Study at the Sciences Library during finals week to take advantage of free coffee and snacks! Coloring, Legos, and games are available if you need a study break. We have lots of seating options: bean bag chairs, study carrels, large tables, and computer stations. Best of luck on your finals, Hawkeyes!
If so, you’re not alone. Black holes are by definition problematic to observe. In fact, it was only in April of this year that astronomers unveiled for the first time an image of a black hole in Messier 87 , a supergiant galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. So who knew that an entire week might be dedicated to observe their intriguing existence?
NASA used its “Black Hole Week” as an opportunity to release on September 25th a collection of stunning animated visualizations created by Jeremy Schnittman of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The simulations render details of a black hole, such as the accretion disk, that make the blurry image shared with the public in April more comprehensible to the nonexpert. NASA has made numerous versions of black hole simulations available for free download. Camille M. Carlisle offers additional context for appreciating the simulations in her brief Sky & Telescope article, “Black Hole Warps Light.”
UI faculty researchers and their students are no strangers to the attraction of black holes. Physics & Astronomy Professor Philip Kaaret, Associate Professor Cornelia Lang, and graduate research assistant Matthew Brorby spoke with the Daily Iowan in 2017, giving a peek into their research interests while also offering a quick introduction to black holes.
To learn more about black hole research at the University of Iowa “Listen to the Gravitational Waves From Merger of Black Holes” on a 2016 edition of Iowa Public Radio’s River to River interview with Prof. Kaaret, or read a 2017 Iowa Now article on how the universe may have paradoxically become filled with light as a result of black holes. Prof. Lang comments on the enigmatic filaments “clustered around the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy” in a September 2019 article, “The Milky Way Has Giant Bubbles at Its Center” from The Atlantic. Associate professor Hai Fu spoke to Wired in 2017 about his research on quasars and black holes, and discussed the role of black holes in merging galaxies in another 2017 Iowa Now article.
If you are not already an aficionado of black holes, you can make this week your own Black Hole Week by exploring resources available from the Sciences Library noted below. Don’t hesitate to ask a librarian if you need further help navigating through the literature on black holes.
Featured Books
Black Hole : How an Idea Abandoned by Newtonians, Hated by Einstein, and Gambled on by Hawking Became Loved by Marcia Bartusiak
Black Holes : a Very Short Introduction by Katherine Blundell
Einstein’s Monsters : The Life and Times of Black Holes by Chris Impey
What Does a Black Hole Look like? by Charles D. Bailyn
Selected Electronic Resources
Search for “black holes” among the many books, book chapters, and journal articles offered by the Institute of Physics
Oxford Companion to Cosmology entry for “Black Holes”
Thank you, Kai Weatherman, for writing this illuminating blog post on black holes!
Hello, new & returning Hawkeyes!
Visit the Sciences Library this week to find a comfortable study spot, enjoy free coffee, and meet our staff! Our new exhibit showcases our staff, what they can do for you, and what they would like you to know about them! Stop by to find out who likes Quantum Darwinism, who likes photographing birds, who likes running marathons, and more! We would love to meet you and help you use the many services that the UI Libraries has to offer.
Here are 6 tips to help you get started!
Best wishes for a great semester! Go Hawks!
The 50th anniversary of the moon landing is an exciting milestone of space exploration! Our University archivist David McCartney has written about how Iowa research contributed to the safe landing of the astronauts on the moon! James Van Allen’s discovery of the radiation belts meant that the necessary calculations were done to transport the astronauts safely through these belts.
A wealth of links can give you more information about the moon landing, from its historical background to the scientific advances that we gained from the Apollo 11 mission. Thank you to Kai Weatherman for gathering this list of links!
After looking back at Apollo 11, you might wonder, what has recently developed in Iowa space research?
The Sciences Library welcomes students, staff, and faculty to an EndNote Workshop on Wednesday, July 17 at 11:30 AM in room 102 of the Sciences Library. There is no need to register in advance.
In this workshop you will learn how to use EndNote to:
EndNote Web is available for free to all members of the University of Iowa community. EndNote Desktop is available for free to all UI graduate students, faculty, and staff.
If you’re interested, but unable to attend these workshops, private appointments and webinars can be arranged. If you have any questions or if you’d like to request a workshop for your class or group, please contact Laurie Neuerburg (319-467-0216 or laurie-neuerburg@uiowa.edu) for more information.
As the HaloSat satellite flies hundreds of miles above us orbiting the Earth, it’s a short trip to the Sciences Library to see a life-sized model of the HaloSat in our new exhibit! In addition to the 3D model of the HaloSat satellite, there are two gold boxes that have traveled into space and a prototype of the plasma wave instrument that operates on the Geotail mission!
After being released into orbit from the International Space Station, HaloSat takes measurements of the Milky Way’s halo that will help scientists find out if it contains the missing matter expected from observations of the early universe. The gold boxes on display actually flew on the space shuttles Columbia and Challenger, and these flight sensors were the first objects to be moved around in space by a robotic arm. The plasma wave instrument that is based on the prototype shown in our exhibit traveled into space on Geotail in 1992 over 27 years ago and continues to send back valuable data from space to this day!
Thank you to the Physics and Astronomy Department for loaning us their models, prototypes, and flight hardware!
Learn more about space exploration, physics, and astronomy at the University of Iowa Libraries. We have numerous books, articles, videos, and even Manga comics! If you would like to find out more, contact Laurie Neuerburg (laurie-neuerburg@uiowa.edu or 319-467-0216) or Leo Clougherty (leo-clougherty@uiowa.edu or 319-335-3083) for help.
Find your way to the Sciences Library to study for finals week! Fuel up with free refreshments: homemade brownie bites, cookies, coffee, and tea! Refresh with coloring, origami, and games. Give a friend a boost, or rejuvenate yourself with tear-off compliments! Choose from a variety of study spots: bean bag chairs, study carrels, computer stations, and large tables. Get last minute research help from your librarians. Good luck on your finals, Hawkeyes!
Science is for everyone! Citizen science projects give people from all walks of life the opportunity to participate in scientific research. According to CitizenScience.org, “Citizen Science Day is an annual event to celebrate and promote all things citizen science: amazing discoveries, incredible volunteers, hardworking practitioners, inspiring projects, and anything else citizen science-related!”
Celebrate Citizen Science Day 2019 at the Sciences Library! Join us Monday and Tuesday, April 8-9 from 12-2 PM on the 3rd floor of the Sciences Library. Enjoy free pizza and drinks while making a contribution to scientific knowledge! These events are free and open to all.
CITIZEN SCIENCE DAY: STALL CATCHERS MEGATHON
Play an online game called Stall Catchers to advance Alzheimer’s research! Join our team HawkeyesOnALZ!
Monday, April 8, 2019, 12-2 PM
Facebook event
CITIZEN SCIENCE DAY: [CITATION NEEDED]
Enhance Wikipedia articles about science!
Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 12-2 PM
Facebook event
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Laurie Neuerburg in advance at 319-467-0216 or laurie-neuerburg@uiowa.edu.
Colored bismuth crystals, bright copper, silicon circuits, and more shine in our new exhibit celebrating 2019: The International Year of the Periodic Table! One hundred and fifty years ago, Dmitri Mendeleev published a draft of the first Periodic Table. Mendeleev also wrote “Knowing how contented, free and joyful is life in the realms of science, one fervently wishes that many would enter their portals” in his text Principles of Chemistry. Enter the portal to the Sciences Library to test your knowledge of the elements present in household items, to view our humorous periodic tables, and to see several elements in their pure form! Thank you to Dr. Lou Messerle for loaning us his collection of element samples!
The following workshops are open to all students, faculty, and staff. There is no need to register in advance.
EndNote Workshop – Thursday, March 7, 2-3 PM, BB B20
In this workshop you will learn how to use EndNote to:
EndNote Web is available for free to all members of the University of Iowa community. EndNote Desktop is available for free to all UI graduate students, faculty, and staff.
EndNote Workshop – Wednesday, April 10, 3:30-4:30 PM, CB W238
In this workshop you will learn how to use EndNote to:
EndNote Web is available for free to all members of the University of Iowa community. EndNote Desktop is available for free to all UI graduate students, faculty, and staff.
If you’re interested, but unable to attend these workshops, private appointments and webinars can be arranged. If you have any questions or if you’d like to request a workshop for your class or group, please contact Laurie Neuerburg (319-467-0216 or laurie-neuerburg@uiowa.edu) for more information.
