Lecture
Searching for building blocks of life among the stars
- Date
- Thursday 18 October 2018
- Time
- Location
-
Lecture Hall
Einsteinweg 57
2333 CC Leiden
For 20 years, astronomers have had convincing evidence that planets orbit around stars other than our sun. More than 3,000 of these exoplanets have been discovered, but are they 'viable'?
In this public lecture KAVLI prize winner Ewine van Dishoeck takes the audience on a voyage of discovery through space. To distant exoplanets, the comet 67P and our own earth. How do planets originate? Do they all look alike? She will also discuss the chemical basis of the origin of life. After the lecture you can have a chat with a small snack.
This lecture is in Dutch. For more info about the lecture, please read our Dutch page.
About Ewine van Dishoeck
Van Dishoeck is Professor of Molecular Astrophysics at Leiden University. She studied chemistry and mathematics in Leiden and she also received her PhD for research at the interface of astronomy and chemistry. She then worked at Harvard, Princeton and Caltech. Van Dishoeck is the most cited molecular astrophysicist in the world. The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts in 2012 appointed her Academy Professor. She also received big prizes, including in 2000 the Spinoza prize and in 2018 the prestigious international Kavli prize of one million dollars. Van Dishoeck is currently President of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
Lectures by the Natuurwetenschappelijk Gezelschap Leiden
For almost 150 years, the Natuurwetenschappelijk Gezelschap Leiden has been organising high-quality scienctific lectures with renowned scientists at Leiden University. Each year at least one of these lectures is in English. Alumni, (former) employees and all other parties interested in the natural sciences are very welcome to attend.
Next English lecture: Killing cancer cells with metals and light