of physics at McGill University

Admission is free to students who pre-register and $20.00 for the general public.

In addition to the symposium this years event features StarTalks: Sparkling Your Thoughts.

StarTalks is created in the spirit of ASX’s mission, “to educate, excite and inspire students and the general public about astronomy and space“. The program is designed to give communities, organizations, and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TEDx-like experiences. At the event, a combination of live presenters and videos sparks deep conversation and connections.
Inspiring talks this year include:

• Using the Aurora to Probe Space: Dr. Eric Donovan, Team Lead of AuroraMAX and Associate Professor from University of Calgary
• Cosmos versus Canvas: Tensions between Art and Science in Astronomy Images, Dr. Jayanne English, Associate Professor from University of Manitoba
• Opening the Universe: Teaching Astronomy to Art & Design Students, Dr. Robin Kingsburgh, Lecturer from OCAD University &York University
• Astronomy organizations: Beyond the Network: Farnaz Ghadaki, on the board of directors at the Canadian Space Commerce Association and Laura Bradbury, President of Space Design Competition.