Event Details - Searching for Dark Matter - from the Heavens to the Earth

Physics Seminar presented by Pearl Sandick, Associate Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, College of Science, University of Utah.

Abstract:  The question of the identity of dark matter is one of the most important outstanding puzzles in modern physics. Of the many potential explanations proposed, perhaps the most-studied is a new species of elementary particles called Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). The properties of dark matter are being probed in a variety of ways, for example by terrestrial experiments buried deep underground as well as satellite experiments looking for signals from space. I’ll discuss the prospects for “discovering” dark matter, focusing on the indirect detection technique, and how WIMPs may reveal themselves via signatures of their annihilation or decay in and around our Galaxy.

Pearl Sandick's Bio:  Pearl Sandick is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the College of Science at the University of Utah. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2008 and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Theory Group at the University of Texas at Austin before moving to Utah in 2011. Professor Sandick is a theoretical particle physicist studying physics beyond the Standard Model, including possible explanations for the dark matter in the Universe. In addition to her research, she’s passionate about teaching, mentoring students, and making science accessible and interesting to non-scientists. She has given a TEDx talk, been interviewed on KCPW’s Cool Science Radio and NPR’s Science Friday, and received a 2016 University of Utah Early Career Teaching Award.  Professor Sandick has recently served on the American Physical Society (APS) Committee on the Status of Women in Physics and as the Chair of the National Organizing Committee for the APS Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiPs), and is currently the incoming Vice Chair of the Four Corners Section.