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March 20: Exoplanets - the Search for Habitable Planets in our Solar System
Presented by Dr. Michelle Kunimoto
Discoveries of planets outside of the Solar System ("exoplanets") have exploded over the last couple decades, and exoplanet science is one of the fastest growing fields of astronomy today. This talk will cover how to find exoplanets, how to identify those that are potentially habitable, and how anyone can take part in the hunt - even you - from the comfort of your own home!
Presenter Biography:
Michelle Kunimoto is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UBC, where she also obtained her PhD. She was previously a postdoctoral fellow at MIT where she worked on NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. Dr. Kunimoto is an expert on discovering and characterizing strange new worlds outside of the Solar System, known as exoplanets. She aims to understand the demographics and diversity of exoplanets, especially those that are potentially habitable and Earth-like. Across all of her planet-hunting endeavours, Dr. Kunimoto has found over 3000 planets and planet candidates.