The April 29 meeting of the RASC Mississauga Centre will feature a talk on small bodies in the solar system.

Talk Title:  Good Things Come in Small Packages

Speaker:  Rachel Ward-Maxwell, Ph.D.   Ontario Science Centre

Meteroids, asteroids, comets and dwarf planets are some of the smallest bodies in our solar system and are the focus of several recent space missions: Rosetta, Dawn, and New Horizons. Learn about how Pluto, Ceres and these other tiny wonders continue to amaze and surprise us.

Asteroids Vesta, Eros and Ceres

Rachel Ward-Maxwell received her PhD in astrophysics from McMaster University in 2015, where she used computer simulations to model the structure of interstellar clouds and formation of Sun-like stars. As the Researcher-Programmer in Astronomy and Space Sciences at the Ontario Science Centre, Dr. Ward-Maxwell develops astronomy program offerings, including planetarium shows, and supports the Research Live! program, an initiative where visitors participate in current active research studies conducted by visiting scientists. She is passionate about communicating science with the general public and is a strong advocate for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) disciplines.

During her academic career, Dr. Ward-Maxwell developed content and organized free science programming for children and youth across Hamilton and surrounding communities. Her experience in education and public outreach also includes time spent over the past ten years as a science communicator and program developer for a variety of organizations.

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 theDavis 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!