Meg Urry, the Israel Munson Professor of Physics & Astronomy at Yale, will be the guest speaker at a special Colorado Yale Association event on Thursday, October 20. In her talk, Prof. Urry will explain how she became an astrophysicist at a time when there were very few women in the field. She and other notable women in astronomy recently described their diverse paths in a new book, The Sky Is for Everyone: Women Astronomers in Their Own Words (eds. David Weintraub, Virginia Trimble, Princeton University Press). She will also present highlights from her research on the most massive black holes, including images from the new James Webb Space Telescope.

Urry is the current president of the American Astronomical Society and director of the Yale Center for Astronomy & Astrophysics. Before coming to Yale in 2001 she was a scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The first woman to receive tenure in the Physics Department, she chaired the department from 2007 to 2013. Her scientific research focuses on active galaxies that host supermassive black holes in their centers. She has published over 300 refereed research articles on supermassive black holes and galaxies, and has been recognized as a “Highly Cited Author” by Thomson Reuters.

The Redpath lecturer event and annual CYA meeting starts at 6:00 pm with light bites and beer & wine. The location is Evans School, 1115 Acoma St, Denver. Fee: $25. Pay with PayPal or by check sent the Colorado Yale Association, Box 911, Denver, Colorado, 80201. If paying by check, please RSVP Heather Kingsbury Hill: heather.kingsbury.hill@gmail.com