NOVAC Public Meeting, 11/12/23, 7:30pm EST

Join NOVAC as we welcome Dr. Ann Zabludoff from the University of Arizona. Dr. Zabludoff will be speaking on the sources of gravitational waves and describe how professional and amateur astronomers can work together to make new discoveries in this emerging field. Here’s your chance to get involved!

This NOVAC meeting will be held both in-person at George Mason University as well as live-streamed via Google Meet. Dr. Zabludoff will be speaking to us virtually from Arizona, but we encourage you to attend in person at GMU and collaborate with fellow NOVAC members or public participants. Here is information for both ways to connect.

In Person Option:

Meet at George Mason University, Exploratory Hall, Room 3301. Check GMU web site for nearby parking options. Some lots or garages do charge for parking. Room will be open as early as 6:45pm.

https://info.gmu.edu/campus-maps-and-directions/

Virtual Option: Join using Google Meet

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/osh-bcyd-gti
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 484-430-1468‬ PIN: ‪486 839 001‬#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/osh-bcyd-gti?pin=1354183604637

Presentation Details:

Talk Title: Discovering the Sources of Gravitational Waves with Pro-Am Collaborations

Abstract:

Professor Zabludoff will discuss how amateur and professional astronomers can work together to rapidly discover—perhaps within five minutes of the alert—the optical counterparts of new gravitational wave events. A quick response is critical for understanding the physics of the binary neutron-neutron star merger that produces the gravitational waves. She and her group are seeking to identify interested citizen observers world-wide.

Biography:

A Pennsylvania native, Professor Zabludoff obtained S.B. degrees in Physics (1986) and in Mathematics (1987) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She received a Ph.D. in Astronomy from Harvard University in 1993. After post-doctoral work, she joined the faculty in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona (UA) in 1999. She co-leads the Computation and Data Initiative of UA’s Theoretical Astrophysics Program. She is a U.S. Participating Scientist on the ULTRASAT mission.

She has led a wide range of studies across extragalactic astronomy and cosmology, exploring the first generation of stars and galaxies, galaxy transformation, gravitational lensing, dark matter, the intergalactic medium, galactic nuclear activity, galactic spectral classification, the baryon budget of the Universe, stellar disruption by supermassive black holes, and the evolution of structure. Her research involves analyses of large observational databases and theoretical cosmological simulations. She has worked on adaptations of astronomical instruments for new science.

Professor Zabludoff was a J. S. Guggenheim Foundation Fellow and the Caroline Herschel Distinguished Visitor at the Space Telescope Science Institute. She has been an invited visitor at institutes around the world, given review talks at more than twenty-five international conferences on a broad array of topics, and discussed new ways to detect the most distant galaxies in a TEDx talk. She has held leadership positions advising the NSF, NASA, DOE, and international research institutes. She has mentored numerous junior scientists, with whom she continues to collaborate.

Ann Zabludoff’s Webpage: https://azabludoff.wixsite.com/home

HotShots Project Webpage: https://azabludoff.wixsite.com/hotshots