Welcome to our 2022-2023 program year. While the situation may evolve, our current plan is for a mix of in-person and virtual meetings. We will be holding virtual meetings in January and February. We hoping to have an in-person initiation in the spring.
May Meeting Information
Meeting Date and Time: Friday, May 12, 2023
6:30 pm Social Hour
7:00 pm Dinner
8:00 pm Speaker
Location: The Curragh Irish Pub located at 6705 N Northwest Hwy, Chicago, IL 60631. (They offer complimentary valet parking after 5pm. There is metered street parking and possible free street parking, but the valet parking will probably be the best option.
Menu: Appetizer: Ceili Spuds (Irish potato skins stuffed with Blarney cheese & bacon, topped with sour cream and green onions)
Tossed salad
Entree: Choice of one of the 3 following:
Dubliner Pot Roast (Tender beef pot roast smothered in a mushroom and cabernet sauce. Served with mashed potatoes and vegetables.)
Guinness Fish & Chips (Filets of cod cooked in a Guinness beer batter and fried golden brown. Served with steak fries, tartar sauce and lemons)
Chicken Romano (Lightly breaded, bruschetta tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, arugula, olive oil & balsamic vinegar. Served with red skin potatoes.)
Dessert: Homemade bread pudding
Non-alcoholic beverages (soft drinks, coffee, tea)
Cash bar for alcoholic beverages
Cost: $40
$20 for students (please indicate in reservation if you are a student)
RSVP: To Tanya Hunter at ispaurumiodide@gmail.com by Noon, Tuesday May 9,
2023.
Speaker: Shane L. Larson, CIERA - Northwestern University
Title: “SOLITUDE IN THE COSMOS: Looking for Friends in the Great Cosmic Dark”
Abstract: We are living in an age of profound discovery -- the people alive today are the first to know, with certainty, that there are planets orbiting other stars. This realization immediately engenders another earnest question: is there life elsewhere in the Cosmos? There are three possibilities. One is that the Earth is unique, the only shore in all the vastness of the Cosmos where life has found purchase. Another is that the Universe is teeming with life, of all sorts adapted to the conditions and peculiarities of whatever alien shoal it has grown up on. The last is that life is not unheard of, but uncommon enough that finding it could be a daunting endeavour.
In either instance -- life does exist elsewhere, or Earth harbors the only life in the Cosmos -- the implications are staggering and terrifying.
What do we think about life elsewhere? And how might we find out the answer to the question of if we are alone in the Cosmos or not? How do you recognize life? Can you communicate with intelligences not of Earth? In this talk, we'll explore some of the dramatic implications of the greatest question known to our species: are we alone in the Cosmos?
Speaker’s Biography: Shane Larson is a research professor of physics at Northwestern University, where he is the Associate Director of CIERA (Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics). He works in the field of gravitational wave astrophysics, specializing in studies of compact stars, binaries, and the galaxy with both the ground-based LIGO project, and future space-based observatory LISA. He grew up in Eastern Oregon, and was formerly a tenured associate professor of physics at Utah State University. He is an award winning teacher, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He contributes regularly to a public science blog at writescience.wordpress.com, and tweets with the handle @sciencejedi .
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Interested in becoming a member of Iota Sigma Pi? To find the application criteria and apply for membership, visit the National website at iotasigmapi.org and go to Membership (https://www.iotasigmapi.org/become-a-member).