Cosmic Origins Café

Welcome to the Cosmic Origins Café, a place to explore our current understanding of the universe, its origin, and its evolution according to the scientific process. The Café will also be a place to discuss how we know about the universe.

For the moment, this is a place to invite friends and colleagues to offer feedback on an excerpt from my book project: Dinner at the Cosmic Origins Café: The delicious story of how we know what we know about the universe.

Luke Keller

I am a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Ithaca College. My teaching ranges across all areas of physics and astronomy and often jumps the boundaries between traditional academic disciplines. Some of my courses include Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe; Quantum Mechanics; Atomic and Molecular Physics; Astrophysics; Physics of Sound; The Nature of Science; and Creation Narratives in Science, Religion, and Fiction.

All audiences — from elementary-school students, to undergraduates, to the general public — benefit from understanding the process of science. Conveying this process in terms anyone can understand is at the heart of my teaching and public lectures.

I am fascinated by questions of origins. My research investigates the physical characteristics, formation, and evolution of stars and planetary systems.

I’m writing a book called Dinner at the Cosmic Origins Café. If you would like to read a short excerpt and send me general impressions, comments, or suggestions I would love to hear from you.