Public Lectures

Physics for the Inquiring Mind

Public LecturesKITP Public Lectures connect you with people and research that is transforming our understanding of the universe. This popular series of 3-4 public lectures each year takes advantage of the presence of the many distinguished scientists who visit KITP to collaborate on the most fascinating and challenging questions in their fields. 

Speakers have included, among others, Conny Aerts, Peter Galison, Asimina Arvanitaki, Murray Gell-Mann, John Grunsfeld, Stephen Hawking, Robert Kirshner, Nathan Lewis, and M. Cristina Marchetti. Talks have ranged from how stars ring, projects at the large hadron collider (LHC), how the brain works, challenges for global energy, the potential in the human genome, and black holes.

Friends of KITP receive priority seat reservations, and an informal reception follows each lecture.


KITP Public Lectures Archive

Event Information
The Quantum Physics of Global Warming
Speaker: Brad Marston
Date: 2014-06-18
The Physics of Flocking
Speaker: M. Cristina Marchetti
Date: 2014-05-14
Rhythms & Algorithms ~ Physics and Music
Speaker: Theo Geisel
Date: 2014-02-19
The Spin on Electronics!: The nanoscience and nanotech of spin currents
Speaker: Stuart Parkin
Date: 2013-11-04
On Growth & Form of the Embryo: From Gene Expression to Tissue Mechanics
Speaker: Eric F. Wieschaus
Date: 2013-07-31
Gravity and Quantum Mechanics - The Quest for Unification
Speaker: Joe Polchinski
Date: 2013-03-06
Can Evolution Be Understood Quantitatively?
Speaker: Daniel S. Fisher
Date: 2013-01-30
Particle Physics On a Chip: the Search for Majorana Fermions
Speaker: Leo Kouwenhoven
Date: 2012-12-05
Worshipped Today, Scorned Tomorrow…: Albert Einstein and the Perils of Public Engagement
Speaker: Diana Kormos Buchwald
Date: 2012-03-14
From String Theory to Exotic Materials and Back Again
Speaker: Sean Hartnoll
Date: 2011-10-12