Conversations at the Perimeter

Sir Anthony Leggett, winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics for his foundational contributions to superfluidity, is a professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Reflecting on a lifetime in science, he shares his groundbreaking work on superconductivity, superfluidity, and quantum science with Lauren and Colin, illuminating his ideas with simple metaphors of a military parade and children running in a forest. He also discusses the human connections that have shaped his life, from doing science demonstrations for families at a farmer’s market to his experiences in England, the US, Canada, Ghana, and more. View the episode transcript here. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter’s educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

Shep Doeleman is a senior research fellow at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and one of the world’s leading experts on black holes. He heads the globe-spanning Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, which in recent years unveiled humanity’s first-ever images of black holes – including the supermassive behemoth at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy. Doeleman takes Lauren and Colin behind the scenes of the EHT’s discoveries, which earned the collaboration the prestigious Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2020. He also looks ahead to the next big milestones in black hole science, such as the Next-Generation EHT (ngEHT) and the Event Horizon Explorer, which will bring these mysterious phenomena into even sharper focus. View the episode transcript here. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter’s educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

Shohini Ghose is a professor of quantum science at Wilfrid Laurier University. She is also the founder and director of Laurier’s Centre for Women in Science (WinS) and an NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering. In this episode, she takes Lauren and Colin on a journey into the subatomic realm to explore concepts like entanglement, superposition, and her personal favourite quantum quandary: uncertainty. She explains how ideas in quantum science can translate to questions of identity, and how that drives her efforts to improve equity and diversity in science. She also thoughtfully answers questions submitted by elementary school students, and provides a sneak peek into the topics of her upcoming book. Learn more about the her work in equity and diversity with these online resources from WinS: laurierwins.medium.com. View the episode transcript here. We are looking for feedback about our audience’s preferences as we chart the path forward. Please take a few minutes and fill out our podcast listener survey. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter’s educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

Pedro Vieira is a faculty member at Perimeter Institute, where he holds the Clay Riddell Paul Dirac Chair in Theoretical Physics. In this episode, he tells Lauren and Colin about his work on a kind of uber-theory that encompasses all quantum field theories, as well as what separates the easy and hard problems in this field. It’s a complicated topic to be sure, but Vieira is a master of explaining complex topics with relatable examples and anecdotes – something Lauren discovered as a student when she took a course he taught. “Pedro takes some of those same concepts from graduate courses, but he paints some amazing non-technical pictures for us,” says Lauren. “No mathematical background required!” He explains why the universe might be a hologram and why, from a theoretical physics perspective, a messy bedroom can be a good thing. View the episode transcript here. We are looking for feedback about our audience’s preferences as we chart the path forward. Please take a few minutes and fill out our podcast listener survey. Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers. The podcast is produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a not-for-profit, charitable organization supported by a unique public-private model, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada. Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples. Perimeter’s educational outreach initiatives, including Conversations at the Perimeter, are made possible in part by the support of donors like you. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate