The featured speaker at the Triton College Cernan Earth and Space Center’s Big Bang Event on Saturday, Sept. 15  is a scientist conducting research in the cutting-edge field of gravitational waves and black holes.

Dr. Robert Owen will present “Gravitational Waves and Black Holes: Learning About the Universe From its Own Vibrations.” Explorers of all ages will gain a new perspective as he delves into the revolutionary discoveries made by scientists in recent years by listening for vibrations of the fabric of the universe itself. Learn about the recent discoveries relating to black holes – the knots of tangled spacetime left over after stars collapse under their own weight – and what happens to pairs of black holes when they collide.

Dr. Owen will make three presentations of “Gravitational Waves and Black Holes: Learning About the Universe From its Own Vibrations” during the Big Bang Event on Saturday, Sept. 15.

Times, locations and details are as follows:

10:30 a.m. For middle and high school students. (Cernan Earth and Space Center)

1:30 p.m. For high school/college students and professionals. (Cernan Earth and Space Center)

7:30 p.m. For all ages. (Robert M. Collins Auditorium, R Building, East Campus)

Dr. Robert Owen is an assistant professor of physics at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. He holds a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Owen carries out research in computational astrophysics and the mathematical theory of black holes. He is a member of the Simulating Extreme Spacetimes collaboration studying the details of black hole collisions to extract information from gravitational-wave data. He received the Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement in 2015.

The Big Bang Event is open to the community and free to attend. Reservations are requested. For more information or to RSVP, call (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3372, with your name, number of people in your party, and the showtime you plan to attend so we know how many people to expect.

ABOUT TRITON COLLEGE
Triton College is a two-year community college dedicated to helping members of the 25 communities in Western Cook County within our district and beyond achieve educational, professional and personal success. Located in River Grove, Ill., Triton offers more than 100 degree and certificate programs at its 100-acre campus that features a comfortable, friendly and diverse atmosphere. Triton also holds classes at several satellite locations as well as offers online learning opportunities. Our dedicated faculty and staff work to provide high quality, convenient and affordable education opportunities to more than 12,000 students each year. Triton College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission; member, North Central Association. Learn more at www.triton.edu.