JWST Astrochemistry: Beyond the Fabulous Images

Have you ever wondered what is beyond those fabulous images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)? Or other telescopes like the VLT, Spitzer, SOFIA or Herschel. In this talk hosted by the Peninsula Astronomical Society, Dr. Christiaan Boersma of NASA will give a lecture on the (astro)chemistry of PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) which are fundamental to understanding the physics and chemistry of star- and planet-formation.

About Our Speaker
Dr. Christiaan Boersma is a distinguished scientist working with the JWST, in particular PAH infrared spectroscopy. He is Sr. Research Scientist at San José State University Research Foundation and NASA Ames Research Center. Dr. Boersma is the Treasurer of Laboratory Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical Society. He received his PhD in Astronomy at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. That same year he was awarded a fellowship at NASA Ames through an appointment with the prestigious NASA Postdoctoral Program. After concluding this fellowship in 2012 he moved to a position at San José State University Research Foundation, where he attained the role of Senior Research Scientist in 2020.

Location
The talk will be delivered in person at the Los Altos Public Library and shown over Zoom:
Zoom Link
Meeting ID: 871 2498 0909
Passcode: 3.14159265