@Macaulay Author Series with Dr. Charles Liu

  •  September 22, 2021
     6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Join us for an exploration of the heavens with Dr. Charles Liu and co-authors Karen Masters and Allen Liu discussing their new book 30-second Space Travel. “Human nature drives us to travel into space – first with our imagination, then with our technology, and ultimately within our spacecraft, ourselves. ” Dr. Liu will also discuss his latest children’s book Intro to Physics for Babies. Moderating the conversation will be Anne Hwang ’23 (Queens College).

 

Dr. Charles Liu
Author

Charles Liu is a professor of physics and astronomy at the City University of New York’s College of Staten Island, and an associate in astrophysics with the American Museum of Natural History and Hayden Planetarium in New York. His research focuses on colliding galaxies, supermassive black holes, and the star formation history of the universe. Dr. Liu served as the Honors Director for six years at Macaulay Honors College, College of Staten Island campus.

 

Dr. Karen Masters
Author

Karen Masters is an Associate Professor in Astronomy and Physics at Haverford College near Philadelphia. She has previously collaborated with Charles Liu and Sevil Salur on the book, 30-second Universe, and also wrote a chapter about the British astro-mathematician, Mary Somerville in “More Passion for Science”, and anthology of stories about women in STEM. Dr. Masters seeks to use large surveys to understand how galaxies in our Universe form and evolve. She is the Project Scientist for the successful Galaxy Zoo project – one of the most productive citizen science projects in existence. Dr. Masters is also Spokesperson for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, which has a mission to map the expanding Universe.

Allen Liu
Author

Allen Liu is a science writer and communicator based in New Jersey. Allen earned his A.B. in mathematics from Harvard, where he studied geometric shapes called polytopes in up to four dimensions. Allen has been interested in space and space travel from a young age; he founded an astronomy club at age fourteen, operated the Loomis-Michael Observatory at Harvard, and has spent nearly one thousand hours studying the intricacies of orbital mechanics in the physics simulation game ‘Kerbal Space Program’. Outside of academics, his interests include singing, fiction writing, and amateur radio, in which he holds a general class ham license.

 

Anne Hwang ’23
Moderator

Anne Hwang is a junior at Macaulay Honors College at Queens College double majoring in Media and Film Studies and minoring in Business and Liberal Arts (BALA). She is currently the senior intern at Macaulay’s Office of Career Development. She aspires to pursue a career in media law and explore various opportunities within both the media and law industries.