—Systemic change begins with personal change—
Brian Keating is a Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of physics at the Center for Astrophysics & Space Sciences (CASS) in the Department of Physics at the University of California, San Diego. He is a public speaker, inventor, and an expert in the study of the universe’s oldest light, the cosmic microwave background (CMB), using it to learn about the origin and evolution of the universe. Keating is a writer and podcaster and the best-selling author of one of Amazon Editors’ ‘Best Non-fiction Books of All Timeâ€, Losing the Nobel Prize.
Keating is a pioneer in the search for the earliest physical evidence of the inflationary epoch, the theorized period of expansion of space in the early universe directly after the Big Bang. Physicists predict that this evidence will reveal itself as a particular pattern in the way CMB light is polarized; this pattern is referred to as a B-mode pattern, and Keating designed the first experiment dedicated to detecting it (BICEP).
In 2014, amidst the purported detection of this long-sought signal, Keating was busy co-teaching a course at UC San Diego entitled "Poetry for Physicists", with Pulitzer Prize winner Rae Armantrout.
Though I haven't actively practiced physics since defending my thesis in 1999, it felt great to talk science with the author of a book named one of the best non-fiction books of all time. The conversation stayed where nonscientists could understand, but we spoke, I think, how physicists do, though I'm out of practice. We talked about values, the difference between theory and experiment, the beauty of experiment, running experiments by the South Pole and tops of mountains, Einstein, Feynman, and technology. Of course, sustainability too. He shared about the writing of his book, the life that led to it, and the life it led to of becoming a spokesman for science. We also closed with him describing his podcast, where he interviewed me. Click here to see the video of our conversation.