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
Time, Einstein and the Coolest Stuff in the Universe
Speaker: William Phillips
Date: 2010-10-13
The New Century of Exoplanets
Speaker: Adam Burrows
Date: 2010-04-07
The Great Ideas of Biology
Speaker: Paul Nurse
Date: 2010-02-24
Exploring the Dark Universe
Speaker: Nima Arkani-Hamed
Date: 2009-12-16
The Universe in Collisions
Speaker: Maria Spiropulu
Date: 2009-05-13
Quantum Reality
Speaker: Sankar Das Sarma
Date: 2009-02-25
Topology, Physics, and Complexity: The birthing of the quantum computer
Speaker: Michael H. Freedman
Date: 2008-11-05
Mathematics and the Quantum Universe
Speaker: Robbert Dijkgraaf
Date: 2008-07-30
Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life
Speaker: Samuel S.-h. Wang
Date: 2008-04-16
Citizen-Scientists and the Dawn of the Space Age
Speaker: Patrick McCray
Date: 2008-01-24