Learn about the origin of our universe and the big bang theory from a leading astrophysicist.

Dr. Lloyd Knox, professor of physics at the University of California at Davis, will give the 2014 McMaster Cosmology Lecture Thursday, Feb. 27, at 4 p.m. in the Driscoll Alumni Center Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

In his talk, “Confirmed Truths and Remaining Mysteries Regarding the Origin of the Universe,” Knox will discuss the history of the big bang picture of our origins, clarifying its observational successes and highlighting the remaining questions that drive us toward deeper exploration.

“[My lecture] is designed to celebrate the universe in which we live and our quest to understand it,” Knox said. “While doing so, I hope to give the broader audience a better understanding of the process of science and a sense of the excitement of discovery.”

Knox is leading the U.S. component of the effort to determine the basic parameters of the cosmos from the data acquired by the Planck satellite launched in 2009.

“We are extremely excited to have Professor Knox speak this year,” Dr. Tom Megeath, UT associate professor of astronomy, said. “He is a leader in his field and has an incredible reputation for being able to take a complex subject and explain it to a general audience.”

The McMaster lecture is an annual event at the University in honor of the late Harold McMaster, a solar energy pioneer and a benefactor of UT who had a deep interest in cosmology.

Tags: College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics