Colloquium - Nancy A. Levenson
- Time:
- 14:30
- Date:
- 27 November 2024
- Venue:
- Building 29, room 1101
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Event details
Title: Probing the Centers of Active Galactic Nuclei with the James Webb Space Telescope
Abstract: The feeding of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies is connected to the evolution of galaxies and the formation of stars in them. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) provides new capabilities to measure the cycle of inflow and outflow in these active galactic nuclei (AGN). Nearby examples offer the advantages of good spatial resolution and strong signals, to help distinguish multiple physical processes that are relevant. Multiple phases of gas are present, and dust is a source of both emission and obscuration. I aim to make this talk accessible to physicists broadly, to appreciate both the rapid progress already possible with JWST and open questions that remain.
Speaker information
Dr. Nancy A. Levenson is the deputy director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). She provides executive-level leadership and vision across the institute and champions a science-driven approach to support our missions and the communities we serve. STScI, an 850-person, world-class research facility, conducts science and flight operations for NASA’s flagship astronomical observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, and science operations for both the iconic Hubble Space Telescope and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) delivers data and enables advancement from these and dozens of other facilities. STScI engages the public with the current scientific discoveries and scientific potential of all these missions. Dr. Levenson is also a research professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Previous appointments include interim director of STScI, deputy director and head of science at Gemini Observatory, and tenured faculty at the University of Kentucky. She earned her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Levenson’s research focus is active and star-forming galaxies and their obscuration. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
For more information regarding this colloquium, please email stag-centre@soton.ac.uk .
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