The most distant galaxies in the universe cannot be seen from the Earth, and are invisible at the optical wavelengths seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. This means that understanding the earliest history of our universe requires a space-based telescope that can see infrared light. In this lecture, Dr. Suess will describe the 25+ years of incredible planning and engineering that went into making this goal a reality. Specifically, she will discuss some of the earliest and most exciting science results from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), including insights into the most distant galaxies humans have ever seen and previously-invisible giant galaxies. Dr. Suess will close the lecture by talking about outlooks for the future and the science JWST observations will make possible in the next few years.

About the Speaker

Dr. Wren Suess is a Stanford - Santa Cruz Cosmology Fellow and a UCSC Chancellor’s Fellow. She is actively working on new science with the James Webb Space Telescope as a member of the NIRCam instrument team. Scientifically, she’s most interested in understanding how and why galaxies die and how galaxy sizes change over time. Born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, Wren went to CU Boulder for her undergraduate degree and UC Berkeley for her masters and PhD. Wren is an avid backpacker and rock climber, and when she’s not working or in the wilderness can be found brewing beer, at the pottery wheel, or playing clawhammer banjo on her front porch.

Directions and Parking

This event will take place in the Bishop Auditorium on the Stanford campus. The auditorium is located on the 1st floor of the Lathrop Library, 518 Memorial Way, Stanford. Upon arrival, please follow the signs and check in in the foyer of the auditorium.

Parking lots are indicated on the map. The nearest parking is available along the Oval and in Lot L-83. All parking is free in spaces marked Visitor, A or C after 4pm. Accessible parking is also available at the above locations.