Boise State’s Department of Physics is honored to present Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist John Mather at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 in the Student Union Jordan Ballroom.
Mather will visit the university as part of the First Friday Astronomy lecture series. He is renowned for his groundbreaking work on the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) project and as lead project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). His talk, “Opening the Infrared Treasure Chest with JWST,” will cover how Webb was built, why astronomers study the Universe in infrared light, and showcase current exciting discoveries. The event promises to be a highlight for students, faculty and the general public.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Mather to Boise State,” said Brian Jackson, professor in the Department of Physics. “It’s not every day that Boise State hosts a Nobel Prize winner, and we’re excited to hear about Dr. Mather’s work at NASA, co-leading the COBE mission to elucidate the early evolution of the Universe and more recently helping JWST make it onto the launchpad. He’s a pioneer in astronomy, and we’re lucky to host him.”
Supported by donations, the Boise State Physics First Friday Astronomy lecture series is in its eighth official year and brings space scientists, journalists and policy experts to Boise State on the First Friday of every month for public lectures. As with all First Friday Astronomy events, Mather’s lecture is free and open to the public.
For more information about this event, email astro@boisestate.edu. To preview other First Friday events, visit the Department of Physics events page.