The lectures listed below are a selection of some of the 50+ public talks I've given (in addition to the 200+ public planetarium shows, 25+ astronomy on tap events run, etc). I have experience with public talks for all age ranges, audience sizes, and talk locations (virtual, lecture halls, relaxed locations like bars, etc.). For my day job I also regularly give lectures for college students every semester on all major astronomical topics (ranging from within the Solar System to the edge of the observable universe) and so I'm happy to tailor a talk to your event's needs/interests.

List of Talks:

• The Search for Alien Worlds

  • On the history and search for planets beyond our Solar System (exoplanets). In this talk I discuss the methods to discover planets as well as the current collection of planets we've discovered. I additionally discuss the observatories and missions (past, present, and future) that contribute to our modern understanding of planets.

  • Details: 1.5 hour long public lecture (that can be shortened) that was originally presented for 'Profs & Pints' events at local bars in Charlottesville, VA and Richmond, VA in Fall of 2023

• Astronomical Time Periods

  • The stars once acted as an ancient calendar and nowadays they still play important roles in our language of time. With this talk I highlight the ways that astronomy helps us measure the passage of time. For example, we have seven days of the week due to the seven 'wandering' stars (now called planets), the length of a mo[o]nth depends on the phases of the Moon, and the length of a day/year has more to it than meets the eye. Where else does astronomy leak into public discourse?

  • Details: 25 minute public lecture originally presented for observing nights for the public at UVA's McCormick Observatory

• Scales of the Universe

  • This talk helps put into perspective just how large different sizes, distances, and timescales are in the universe. While we are physically smaller than effectively everything in the universe, our ability to understand our place in it makes us special.

  • Details: 25 minute public lecture originally presented for observing nights for the public at UVA's McCormick Observatory

• Why is There Something, Rather Than Nothing?

  • During my classes on Big Bang Theory, students inevitably ask questions about what came before the Big Bang. This led me to developing a lecture that touches on the philosophy, theology, and science behind this question. In this talk I highlight the philosophical 'reasons' why there is something rather than nothing as well as discuss the scientific 'mechanisms' that may have created a universe from 'nothing.' While we'll certainly discuss the overarching question in detail, we certainly won't be finding an answer to it over the course of the lecture :)

  • Details: 25 minute public lecture originally presented for observing nights for the public at UVA's McCormick Observatory. Additionally this public talk is based on an hour long lecture presented to students taking some of my classes at UVA

• Auroras and Magnetic Fields on Alien Worlds

  • My formal research in graduate school was on the electrical conductivity of large gas giant planets. The most common visual of this is through the auroras visible on all magnetically active planets. In this talk I discuss how we could theoretically use this observed phenomenon to find planets outside our Solar System and what insights they might give us on the Earth's magnetic field.

  • Details: This talk has been given in many forms such as professionally and for the general public as well as as short as 10 minutes and as long as an hour. 

• Mars Cars (in Bars)

  • A detailed overview of the planet Mars, as observed through the orbiters, landers, and the rovers (or 'cars') that roam around on its surface.

  • Details: Originally given as an Astronomy on Tap talk (hence the 'in bars' part) aimed at the general public and 20-30 minutes in length.

• Forever Alone: Why Pluto is No Longer a Planet

  • Discusses the history of why we no longer consider Pluto a planet and what is a planet in the first place.

  • Details: 20-30 minutes talk aimed at a general audience.

Additional topics that I regularly lecture on for my college classes (see the 'Teaching' tab): Black holes; Exoplanets; The Process of Science; Constellations and Movement of the Sky; Solar System objects (planets, comets, asteroids); Star Formation and Evolution; Stellar Death (supernovae, planetary nebula, white dwarfs, pulsars); The Big Bang; The Fate of the Universe; The Search for Life Beyond Earth; History of Astronomy; Cosmology.

I am happy to create a talk to meet your interests/needs!