Smithsonian Astrophysicist Margaret Geller Will Discuss the Evolution of Galaxies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, N.Y. — Using today’s largest telescopes and space observatories, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists can peer back billions of years into the history of the universe — with a gaze that almost reaches to the beginning of time.

On Tuesday, Sept. 25, Margaret Geller, senior scientist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, will discuss the origin and evolution of galaxies that make up the universe when she delivers the annual Robert Resnick Lecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The lecture, titled “So Many Galaxies, So Little Time: A Graphic Voyage Through the Nearby Universe,” will be held at 4 p.m. in room 3303 of the Sage Laboratory on campus.

“We can observe all but the first few hundred thousand years of the history of the universe,” says Geller, who revolutionized the world’s knowledge of the large-scale structure of the universe. “Within the next few decades, we will put together a full history starting from the formation of the first objects.”

Geller is best known for her maps of the universe and studies of the structures and evolution of galaxy systems. From her work, she has made two award-winning films, Where the Galaxies Are and So Many Galaxies … So Little Time, whose graphics have been displayed in science museums around the world.

The Robert Resnick Lecture is named in honor of Robert Resnick, professor emeritus of physics and the Edward P. Hamilton Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Science Education at Rensselaer. Resnick, who wrote the premier text series for undergraduate physics, authored or co-authored seven textbooks still used throughout the world.