On August 4, at 7pm, Georgia Stolle-McAllister will speak at the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association’s (MMA) Science Speaker Series. Her talk, “The Mysteries of Fast Radio Bursts and Why We Especially Need Imagination in Science” is part of our FREE Science Speaker Series and will be held via Zoom. Stolle-McAllister is the MMA’s Astronomy Research Fellow – a one-year appointment funded by the National Science Foundation. Her position began August 2020.

Fast radio bursts have been perplexing astronomers for more than a decade. These mysterious flashes of radiation far outshine the Sun in a few milliseconds and primarily come from distant galaxies, but we still do not understand what causes them! Large telescopes and new imaging tools have made it possible to take better pictures of their home galaxies, which we hope might reveal some of their secrets. In the meantime, despite their puzzling origins, the unique properties of fast radio bursts mean we can use them to learn more about the contents of the Universe. In this talk, Stolle-McAllister will explain the exciting process of learning about fast radio bursts, some of the discoveries that have been made along the way, and the many questions that remain.

In her position as the MMA Research Fellow at the Maria Mitchell Observatory, Stolle-McAllister works with MMA Director of Astronomy, Dr. Regina Jorgenson, and the Fast and Fortunate for FRB Follow-up (F4) collaboration to study the host galaxies of fast radio bursts (FRBs). She first joined the Maria Mitchell Association as a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) astronomy intern during the summer of 2019 and she is a 2020 graduate of Kenyon College with a bachelor's degree in physics.

To register for this event, please follow the link below:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xpuXD8BTS3S-NkqpscN2FQ

For the full Science Speaker Series schedule, please visit our website here:

https://www.mariamitchell.org/science-speaker-series

This series is generously presented by our lead sponsor, Bank of America, and additional sponsors, Cape Air, Cisco Brewers, and White Elephant Resorts.

The Maria Mitchell Association is a private non-profit organization. Founded in 1902, the MMA works to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages.

For Immediate Release

July 29 2021

Contact: Kelly Bernatzky, Development Associate

kbernatzky@mariamitchell.org