Conversations on the Quantum World: Storytelling and Science
- Public Event
Quantum science emerged from studies of the smallest objects in nature. Today, it promises to deepen our understanding of the universe and deliver groundbreaking technology, from quantum computers to ultra-precise measuring devices to next-generation materials, with many of these advances happening at Caltech. In Conversations on the Quantum World, you will hear directly from Caltech experts about the next quantum revolution and have the opportunity to ask your own questions.
Caltech physicist Spiros Michalakis and Hollywood screenwriter Ed Solomon will speak with Caltech science writer (and science fiction devotee) Whitney Clavin about how they collaborate to make science shine in film and television scripts, and the many similarities between the creative and scientific processes. Learn how core quantum concepts like entanglement can inform out-there cinematic concepts from time travel to the multiverse.
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This is a free event, but registration is required. The first 1,000 attendees can join the Zoom webinar. Others will be provided with a YouTube link.
About the Participants
Manager of Outreach and Staff Researcher, Institute for Quantum Information and Matter at Caltech
Spiros Michalakis is a quantum physicist and science consultant to television shows and films, including Marvel's Ant Man and Ant Man and the Wasp. He grew up in Greece and moved to the U.S. to get his BS in mathematics and computer science from MIT. He also holds a PhD in applied mathematics from University of California, Davis. Prior to joining Caltech, Michalakis was a research fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory. At IQIM, he studies the role of mathematics in the physical rules that define our universe and helps engage the public with the mysteries of quantum mechanics through events and videos featuring the likes of Stephen Hawking, Paul Rudd, Zoe Saldana, and Keanu Reeves.
Writer/producer
Ed Solomon has had a major film released in each of the past five decades. His films span all genres, most recently a noir crime drama with No Sudden Move, directed by Stephen Soderbergh. Solomon's credits include the Bill & Ted trilogy, Men in Black, Charlie's Angels, X-Men (uncredited), and both Now You See Me films, among many others. He started his career writing jokes for comedians, including Garry Shandling, and as a staff writer on Laverne & Shirley. His most recent TV work was the critically acclaimed 6-hour HBO miniseries Mosaic, which was both a branching narrative app and a traditional network broadcast series as well as the first interactive show produced and distributed by a major TV network. Solomon is currently working on an original science fiction series for Amazon and a Broadway musical. His fiction writing has appeared in The New Yorker among other magazines. He was the youngest member of the Writers Guild of America in 1982, and his goal is to someday be its oldest.
Senior Content and Media Strategist, Caltech's Office of Strategic Communications
Whitney Clavin is a science writer and communications specialist at Caltech, where she primarily covers the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy. She has worked in the field of astronomy for nearly 20 years. Before joining Caltech, Clavin served as a press officer and science writer at JPL for 13 years. She helped orchestrate several of LIGO's big announcements, including the observatory's first direct detection of gravitational waves. She has a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from UC Davis, and a master's degree in science journalism from NYU. Her hobbies include reading and watching science fiction, and dancing on roller skates.
This series is presented by the Caltech Science Exchange, which brings expert insight to the scientific questions that define our time. The Science Exchange offers trustworthy answers, clear explanations, and fact-driven conversation on critical topics in science and technology.