Thursday, January 10th
The Monster's Fiery Breath: Supermassive Black Holes at the Centers of Distant Galaxies
Laura Trouille
Northwestern University and Adler Planetarium
Most, if not all, galaxies, including our own Milky Way, are host to a supermassive black hole (SMBH) at their center. Since the discovery of a tight empirical correlation between SMBH mass and host galaxy bulge mass, mounting observational evidence and advances in cosmological simulations suggest a link between galaxy evolution and central black hole growth. In this talk, I will review some of the main results from this exciting field of study, including a discussion of our new technique for identifying distant actively accreting SMBHs and recent observational evidence for an intriguing time-delay between star formation and SMBH feeding.
If time permits, I will also briefly introduce the Northwestern University CT-STEM Project, a research-based approach to embedding computational thinking and computational modeling into standard STEM courses. Our interdisciplinary team of science education, computer science, and STEM researchers, in collaboration with local high school teachers, has developed and assessed a suite of lesson plans and teacher training workshops to better prepare our students for 21st century STEM careers. I will present our work in the context of its application to undergraduate computational physics and astronomy education.
Refreshments at 10:50 AM. Seminar begins at 11:00 AM.
Building 8, Room 241
For further information, please call (909) 869-4014
