Chalmers invites the public to an open lecture on 18 November, where leading physicists will share their journeys into science, their research, and their conviction that physics should be inclusive and representative of everyone.
The invited speakers for the lecture, titled “Physics that shines: Stories of discoveries and change”, are Jocelyn Bell Burnell (University of Oxford) and Jess Wade (Imperial College London).
Jocelyn Bell Burnell is the astrophysicist who made one of the most remarkable astronomical discoveries of all time when, as a PhD student at Cambridge in 1967, she discovered pulsars – but did not receive recognition when the Nobel Prize was awarded for the discovery. In 2018, Jocelyn Bell Burnell received The Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. She decided to use the prize money to support underrepresented groups in becoming physicists and established a fund for that purpose.
Materials physicist Jess Wade is deeply committed to advancing equality within STEM. She is well known for having created more than 2,000 Wikipedia pages to increase the visibility of women and minorities in science. She has written children’s books about materials science, nanoscience and light, and has received numerous awards and prizes for her contributions to science, science communication, and equality, diversity and inclusion.
The opening address will be given by astronomer Susanne Aalto, Deputy President for Academic Environment and Excellence at Chalmers University of Technology. She was the first woman in Sweden to earn a PhD in radio physics and will reflect on developments for women and underrepresented groups in physics in recent years, as well as share her own journey through astrophysics.
The event is open to anyone curious about physics, the stories and circumstances behind scientific discoveries, and how we can make science open, accessible and welcoming to all. There will also be a panel discussion and Q&A session, with secondary school students invited to join the conversations.
“It will be an inspiring morning, and we hope to satisfy many people’s curiosity and create encounters between established researchers, students and pupils,” says Anders Johansson, one of the organisers behind the lecture.
The lecture, as well as the following conference, is free of charge and sponsored by Chalmers through the Genie gender equality initiative.
“By funding the conference, we want to lower the barriers to participating in activities that promote equality in academia – the conference fee should not prevent anyone from taking part,” says Maria Saline, coordinator for Genie.
“I hope that many will take the opportunity to attend and be inspired by the researchers who share their stories,” says Maria Elmquist, Chalmers’ Deputy President responsible for leadership and equality. “It is both an honour and a privilege that Chalmers is hosting this year’s conference. The programme reflects how research quality and diversity go hand in hand – and how inclusion can drive new knowledge and new perspectives.”
About the lecture
The open lecture will take place on 18 November, from 9:15 to 12:00, in RunAn Hall, Chalmersplatsen 1 (Chalmers Entré). It is free of charge. Please register here.
The lecture is part of the Nordic Network for Diversity in Physics (NORNDiP) conference, which this year is being held for the seventh time, with the Department of Physics at Chalmers as host. The conference is aimed at physicists and physics students from the Nordic countries. Read more about the conference here.