How does modern physics allow us to listen to the quiet whispers of the invisible cosmos? A meeting with Nobel Prize laureate Barry Barish and a moderated discussion featuring Prof. Leszek Roszkowski.
Join us for an extraordinary afternoon at the Science Festival in Warsaw featuring Nobel Prize laureate Barry Barish, a pioneer in the discovery of gravitational waves. In his talk, “Probes of the Invisible Universe,” Prof. Barish will discuss how we listen to the silent whispers of the invisible cosmos, from the ripples in spacetime to the mysteries of dark matter. The presentation will be followed by an engaging moderated debate on the frontiers of modern physics with the possibility to ask questions by the audience.
When?
Saturday, September 26, 2026: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where?
Old Library Building at the University of Warsaw | Aula w Starej Bibliotece UW, ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28, 00-927 Warszawa
About the event
The discussion will be led by Prof. Leszek Roszkowski, a distinguished theoretical physicist and a world-renowned expert in the hunt for dark matter. Prof. Roszkowski is the founder of Astrocent, recently promoted to the International Institute for Particle Astrophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Admission is free. All adults are welcome. The event will be held in English with translation into Polish.
Professor Barry C. Barish (born January 27, 1936, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.) is an American physicist who was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and the first direct detection of gravitational waves. He shared the prize with American physicists Rainer Weiss and Kip S. Thorne.
Photo Credits: PDM 1.0
Professor Leszek Roszkowski is a theoretical physicist with an internationally recognised expertise in particle physics, astrophysics, cosmology, and dark matter. After research and academic appointments at CERN and universities in the United States and the UK, he returned to Poland in 2011. Since 2018, he has been the director of AstroCeNT – Science and Technology Centre for Particle Astrophysics, which in 2026 evolved into the International Institute for Particle Astrophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (in short called Astrocent Institute).
Embark on a fascinating journey through the invisible universe in the company of a Nobel Prize laureate!
Field: Astrophysics
Format: Discussion, Lecture
Intended for: Adults
Language: English
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30th SCIENCE FESTIVAL IN WARSAW will take place between 18–27 September 2026
The largest and oldest celebration of science in Poland once again takes over the entire city of Warsaw! Ahead of us is the jubilee 30th edition of the Science Festival – featuring nearly 1,000 events prepared by more than 113 scientific, educational, and cultural institutions.
These are 10 exceptional days each year when science is accessible to everyone! Let’s meet to talk about the latest discoveries, the challenges of modern science, and the questions we are still trying to answer. We look forward to all debates, lectures, workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions, laboratory visits, excursions, and interactive educational games!
Learn more: https://festiwalnauki.edu.pl/
Please be aware that photographs will be taken and audio-video recordings will be made during the event. The collected materials will be used for documentation and promotion of the activities of the International Institute for Particle Astrophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the event’s co-organizer. They may be published on the websites and social media accounts of both institutions, as well as those of partner and funding entities. By participating in the event, you voluntarily consent to the processing of your personal data.
The controller of personal data is the International Institute for Particle Astrophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The full GDPR policy is available on the Institute’s website: https://astrocent.edu.pl/. Access to the data is also granted to the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences (https://www.camk.edu.pl/pl/media/uploads_current/intranet/dokumenty/ogolne/2018/2018-09-24–11-42-50-min.pdf), as well as to partner and funding institutions.