Bishop Lecture by Natalie Batalha, UC Santa Cruz
In grad school, I was invited to my first international conference. It was a memorable experience, to be sure. But it was also the conference where Michel Mayor announced the discovery of the first exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star. I had no idea I was witnessing the advent of an entirely new subfield of astrophysics -- one that today effectively comprises one-third of NASA's astrophysics portfolio. I also had no idea how much it would impact my life. Due to a confluence of lucky events, I've been afforded a front row seat to exoplanet discovery over the last 30 years. I will share the view and the science questions that have captured my interest, especially regarding the nature of the "between" planets -- the super-Earths and mini-Neptunes that populate the galaxy and have no analog in our Solar System.
Followed by the Bishop dinner (registration required)
Host: David Kipping