Our Universe through Sight, Sound & Touch

Kimberly Arcand

Natural Science Science Visualization

See in schedule: Thu, Jul 29, 15:15-16:00 CEST (45 min)

Information of our Universe doesn't have to be just a two-dimensional snap shot. We can transform these data to be able to listen, feel, or (virtually) move through cosmic objects. Listen to the debris from an exploded star, walk through the core of our Milky Way in virtual reality, feel vibrations of a stellar nursery, and experience our universe anew.

Type: Talk (45 mins); Python level: Beginner; Domain level: Beginner


Kimberly Arcand

Smithsonian/NASA

Dr. Kimberly Arcand is a leading expert in astronomy visualization and has been a pioneer in 3D imaging, printing, and extended reality applications with astrophysics data. Kim began her career in molecular biology and public health before moving to NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in 1998. She is an expert in studying the perception and comprehension of high-energy data visualization across the novice-expert spectrum, and is principal researcher in the Aesthetics and Astronomy image response research project with international participation. Her current projects include sonification of spatial data, screen-based holograms and other intersections of emerging technology and astrophysics. She has co-written seven non-fiction science books including her first two science-related children’s books that came out last year.