Lecture Series: From Einstein to Gravitational Waves

To commemorate the 111th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, the GravNet project, hosted by the University of Bonn and funded by the European Research Council (ERC), invites the public and students to a series of events focused on gravitation and gravitational waves on Thursday, October 22. The program will take place at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef and includes an afternoon masterclass for school students, as well as an evening lecture series.

Unraveling Fundamental Questions of Space and Time

How do matter, space and time interact? This fundamental question is central to general relativity, which Albert Einstein first presented to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in 1915. To examine how these theoretical foundations influence modern research, the evening public lecture series will feature insights from both philosophy and physics. Prof. Dr. Dennis Lehmkuhl from the University of Bonn will open the event with a discussion of Einstein’s interpretation of general relativity, followed by Prof. Dr. Achim Stahl from the RWTH Aachen University, who will present the innovative Einstein Telescope project. The evening will conclude with a talk by Lamarr Associated Principal Investigator Prof. Dr. Matthias Schott, a member of the Color-Meet-Flavor Cluster of Excellence and a speaker for the GravNet Collaboration, on the search for exotic gravitational waves. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with the speakers over refreshments and snacks following the talks.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Researchers

Prior to the evening lectures, GravNet will host a specialized masterclass on gravitational waves for high school students in grade 10 and above. Scheduled from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM, this interactive session will introduce 20 young learners to advanced physics concepts and will conclude with the presentation of official certificates of participation. Both the masterclass and the evening public lectures are free of charge, but prior registration is required due to limited venue capacity.