Quantum Gravity at the beach in Nijmegen

On a beautiful summery Tuesday evening, about 200 people listened to three phenomenal presenters sharing their vision about quantum gravity. This evening was organized by the Science Café Nijmegen, which took place the same week that the IMAPP Quantum & Gravity group at Radboud University held their conference.

While people gathered at the small beach under the Waal bridge near De Kaaij, Lamm & Pielsticker provided some jazz music in the background. The evening got kick started with a talk by Thomas Hertog, the Belgian cosmologist, who worked closely with Stephen Hawking and recently published a popular science book about their joint work. You may know Thomas also from television, as he was featured in Zomergasten on 24 July 2023. Next, Flaminia Giacomini - a rising star in the field of quantum information - shared her ideas about fuzzy quantum clocks and what its implications are for understanding time in a quantum world. Her spectacular talk was followed by a presentation by Daniele Oriti, a well-known researcher in quantum gravity with a passion for philosophy. He guided us through the quantum world through the eyes of a fish learning about water. With all that food for thought, a break followed during which people could order an extra drink and/or snacks while enjoying some more jazz music. After the break, the public fired away their questions about quantum gravity to the three experts. Altogether, it was a nice and thought-provoking summer evening.

For pictures of the event, see photo gallery and for more information including some youtube links about the speakers, see the website of the Science Café Nijmegen Science Café