UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- J. Richard Bond, University Professor in the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Toronto, will present a free, public lecture, "The Quantum Universe in the Planck Era and Beyond," at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, in 100 Huck Sciences Building (Berg Auditorium), on the Penn State University Park campus. The lecture is part of 2019 Penn State Lectures on the Frontiers of Science.

The annual series consists of six weekly lectures, which in 2019 have the overall theme: "Cosmic Clues Open New Frontiers in Space Science." Admission is free and no registration is required.

Bond's research focuses on understanding the origin and evolution of the universe, from its "Big Bang" origin, to today and into the future. He has made influential contributions to understanding the birth, life and death of planets, stars, galaxies and other objects in the universe, including the vast ‘cosmic web’ connecting all galaxies. He is known for developing the theory and analysis of radiation fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background into a high-precision tool for exploring the cosmos. He also has contributed to understanding the nature and behavior of dark matter and the mysterious "dark energy" suspected of contributing to the inflation of the early universe and its continued and accelerating expansion.

His achievements have been recognized with many national and international awards, including, most recently, the Canadian Association of Physicists Medal for Lifetime Achievement, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and his election as a member of the Royal Society of Canada.

The three remaining events in the 2019 Penn State Lectures on the Frontiers of Science, all of which begin at 11:00 a.m., are as follows:

• Feb. 9, in 104 Keller Building: "Probing the Universe with Gravitational Waves" by Barry C. Barish, Linde Professor of Physics Emeritus at the California Institute of Technology and a 2017 Nobel Laureate.
• Feb. 16, in Berg Auditorium, 100 Huck Sciences Building: "The Ghost Particle: A New Tool for Deep-Space Discoveries" by Doug Cowen, professor of physics and of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State.
• Feb. 23, in Berg Auditorium, 100 Huck Sciences Building: "The Universe Beyond Einstein: Lessons from Primordial Messengers" by Ivan Agullo, assistant professor of physics at Louisiana State University.

About the Lectures on the Frontiers of Science

The Penn State Lectures on the Frontiers of Science is a program of the Penn State Eberly College of Science that is designed for the enjoyment and education of residents of the central Pennsylvania area and beyond. Financial support for the 2019 lectures is provided by the Eberly College and by its Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos. More information, including archived recordings of previous lectures, is available online.

For more information or access assistance, contact the Eberly College of Science Office of Communications at 814-863-8453 or sci-comm@psu.edu.