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2008 Margaret Geller

Wednesday, April 2, 2008
at 4:15 P.M.

Margaret Geller

Senior Scientist
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

Newton Meets Einstein: Mapping Dark Matter
in the Universe

Lecture at 4:15 p.m., Askwith Auditorium
(Room 140 Lorch Hall)

Lecture Abstract:
Since its discovery 75 years ago, dark matter distributed on large scales in the Universe has remained a mystery. The constituents of the dark matter remain unknown. Powerful tools of modern astrophysics, redshift surveys and gravitational lensing, do provide maps of the distribution of dark matter over cosmic time. Dr. Geller will describe how these observations with forefront instruments on large telescopes reveal the structure of the Universe.

Dr. Geller's Biography:
Dr. Margaret Joan Geller, a senior scientist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, MA, is a world renowned astrophysicist.

She is best known for her pioneering maps of the nearby universe. The maps provided a new view of the enormous web-like patterns delineated by galaxies like the Milky Way. Dr. Geller has also made fundamental contributions to the understanding of systems of galaxies and to the links between star formation and the distribution of galaxies.

Dr. Geller made two award-winning documentary films about her work: “Where the Galaxies Are” and “So Many Galaxies... So Little Time”.

These films contained the first animations of flights through the universe based on scientific observations. She is broadly committed to public education in science; she has been widely interviewed for radio and television and she has given public lectures to large audiences in the United States and abroad.

Dr. Geller has been widely recognized for her scientific and public contributions to science. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1990 she received MacArthur Fellowship (1990-1995) and in 2008 she will receive the oldest prize given in science in the United States, the Magellanic Premium of the American Philosophical Society.