Astronomy on Tap Hawai’i: August 12th

We’re back at Hale Kanikapila on August 12th, 7–9 pm, for another night of Astronomy on Tap Hawai’i! Join us for talks from astronomers Branden Allen and Thales Gutke, test your knowledge in the quiz (prizes included, of course), and enjoy pupus and drinks from Hale K.

Branden Allen: Building the Tools of Exploration, A Preview of the Spaceflight Programs of the UH Space Science and Engineering Initiative.

I will introduce the University of Hawai’i Space Science and Engineering Initiative (SSEI), our research programs aimed at expanding Hawai’i involvement and leadership in spaceflight programs, and the pre-engineering program: a partnership between UH Hilo and UH Manoa designed to expand education and research opportunities to underserved areas within the state.

Dr. Branden Allen is a Professor of Engineering at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa who serves as the program lead for the Space Science and Engineering Initiative (SSEI), a multi-island interdisciplinary research center that aims to expand education and research opportunities throughout the state of Hawai’i. He is an Astronomer and Planetary Scientist who has spent the bulk of his career at the intersection of detector and telescope development; aerospace and electrical engineering; and the space sciences.

Thales Gutke: Do we live in a simulation? Probably not in mine.

From spectacular movies of galaxies forming to viral questions like “Are there people living inside the simulation?”, cosmological simulations capture the imagination. But what are they actually simulating? Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at how I create virtual universes—and why leaving things out is the key to understanding the real one.

Thales Gutcke is a computational astrophysicist at the University of Hawaiʻi and used to hold a NASA fellowship at Princeton. Her research uses state-of-the-art simulations to explore how galaxies form, how the first stars shaped the Universe, and what dark matter really is. When she’s not building virtual universes, she paddles for Puna Canoe Club and takes care of her almost 2-year-old.