Event 3: Professor Santiago Torres' Presentation

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For the final event of this quarter, I am glad to have had the opportunity to join Professor Santiago Torres’ “Science <meets> Art” presentation. As a STEM student, I have always been fascinated by our universe, but it wasn’t until hearing Professor Torres talk about it that it made its beauty tenfold.

Figure 1: Science <meets> Art presented by Professor Santiago Torres.
Credit: Santiago Torres

Even though we went through a lot of content during the presentation, two things caught my attention. The first was the topic of the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic (EM) spectrum is “the range of all types of EM radiation” (NASA, 2013), and EM waves “are a form of radiation that travel through the universe. They are formed when an electric field couples with a magnetic field” (NOAA, 2023). Professor Torres made an easy-to-follow slide showcasing the EM spectrum in detail which is shown in Figure 2. I find it especially interesting that our eyes can only see light waves that fall between 4 and 7 nanometers in wavelength. This window is also known as the “visible light spectrum”.

Figure 2: Professor Torres showcasing the electromagnetic spectrum in detail.
Credit: Santiago Torres

Additionally, we can see colors due to the electromagnetic waves reflecting from objects around us. That is why grass is green and tomatoes are red. They each reflect electromagnetic waves of different wavelengths. The following video made by NASA explains the electromagnetic spectrum in detail and includes great animations.

Video 1: Electromagnetic spectrum explained in detail.
Credit: NASA

My interest peaked once more on the topic of ALMA sounds. Upon looking up their website, I found out that “ALMA Sounds is a meeting point between radioastronomy captured by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and musical creations made from observations taken from the most important radiotelescope in the world” (ALMA, 2021). This project aimed to decode the frequencies of the universe. The following video shows an introduction to the ALMA project and describes the goal to bring artists and astronomers together.

Video 2: Brief introduction video to ALMA sounds.
Credit: ALMA

On a final note, this event has made me rethink our position as humans in this universe to a great degree. It is fascinating to see how vast and beautiful the universe is, and at the same time see how small and insignificant we are compared to it.


Proof of registration:

Figure 3: Proof of event registration as required by the rubric.

Figure 4: Proof of event registration including the meeting ID.


References:

ALMA Observatory. “ALMA Sounds | ALMA.” ALMA Observatory, 2021, www.almaobservatory.org/en/alma-sounds/. Accessed 9 June 2024.

NASA. “Electromagnetic Spectrum - Introduction.” Nasa.gov, NASA, Mar. 2013, imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/toolbox/emspectrum1.html.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Electromagnetic Waves.” Www.noaa.gov, 10 Apr. 2023, www.noaa.gov/jetstream/satellites/electromagnetic-waves.

ALMA. “ALMA Sounds.” Vimeo, 15 June 2016, vimeo.com/170864056. Accessed 9 June 2024.

ScienceAtNASA. “Tour of the EMS 01 - Introduction.” YouTube, 6 May 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwfJPc-rSXw&t=249s&ab_channel=ScienceAtNASA. Accessed 9 June 2024.

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