Cultural Compass

Journey to the Origins of Oxygen

A fascinating public lecture with Harvard Professor of Astrology Lisa Kewley at the Frost Museum of Science.

Live@FROST is a monthly series of public lectures by leading scientists at the Philip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science. The latest edition, Oxygen: Breathing the Universe was presented by Professor Lisa Kewley, Director of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. Professor Kewley took us on a journey from the formation of the first oxygen in the infant universe after the Big Bang to the Oxygen on Earth today. What a fabulous ride!

Professor Kewley described how current ground and space telescopes are helping us measure and understand the origins of the oxygen atoms that we breathe on Earth, and how the next generation of telescopes, including the Giant Magellan Telescope, will revolutionize our understanding of oxygen on planets outside our solar system.

Artist’s concept of the completed Giant Magellan Telescope, situated in the Atacama Desert some 115 km (71 mi) north-northeast of La Serena, Chile. Courtesy of WIkipedia.

A Reception

Left to right, Professor Kewley, Dr. Frost, and Raul Guerrero, director of the Downtown Arts + Science Salon and Editor, Downtown News. Photo courtesy of World Redeye.

The evening began with an intimate cocktail reception on the outdoor Level 5 terrace. Following the reception, guests made their way inside the Frost Planetarium for the evening’s program. Shown above with Professor Kewley and Raul Guerrero is Dr. Frost, an American businessman, educator, inventor and philanthropist. On March 26, 2011, Dr. Frost donated $35 million towards the construction of the new Miami Science Museum building at Museum Park (renamed Maurice Ferré Park) in Downtown Miami, which was named Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science. In March 2015, he donated an additional $10 million to support the development of the science museums’ planetarium, the Frost Planetarium. The Philippe and Patricia Frost Museum of Science has become a true research institution, adding scientific gravitas to the evolving city of Miami, the new Global City.

Dr. Richard Kurin, Frost Science Trustee and Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large, introduced the lecture.

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