From Quarks to the Cosmos

The quest to understand the ultimate laws of nature is an ancient one. We seek to answer: what are the basic building blocks of the observed universe, how do they interact and what is the nature of the space that contains them? Remarkably, the physics of the smallest things we know is also tied to the largest distances and structures we can measure. The beautiful theories describing this physics are strikingly predictive, although today's picture is far from complete. How did we come to understand these things about the universe and how are we addressing remaining questions? Through lectures, presentations and projects we will learn about astronomy, modern particle physics and cosmology. Students will study a topic of their choice in further depth with a final project and presentation.