Cosmic Revolution: What Happened Before the Big Bang?

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 19, 2020

TIME: Doors at 6pm, Meetup Group at 6:30pm, Event starts at 7pm.

TICKET LINK: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/8804450/science-on-tap-cosmic-revolutionwhat-happened-before-the-big-bang-portland-alberta-rose-theatre

ADVANCE TICKETS*:
- General Admission: $20
- Student / Ages 65+: $13
- VIP** (guaranteed seating): $25
- Supporter**: $39

TICKETS DAY OF SHOW:
- General Admission: $20
- Student / Ages 65+: $13

PLEASE NOTE -- RSVP-ing "yes" to these events does not automatically get you in the door. You must either purchase tickets in advance (ticket details above), or if we have not sold out, you may buy tickets at the door.

FOOD & DRINK: Full Bar, hand pies, pizza rolls, and an assortment of sweets and snacks available.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Until about a hundred years ago scientists thought that the Milky Way galaxy was the entirety of the Universe and didn’t know that there were any galaxies out there beyond our own. When we finally discovered that other galaxies did exist, it revealed a Universe that was expanding, getting less dense, and was cooling. By working backwards, they hypothesized that the Universe was denser and hotter in the past. If you make a naive extrapolation, you can go all the way back to a singularity that they called the Big Bang where all the matter and energy collects into a single point. But was that really the beginning of the Universe?

In the 1980s new theory came along that attempted challenge the idea that the singularity was the start of everything, and we’ve spent the last 30 years testing it. At last, the verdict is in, and we now know what came before the Big Bang. At this Science on Tap, hear theoretical physicist and author Ethan Siegel, PhD, talk about how the greatest cosmic revolution just got even greater.

Ethan Siegel https://twitter.com/StartsWithABang was born in New York, majored in three different things as an undergrad, and got his Ph.D. in theoretical physics. After postdoctoral research focusing on dark matter and cosmic structure formation, he became a physics professor and a professional science communicator. The communication was more fun, so now he writes and speaks full-time, including for Forbes, and NASA. His blog, “Starts With A Bang” https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/#5b865a872c5e, was voted the #1 science blog on the internet by the Institute of Physics, and, separately, by Real Clear Science. He has written “Beyond the Galaxy” https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/9547 and “Treknology” https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9780760352632/Treknology.html.

This talk will be repeated at the Kiggins Theatre on Wednesday, March 11, 2020.

EVENT WEBSITE:
https://viaproductions.org/events/alberta_feb_19_cosmic/

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We at Science on Tap are committed to offering educational opportunities to adults who want to learn. If the ticket price is a hardship for you, please write to us at [masked] and we’re happy to provide reduced-price tickets to those who request them. Visit https://viaproductions.org/2020tickets for more information on ticket prices.

*A note on advance ticket sales: There is an additional fee for purchase, but this ticket guarantees a seat at the event start time of 7:00pm. In the event of a sold-out show, tickets not redeemed by 7:10pm may be released. Advance ticket sales end at 12:00am the night before the show.

**A note on ticket levels: VIP tickets guarantee front center seating that stays available through entire show — meaning you can arrive late and your seat will be waiting for you. Supporter tickets get VIP benefits (guaranteed seating) plus a voluntary upcharge to help support the true cost of producing events.