Join the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center on Monday, January 5, at 7 p.m. as we welcome author, educator and theoretical physicist Sean Carroll. He’ll give a special talk entitled The Origin of the Universe and the Arrow of Time.

Sean Carroll has long been an outspoken advocate for particle physics and cosmology, as a writer, public lecturer and consultant for TV and radio programs. He is a researcher at the California Institute of Technology, has a very active social media following and has appeared on TV shows such as The Colbert Report, PBS's NOVA and Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman.

Below is a synopsis of the talk he will be giving:

One of the most obvious facts about the universe is that the past is different from the future. We can remember yesterday, but not tomorrow; we can turn an egg into an omelet, but can't turn an omelet into an egg. That's the arrow of time, which is consistent throughout the observable universe. The arrow can be explained by assuming that the very early universe was extremely orderly, and disorder has been increasing ever since.  But why did the universe start out so orderly? Sean Carroll will talk about the nature of time, the origin of entropy, and how what happened before the Big Bang may be responsible for the arrow of time we observe today.

Following the talk, The American Institute of Physics (AIP) will be awarding Mr. Carroll with the 2014 Andrew Gemant Award, an annual prize recognizing significant contributions to the cultural, artistic or humanistic dimension of physics.

Please join us for this very special event! The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the talk begins at 7 p.m.

Register to attend here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-origin-of-the-universe-and-the-arrow-of-time-a-talk-with-steve-carroll-tickets-14961224425

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To schedule an interview or a media appearance, please contact Reuben H. Fleet Science Center Public Relations Manager Nathan Young at 619-685-5743 or nyoung@rhfleet.org.

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More info:

Announcement of the 2014 Andrew Gemant Award from The American Institute of Physics (AIP):
http://www.aip.org/news/2014/outspoken-caltech-scientist-wins-2014-gemant-award

Sean Carroll’s Blog:
http://preposterousuniverse.com/self.html

Sean Carroll on the Colbert Report:
http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/ski7ov/sean-carroll

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About Sean Carroll

Sean Carroll is a physicist at the California Institute of Technology.  Raised in Yardley, Pennsylvania, he received his Ph.D. in 1993 from Harvard University, and has worked at MIT, the Institute for Theoretical Physics at UC Santa Barbara and the University of Chicago. His research focuses on theoretical physics and cosmology, especially the origin and constituents of the universe. He has contributed to models of interactions between dark matter, dark energy and ordinary matter; alternative theories of gravity; violations of fundamental symmetries; and the arrow of time.  Carroll is the author of "The Particle at the End of the Universe," "From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time" and the textbook "Spacetime and Geometry: An Introduction to General Relativity." He has been awarded fellowships by the Sloan Foundation, Packard Foundation and the American Physical Society. He frequently consults for film and television, and has been featured on television shows such as “The Colbert Report,” PBS's “Nova” and “Through the Wormhole” with Morgan Freeman. Read more about Sean Carroll on his blog, Preposterous Universe: http://preposterousuniverse.com/self.html.

About the Gemant Award

The Andrew Gemant Award is given to one individual by the AIP Governing Board each year, based on the recommendation of an outside selection committee, for significant contributions to the cultural, artistic or humanistic dimension of physics. For more information, see: http://www.aip.org/aip/awards-and-prizes/gemant.

About the American Institute of Physics

The American Institute of Physics is an organization of physical science societies, representing scientists, engineers and educators. Through its Physics Resources Center, AIP delivers valuable services and expertise in education and student programs, science communications, government relations, career services for science and engineering professionals, statistical research in physics employment and education, industrial outreach, and the history of physics and allied fields. AIP publishes Physics Today, the most influential and closely followed magazine of the physics community, and is also home to Society of Physics Students and the Niels Bohr Library and Archives. AIP owns AIP Publishing LLC, a scholarly publisher in the physical and related sciences. http://www.aip.org.