The March 27th meeting of the RASC Mississauga Centre will feature a talk on the Big Bang. 

Dr. Michael Reid of the Dunlap Institute will present "Misconceptions of the Big Bang".

Talk background: The Big Bang Theory is one of the crowning achievements of modern science.  The basic premise--that the universe began expanding about 14 billion years ago from a very hot, dense state--has been independently verified many times over.  And yet there is widespread confusion and uncertainty about what the theory actually says--and what it doesn't.  

Did the universe begin as some kind of atom?  If it's expanding, what's it expanding into?  Does it have an outside? Are there other universes? And why did it start? In this talk, I'll clarify what we do and don't know about the Big Bang.

                                               Dr. Michael Reid

Michael Reid is Lecturer and Public Outreach Co-ordinator for the David Dunlap Institute. In addition to lecturing and conducting his own research into the formation of massive stars, Reid leads the effort to fulfill the Dunlap Institute’s mandate of sharing astronomical discovery with the public. He is motivated by his belief that public outreach helps create a scientifically literate society, improves public perception of science and, simply, is a lot of fun. And if, as Carl Sagan said, science is a candle in the dark, then according to Reid, “science outreach hands out the candles.”

Reid is faculty advisor to Let’s Talk Science and is a frequent speaker on science outreach and education at conferences around the world. He led the team that organized the Transit of Venus at Varsity Stadium event and is a key member of the organizing committee for the inaugural Toronto Science Festival, taking place in September 2013.

The meeting will be held from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. at The University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus, in lecture hall SE2082 in the William Davis Building. The meeting is open to the public and is free.  

Enter off of Mississauga Road. Park in lot 4 or the parkade, across from the fitness centre south of the Davis Building. Enter through the Fitness centre, walk up the stairs until you reach the main corridor then turn right. (If you need an elevator,follow the corridor to the right of the stairs, then go up to the mainfloor.) Look for the Mississauga Centre sign in front of the lecture room. 

Post meeting plans: we usually continue the discussion post-meeting at a local bar – please join us!