The Day We Found the Universe

A 100th Anniversary Celebration

Abstract: One hundred years ago a young Edwin Hubble analyzed a historic astronomical photograph and established that our universe was far larger, filled with myriad galaxies just like our own. It was a realization that reshaped how humans understood their place in the cosmos. Marcia Bartusiak will reveal the key players, battles of will, clever insights, and wrong turns made by the early investigators of the heavens as they raced to uncover what many consider one of most significant discoveries in scientific history.

Speaker Bio: Combining her undergraduate training in journalism with a master’s degree in physics, Marcia Bartusiak has been covering the fields of astronomy and physics for more than four decades.

A Professor of the Practice Emeritus in the Graduate Program in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she is the author of seven books on astrophysics and the history of astronomy, including Black Hole, Einstein’s Unfinished Symphony (winner of the American Institute of Physics Science Communication Award), and The Day We Found the Universe (winner of the History of Science Society's Davis Prize).

In 2008 she was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, cited for “exceptionally clear communication of the rich history, the intricate nature, and the modern practice of astronomy to the public at large.” 

Marcia Bartusiak