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Physics is a fundamental science and provides the foundations for solving both cosmic mysteries and practical problems. In 1995, the University of Michigan Department of Physics began sharing some of the latest ideas in the field with the public in the Saturday Morning Physics lecture series. Designed for general audiences, the lectures are an opportunity to hear physicists discuss their work in easy-to-understand, non-technical terms. The multimedia presentations include hands-on demonstrations of the principles discussed, along with slides, video, and computer simulations.

The Winter 2009 Saturday Morning Physics series is sponsored by the Physics Department and gifts from friends of the program. For ways to view the talks after the lecture date, please click here.

We regret to announce that Dr. M. Lois Tiffany passed away on Monday, December 25, 2006. More information about her life and love of physics can be found here.

You may view Saturday Morning Physics talks on-line by visiting the CARMA Website website.

Various presentations from previous SMP talks including the Fall 2008 talks may be found on the Previous Years section of this website.

Each talk begins at 10:30 A.M. in 170 Dennison
All lectures are free and open to the public
Please see the updated important information section for more details
including parking procedures.
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If you would like updates about this series, please click here for the
Saturday Morning Physics mailing list.

Upcoming Events for 2009: Saturday Morning Physics Saturday Morning Physics Four-Hundred Years of Cosmic Discovery: Celebrating the International Year of Astronomy Location: 170 & 182 Dennison 02/07/2009; 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM Speaker: Professor Timothy McKay (UM Physics) During the summer of 1609, Galileo Galilei first turned his hand-made telescope to the sky, and our isolation from the cosmos was over. This talk will review, at breakneck speed, the ensuing 400 years of progress in astrophysics. We will see how generations of rashly curious scientists, armed with increasingly ingenious instruments, have erased the division between Earth and sky. We will also join the world in recognizing 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy. Click here to download Professor McKay's presentation (.pptx format)   Saturday Morning Physics How Did Earth Get Its Water? Location: 170 & 182 Dennison 02/14/2009; 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM Speaker: Professor Ted Bergin (UM Astronomy) In this talk we will explore the chemistry of our own origins with a focus on water, the most important molecule for life on our planet. We will discuss how water is formed in the depths of interstellar space and is incorporated into the young Earth. We will also consider whether and how other water-rich planets might be found. Click here to download Professor Bergin's presentation (.ppt format)   Saturday Morning Physics Building Planets: When and How? Location: 170 & 182 Dennison 03/07/2009; 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM Speaker: Professor Nuria Calvet (UM Astronomy) Over the past five years, the Spitzer Space telescope has made it possible to conduct large surveys at sensitivities and wavelengths that were formerly unattainable from the ground. These surveys have given us unprecedented information on where stars form, what is the nature of their surrounding disks, and how and when planets begin to form on those disks. We will review this information in this talk. Click here to download Professor Calvet's presentation (.ppt format)   Saturday Morning Physics Amateur Astronomy: From Ann Arbor to the Universe Location: 170 & 182 Dennison 03/14/2009; 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM Speaker: University Lowbrow Astronomers (an Ann Arbor-based astronomy community) Astronomy is not just for the professionals. Everyone can explore planets, comets, star clusters and galaxies using backyard telescopes and binoculars. In this talk, the University Lowbrow Astronomers will show us how. Click here to download the Lowbrow Astronomers' presentation (.ppt format)   Saturday Morning Physics Supermassive Black Holes and the Evolution of Galaxies Location: 170 & 182 Dennison 03/21/2009; 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM Speaker: Professor Doug Richstone, Lawrence H. Aller Professor of Astronomy (UM Astronomy) Supermassive black holes have been hinted at by power of quasars discovered in the 1960s. Their existence and ubiquity was only firmly established in the 1990s. They have been with us since the birth of galaxies and influence galaxy structure in ways we can see, and probably others not yet understood. Click here to download Professor Richstone's presentation (.ppt format)   Saturday Morning Physics Black Holes Along the Cosmic Time Location: 170 & 182 Dennison 03/28/2009; 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM Speaker: Professor Marta Volonteri (UM Astronomy) We detect "supermassive" black holes in galaxy centers today. Their masses can be millions or billions or suns, almost as massive as a dwarf galaxy. What are the origins of these black holes? Professor Volonteri will discuss how these black holes were formed shortly after the Big Bang, and what their role on our galaxy is. Click here to download Professor Volonteri's presentation (.ppt format)   Saturday Morning Physics Milky Way Galaxy: Keeper of the Darkest Secrets of the Universe Location: 170 & 182 Dennison 04/04/2009; 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM Speaker: Professor Oleg Gnedin (UM Astronomy) Our cosmic backyard contains keys to the biggest questions in the Universe: the nature and structure of dark matter. Professor Gnedin will discuss current theoretical and observational studies of the distribution of dark matter on smallest scales and the search for the dark matter particle. Click here to download Professor Gnedin's presentation (.ppt format)