Perimeter Presents

Author Patchen Barss in conversation with Emily Petroff, Director, Public Affairs at Perimeter Institute, on the topic of his new book: The Impossible Man: Roger Penrose and the Cost of Genius.

Theatre talk with Atrium portion to follow.

About the Event:

Perimeter Presents

About the Speaker:

Most people have a basic understanding of gravity as the fundamental force that keeps us tethered to the Earth. They've likely even heard the fabled story of Isaac Newton’s inspiration for the theory: an apple falling from a tree. But few people have spent as much time grappling with gravity as Claudia de Rham, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London.

In her recently released book, The Beauty of Falling: A Life in Pursuit of Gravity, de Rham recounts not only her scientific investigations of gravity and the limits of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, but also her more practical encounters with gravity – as a diver, a pilot, and an astronaut candidate.

Many of de Rham’s ponderous flights took place in Waterloo Region, where she earned her pilot’s license during a postdoctoral fellowship at Perimeter from 2006 to 2009. She has remained connected to Perimeter over the years, including as a Visiting Fellow since 2018.

About the Event:

On Thursday, August 1 at 7:00 PM EDT, Perimeter presents a short talk with de Rham about her fascinating journey in pursuit of gravity’s true nature, followed by an in-depth conversation with Nahlah Ayed, host of CBC’s Ideas, and an audience Q&A.

Tickets:

Registration to attend this in-person event will be available on Monday, July 22 at 9:00 AM EDT.

Eventbrite

This event will not be livestreamed, but made available in the subsequent days on Perimeter’s YouTube channel. An edited version will also appear on CBC’s Ideas in the fall.

Tickets for this event are 100% free.