Moiya McTier, Ph.D.
Astrophysicist, folklorist, science communicator, and author
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Ph.D.
Assistant professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire
The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy
BONUS AFTER-HOURS EVENT: Attendees who purchase a copy of The Milky Way from FAN’s partner bookseller The Book Stall are invited to attend an AFTER-HOURS Zoom event hosted by Dr. McTier that will start immediately after the webinar. Details on the webinar registration page.
In The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy, astrophysicist and folklorist Moiya McTier, Ph.D. channels the Milky Way, detailing what humans have discovered about everything from its formation to its eventual death, and what more there is to learn about this galaxy we call home After a few billion years of bearing witness to life on Earth, of watching one hundred billion humans go about their day-to-day lives, of feeling unbelievably lonely, and of hearing its own story told by others, The Milky Way would like a chance to speak for itself. All one hundred billion stars and fifty undecillion tons of gas of it.
After graduating from Harvard University as the first person in the school’s history to study both astronomy and mythology, Dr. McTier earned her Ph.D. in astrophysics at Columbia University where she was selected as a National Science Foundation research fellow. She has consulted with companies like Disney and PBS on their fictional worlds, helped design exhibits for the New York Hall of Science, and given hundreds of talks about science around the globe. Dr. McTier also hosts and produces the Exolore podcast that explores fictional world-building through the lens of science.
Dr. McTier will be in conversation with Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire. Her research in theoretical physics focuses on cosmology, neutron stars, and dark matter. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein’s first book, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred, won the 2021 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the science and technology category, and was named a Best Book of 2021 by Publishers Weekly, Smithsonian Magazine, and Kirkus. Nature recognized her as one of 10 people who shaped science in 2020, and Essence magazine has recognized her as one of “15 Black Women Who Are Paving the Way in STEM and Breaking Barriers.”
This event suitable for youth 12+. It will be recorded and available on our website and YouTube channel.
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Upcoming Events
The Miraculous from the Material: Understanding the Wonders of Nature
Alan Lightman, Ph.D.
Professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT and author of seven novels
Dacher Keltner, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, University of California at Berkeley, Faculty Director of the Greater Good Science Center, and bestselling author
ON ZOOM
The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions
Michael Norton, Ph.D.
Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
Sam Sommers, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Racial Equity and Diversity Lab at Tufts University
ON ZOOM
