Chanda Prescod-Weinstein Speaks at Assembly
By ISABEL EVANS, ERIN HAN, and ISHAAN SINGH
On Friday, January 26th, renowned physicist and author of the book “The Disordered Cosmos,” Chanda Prescod-Weinstein addressed Phillips Exeter Academy in the Assembly Hall. Her presentation encompassed her life story and her interest in physics, astronomy, and the cosmos, later connecting socio-political issues to the scientific aspect of the universe. Her presentation and display of the various aspects of cosmology captivated the audience, and many attended the subsequent Q&A.
Senior and Physics Club co-head Ishaan Vohra noted, “I thought [the assembly] was great. It was a mix of actual physics research instruction [and] teaching us about a lot of the interesting developments going on in the field. Dark matter is one of those huge unsolved problems that a lot of physicists are working on. It was super exciting and it was also really interesting in terms of social justice, which is an important part of every scientist’s career.”
Instructor in Science and Physics Club Advisor James DiCarlo also noted the expansiveness of her presentation: “I liked the way she drew the connection between what happens on the smallest and largest scales. Particle physics and cosmology are partners. Knowledge about the way microscopic systems evolve sheds light on our understanding of how the universe itself evolves.” He continued, “She touched on a lot of stuff, from the nitty-gritty of gravitational lensing to societal issues of who gets to tell history.”
Prescod-Weinstein stated that she aims to connect the cosmos, her scientific work, to the social part of her life, and advocate and speak out about her heritage and culture. This combination of social and scientific issues and mysteries intrigued the audience. She brought joy and interest to the Assembly Hall that morning, and familiarized physics to the audience. Upper and Astronomy Club co-head Masaki Muneyoshi agreed, stating, “While many think of astronomy and quantum as a strange, distant concept, it really isn’t - and I think she conveyed the joy of understanding our universe with her passion for research. The diagram she showed about the different candidates for dark matter, something so central yet unknown in our world, was quite interesting, many of which I didn’t know about.”
Prescod-Weinstein clarified some of the mysteries surrounding cosmology and allowed the audience to understand her work and how she connects it to the social issues she is passionate about. This strong link that Prescod-Weinstein established between her scientific and social work was a new and refreshing idea for many students.
Muneyoshi commented, “In the latter half of her assembly, she mentioned how in science, only those who are wished to be remembered are remembered, bringing up how some people, often from marginalized communities, are forgotten from history for their contributions. That was something I’d never thought about and felt that even in our pursuit of science to understand the laws of the world, our progress can be hindered by our pointless biases and inability to understand one another. I strongly agreed with what she said about the universe being a canvas for everyone—anyone, regardless of who they might be, can do whatever they want.”
Vohra echoed this sentiment, saying, “The focus on not just physics, but also other important principles was something that really stood out to me. As an aspiring physicist myself, I’ve always focused on going as deep into the technical side of things as possible, but it’s only now that I’ve realized that once you get to a higher level, the influence you have over other people is also a major part of that role,” he finished, “So that was something I’ll take away, and something I’ll keep in mind for my career in the future.”
Students and faculty afterward had the opportunity to attend a Q&A luncheon with Prescod-Weinstein. Senior and Physics Club co-head William Lu commented, “I think, by going to the Q&A, what I really discovered was, she’s a real thinker. She thinks about all kinds of things—she thinks about literature, culture, and sociology. She’s just such a cool person.”
Lu continued, recalling a question he posed to her during the session, “I asked her about how I sometimes feel pressure to do something that’s applicable—be practical and do something that’s going to impact the people around us, and [she answered, by] asking us to think about how the GPS came along. GPS needs a lot of general relativity to work because you’re dealing with things that are circling around a big hunk of mass, namely the Earth. You need a lot of physics to actually deal with those kinds of things. [So she mentioned how] people who made general relativity, like Einstein, were not thinking about GPS but [instead] about ‘Okay, well, I’m falling, how do I know I’m falling? What’s space-time and how does space-time curve? How does length change in space-time?’ He was just thinking about all that. It was nothing about GPS.”
“So a lot of what she told us was, don’t worry too much about if this can be that, or that can be this,” Lu concluded. “Just be worried about building the expansiveness of humanity. The more you know, the better.”