Visiting with Dr. Kip Thorne

What did you do last Friday? Well, we hung out with Dr. Kip Thorne, casually conversed about such light topics as Black holes, Wormholes, and winning friendly bets. Oh, does that sound interesting to you? We call this: just another Friday in the Intersection of Art & Science.

You may have heard of him - he is only known for his prolific contributions to gravitation physics and astrophysics and is one of the world's leading experts on the astrophysical implications of Einstein's general theory of relativity. He is a longtime friend of Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan and was the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech until recently.

After traveling through the architecturally AMAZING Center of Astrophysics and Astronomy building at Caltech, Kip gave us an overview on his new discoveries in the science of black holes including the different gravitational rotations after passing the event horizon. We discussed colliding black holes and the intense gravitational waves they produce, sending space and time into wild oscillations moving all the way to us, but too small for us to detect alone. With the help of computers, they are able to test and observe things never seen before. It is so exciting to hear his excitement while discussing the new observations and what that means to the study of our universe.

We had a chance to hear about the bets he has placed with Stephen Hawking which of course we already knew about but nothing beats a first-hand story..and with pictures!

He also mentioned, in passing, the big Hollywood movie he is working on - I see another LASS-O outing in the future.

Dan Goods - JPL Artist in residence

“Our current view of the universe, to quote Albert Einstein, is "not weirder than we do imagine, but weirder than we can imagine." That said, we have no choice but to observe the universe through human eyes and brains. How can we even start to make sense of it? 

One answer might be to call in the artists. For thousands of years, people have used art to explore ideas that humble, confuse or even frighten us. (Michelle Thaller, Spitzer Science Center)”

Dan Goods, the JPL artist in residence, has come up with a solution to ease the understanding of the universe, as well as making the public more comfortable with it. The solution that Goods has come up with, is using the intersection of Art and Science. Exactly what LASS-O is aiming to achieve by the end of this course, Goods does everyday of his professional career.

Goods graduated in 2002 in the graphic design program at Art Center College of Design. Throughout his studies he was always interesting in science as well as art and design. Once he graduated he decided to follow his true passions and combine them into one. Even though the job of a resident artist didn’t exist, Goods was determined and persistent in creating this into his career, which he then turned into a prominent position at JPL.

Who knew that an artist was the one thing missing from the JPL team? Goods role at JPL is one that has revolutionized the way JPL can communicate.

“During the day I am the “Visual Strategist” for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory where I develop creative ways of communicating. My work ranges from art pieces in museums, to ways of communicating to politicians. (Goods)”

With his knowledge of both science and art, Goods has taken his work outside of JPL. With his work being shown all over the world Goods has become one of the first of his kind to have viewers understand the intersection of Science and Art.