Line-up for DIAS Samhain agus Science festival announced

Discovering the dark side of our universe and finding mysterious missing black holes in the stellar graveyard are just some of the talks taking place as part of this year’s Samhain agus Science festival.

The annual festival, organised by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), will run from Thursday, 28^th October to Wednesday, 3^rd November. 

Now in its fourth year, Samhain agus Science brings together researchers from DIAS and around the world for a series of free online events that explore the dark side of science and Celtic heritage in time for the Celtic festival of Samhain. 

The festival aims to make the big scientific questions of our time and Celtic history relevant, accessible, and fun to a general audience who might not normally be familiar with these topics.  

Some of the events taking place as part of this festival include: 

— International Dark Matter Day – The Dark Side of the Universe: Join renowned astrophysicist, Prof. Katherine Freese from the University of Texas at Austin, as she recounts the ongoing search for understanding the nature of dark matter – the mysterious substance that constitutes most of the mass in the Universe. (Friday, 29^th October at 7pm).

— The ins and outs of Irish words through time: This talk by the authors of “The History of Ireland in 100 Words” covers just a few of these, which not only illustrate the richness and ingenuity of the language but also offer glimpses into what Irish-speakers gleaned from contact with other peoples, how they played with and actively shaped their own language, how they responded to social and technological change and what words they needed to express the everyday business of life. (Tuesday, 2^nd November at 7pm).

— Hekla Volcano – a Gateway to Hell? Dr Martin Mölhoff will explore why Hekla is to this day referred to as a ‘gateway to hell’, how DIAS is contributing to the ongoing work on understanding Hekla’s activity, and how hellish fieldwork on this mountain can sometimes be. (Wednesday, 3^rd November at 1pm).

— Where are the Mysterious Missing Black Holes in the Stellar Graveyard? – The biggest stars in our Universe collapse to form black holes at the end of their lives. This talk by Dr Erin R. Higgins will look at how we can detect these massive black holes as they merge causing ripples in space-time. (Wednesday, 3^rd November at 7pm). 

Dr Eucharia Meehan, CEO and Registrar of DIAS, said: “We’re delighted to announce the line-up for this year’s Samhain agus Science festival. At DIAS, we conduct research across Celtic Studies, Theoretical Physics and Cosmic Physics and this festival brings them together to explore the dark side of science and Celtic heritage. It’s a great opportunity for us to engage with the public in some of our areas of interest at DIAS in a fun and creative way. 

“We’re particularly excited to mark International Dark Matter Day during the festival with a lecture from the internationally acclaimed Prof. Katherine Freese. We’d encourage anyone with an interest in science and history, whether in our universe, our planet, our island or our fascinating Celtic past, to attend what promises to be a fantastic and spooky Samhain agus Science festival!” 

For the full list and details of all Samhain agus Science events, and to register to attend please visit: www.dias.ie/samhainagusscience