Ln November 29, the Auditorium of the National Archives in Montreal (BAnQ) will open its ceiling to the heavens and the mysteries they contain while Marc Garneau, astronaut, and Christophe Galfard, doctor in theoretical physics from the University of Cambridge, will will come together to share with you their experiences and their point of view on the Universe. To find out more about this exceptional meeting, we spoke with the man who lived the dream of every theoretical physicist: obtaining his doctoral thesis under the direction of the famous cosmologist Stephen Hawking!
About him, his former student has only good words: “With Stephen, the working conditions were quite different from what we usually see. As his student, you sort of became part of his family, and you were with him almost all the time. There were a few years when I was his only student, and I worked with him even on weekends, even when traveling – we didn’t take vacations, we worked all the time. That said, we still had a lot of good time together, because, in addition to loving science, he also loved life: he was truly a bon vivant!»
This relationship will have had a profound impact on the young researcher: “Working with Stephen Hawking allowed me, while I was still a young researcher, to visit places of thought that are normally reserved for much more seasoned researchers: it was both a little dangerous, since it is not easy to get there from the start, and at the same time terribly exhilarating, because I had access to the deepest thoughts of some of the most extraordinary researchers today», he tells us.
Christophe Galfard. Photo: All rights reserved
Christophe Galfard, an outstanding popularizer
Today, Christophe Galfard is dedicated to telling science to the general public in the most accessible way possible, while remaining scientifically fair, so that as many people as possible – adults and children alike – have access to current knowledge. His works have sold more than two million copies around the world, and his conferences share the same success.
This desire to transmit his knowledge to others was once again given to him by Stephen Hawking: “When I was his student, he sometimes asked me to write his lectures, and I attended many of them to see how it all worked. I was fascinated by the appetite the general public had for what Stephen was talking about. I find that knowledge is public and belongs to all of humanity, and it seems fundamental to me to continue to pass on what we have learned from generation to generation. If we stop this transmission, we go backwards, so I continue my work so that we can continue to move forward», he explains to us.
Marc Garneau. Photo: All rights reserved
An exceptional meeting alongside Marc Garneau
On October 5, 1984, astronaut Marc Garneau made history by becoming the first Canadian to fly in space. A feat that inspired an entire country and inaugurated a new era of space exploration for Canada.
In his work entitled The most extraordinary journeypublished on November 4 by Michel Lafon, it recounts his exceptional journey: from mischievous child to rebellious teenager, from decorated astronaut to seasoned statesman. Sincere, inspiring, and moving, Marc Garneau’s memoirs are a unique testimony.
Chloé-Anne Touma. Photo: All rights reserved
The meeting on November 29 will be hosted by Chloé-Anne Touma, editor-in-chief of the CScience.ca platform and LES CONNECTEURS.ca magazine, techno columnist on ICI Première on the show Search engine, and passionate about the impacts of research, science and technological innovation on society.
This special evening, which will open with a reading by Marc Garneau, will allow two unique perspectives to meet: one, turned towards the Earth which he contemplates from space, and the other, turned towards the space that he studies in depth from Earth.
“We are beginning to enter a new era of cosmic knowledge that is linked to recent technological advances, which are enabling phenomenal theoretical discoveries that we could never have dreamed of having access to before. This is a bit of what I will talk about during the discussion with Marc Garneau: he will discuss his experience in a universe which is very close to Earth, while I will go to a much more distant universe, filled with new mysteries and new splendors, which are being discovered today”Christophe Galfard tells us enthusiastically.
Notice to fans of science, astronomy and space discoveries: at the end of this evening, you will be invited to talk with Marc Garneau and Christophe Galfard and have your books signed! Register now so you don’t miss this most informative evening, which is sure to make you dream! And what’s more, it’s free! Rreserve your tickets here!
*This article was written in collaboration with Michel Lafon editions.
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