Countdown to the 2021 Friends of IHES Gala: Focus on keynote speaker, Janna Levin (Week-2)

There is only two weeks until the 2021 Friends of IHES gala on Women in Fundamental Research: on November 16 we will gather at the fabulous Lotte New York Palace, and online, to celebrate women scientists as well as prominent female figures in tech and finance.

Gala keynote speaker will be Janna Levin, Claire Tow Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University, as well as Founding Director of the Science Studios at Pioneer Works, and founder and editor-in-chief of their virtual manifestation, The Broadcast.

A Guggenheim Fellow, Janna has contributed to an understanding of black holes, the cosmology of extra dimensions, and gravitational waves in the shape of spacetime. Her keynote speech at this year’s gala will lead the audience through the captivating physics of black holes.

Janna Levin is also a writer of both essays and fiction. In her recent book, Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space, she recounts the fascinating story of the obsessions, the aspirations, and the trials of the scientists who embarked on an arduous, fifty-year endeavor to capture the sound of spacetime ringing from the collision of two black holes over a billion years ago. Her previous books include How the Universe Got Its Spots and a novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, which won the PEN/Bingham Prize. Her new book is Black Hole Survival Guide.

She is the presenter of the Emmy-nominated NOVA feature Black Hole Apocalypse, aired on PBS—the first female presenter for NOVA in 35 years.

Join us on November 16, to learn more about Janna Levin’s fascinating work!