KIPAC@20: A conference celebrating 20 years of KIPAC

KIPAC@20
We are thrilled to host KIPAC@20, a conference celebrating 20 years of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

KIPAC@20 took place from Tuesday September 12 to Friday September 15, 2023, in the Kavli Building at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, with an opening reception on Monday September 11. 

KIPAC@20 will explore recent advances across diverse fields of astrophysics and cosmology, and prospects for breakthroughs in the coming decade, broadly organized into five sessions:

Each of the sessions is broadly defined, and will bring together topics in cosmology, galactic and stellar astronomy, high energy astrophysics, exoplanets, fundamental physics, data science, instrumentation, and beyond. In addition, the program will explore the crossover between astrophysics research, data science, technology, and wider industry as we invite our KIPAC alumni to share some of the many paths they have followed.

Schedule

KIPAC@20 will begin with a welcome reception the evening of Monday, September 11. Sessions will begin the morning of Tuesday September 12 and the conference will conclude at lunchtime on Friday September 15.

KIPAC@20 will take place in the Fred Kavli Building (FKB, Building 51) at SLAC, with the main talk program taking place in the auditorium on the ground floor. We will also be live-streaming the conference program via Zoom.

Click a session title to see the full schedule of talks.

Monday, September 11
17:30-19:30 Welcome reception (FKB patio)
Tuesday, September 12
8:00-8:45 Breakfast available (FKB patio)
8:45-9:00 Opening remarks
9:00-12:30 Mapping the Sky
12:30-14:00 Lunch
14:00-17:30 Transformative Technologies
17:30-19:00 Reception (FKB patio)
Wednesday, September 13
8:00-9:00 Breakfast available (FKB patio)
9:00-12:30 The Extreme and Variable Universe
12:30-14:00 Lunch
14:00-17:30 Free afternoon, including tours
19:00-20:00 Public lecture
Thursday, September 14
8:00-9:00 Breakfast available (FKB patio)
9:00-9:30 Special update from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory
9:30-13:00 Data-driven Discovery
13:00-14:00 Lunch
15:30 Group photograph
14:00-17:30 KIPAC in the World
18:30-21:00 Conference dinner
Friday, September 15
8:00-9:00 Breakfast available (FKB patio)
9:00-10:40 Snapshots of KIPAC research
11:00-11:45 Thinking ahead to next-generation surveys (discussion)
Emmanuel Schaan, Elisabeth Krause, Steve Allen, Risa Wechsler
11:45-12:30 KIPAC Directors' perspective and closing remarks
Stephen Streiffer, Roger Blandford, Tom Abel, Risa Wechsler
12:30-14:00 Lunch

There's more...!

In addition to the main talk schedule, posters showcasing a variety of KIPAC research will be on display upstairs, on the 2nd floor of the Fred Kavli Building. Please take some time during breakfast, lunch, or the coffee breaks to take a look.

During each of the coffee and lunch breaks, we will also be showcasing the Visualization Lab on the 2nd floor of FKB.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 13, we will be hosting tours to see the Vera C. Rubin Observatory LSST Camera and the SLAC site from the overlook, leaving FKB at 2:00 and 2:40pm. Sign-up is required (here).

Catering

We will provide breakfast and lunch each day of the conference, in addition to coffee and tea during the breaks. Breakfast will be served from 8am on the patio outside the front entrance of the Fred Kavli Building (FKB, Building 51) at SLAC.

A welcome reception will be held on Monday, September 11 at 5:30pm, and an additional reception at the end of the first day of talks, each on the patio in front of FKB.

The conference dinner will take place at 6:30pm, on Thursday September 14, at Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park (for registered attendees only). Directions are available here.

Accommodation

We have secured a limited number of rooms in the Stanford Guest House, on-site at SLAC. Please reserve your accommodation here using the code KIPAC20. The deadline to reserve accommodation at the Guesthouse is July 27, 2023.

Alternatively, a number of hotels are available in the area and more details are available here.

Travel Information

KIPAC@20 will take place in the Fred Kavli Building (Building 51) the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025).

Getting here

Code of Conduct

By registering for KIPAC@20, all attendees agree to abide by the KIPAC Code of Conduct.

The KIPAC@20 Organising Committee

  • Dan Wilkins (Chair)
  • Tom Abel
  • Zeeshan Ahmed
  • Roger Blandford
  • Patricia Burchat
  • Susan Clark
  • Phil Marshall
  • Emmanuel Schaan
  • Risa Wechsler
  • Andrea Davies
  • Martha Siegel