On March 19, King’s Academy held its first King's Astronomy Symposium. The student-led event, which took place online, provided a platform for King’s students, particularly seniors and juniors taking Astronomy and members of the Astronomy Club, to reflect on and share the knowledge they have learned about the universe and beyond.

Around 16 students presented on a variety of topics such as gravitational waves, the string theory, the upcoming mission to Mars, the life cycle of stars and the LIGO observatory. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, students at the Astronomy Symposium also shared their perspectives on subjects including how celestial bodies are featured in literature, art and music, astrophotography, space-related business opportunities, the existence of black holes, and time travel.

Dr. Muad Gaith, a Ph.D. holder in astroparticle physics from Queen's University and a member of the Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (SuperCDMS) collaboration, was invited as a guest speaker and shared his insights about dark matter and the discovery of neutrinos.

“We wanted the symposium to celebrate what students have learned this year about the universe, and to provide them with an opportunity to share their insights about a topic they are passionate about,” says faculty member and observatory director Dr. Abdallah Abu Shihadeh. 

“Between the Astronomy course and the astronomy co-curricular, we hope to foster a culture at King’s in which students look at the universe with a different perspective, ask the bigger questions, appreciate the beauty of the night sky, and become inspired by how vast our universe is,” adds Abu Shihadeh.