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  • Oct
    23

    Appl Math: Meridith Joyce on "How to Find a Star by Accident, or How Not to Solve the Great Dimming of Betelgeuse"

    McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

    11:15 AM M416, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    Title: How to Find a Star by Accident, or How Not to Solve the "Great Dimming" of Betelgeuse

    Speaker: Meridith Joyce, University of Wyoming

    Abstract: Alpha Orionis, popularly known as Betelgeuse, is a nearby red supergiant star visible to the naked eye. In light of the star's Great Dimming—a sudden, extreme drop in brightness that occurred in early 2020—a recent controversy surrounding Betelgeuse concerned whether it would explode as a supernova within the next few years, centuries, or millennia. Using a series of numerical techniques including one-dimensional stellar evolution models, hydrodynamic simulations, linear oscillation calculations, Fourier analysis, and the methods of a subfield of stellar astrophysics known as asteroseismology, my collaborators and I constrained the timeline for Betelgeuse's demise and revised many of the best estimates for its fundamental properties. In doing so, we discovered not only that Betelgeuse was not likely to undergo an imminent detonation, but that a pulsation signal unexplained by our models was, in fact, the signature of an as-yet-undiscovered binary companion. Its presence was confirmed earlier this year. What we never managed to do was explain the Great Dimming. In this talk, I will use the story of the discovery of Betelgeuse’s hidden, low-mass binary companion, Alpha Orionis B—affectionately nicknamed Betelbuddy—both to highlight the computational and numerical techniques employed in modern stellar astrophysics and to illustrate how the most meaningful discoveries often arise not from confirming what we set out to find, but from venturing down the rabbit holes of unexpected problems that emerge along the way.

    Zoom: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/92966602010

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    more less

    TIME Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

    LOCATION M416, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Ted Shaeffer    ted.shaeffer@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

  • Jan
    5

    Winter classes begin

    University Academic Calendar

    All Day

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Monday, January 5, 2026

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    CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

  • Jan
    16

    Appl Math: Diego Klabjan on "Title TBA"

    McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

    2:00 PM M416, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Friday, January 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

    LOCATION M416, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Ted Shaeffer    ted.shaeffer@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

  • Feb
    12

    Appl Math: Roberto Zenit on "Title TBA"

    McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

    11:15 AM M416, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

    LOCATION M416, Technological Institute    map it

    ADD TO CALENDAR

    CONTACT Ted Shaeffer    ted.shaeffer@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

  • Feb
    19

    Appl Math: Chaoming Song on "Title TBA"

    McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

    11:15 AM M416, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Thursday, February 19, 2026 at 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

    LOCATION M416, Technological Institute    map it

    ADD TO CALENDAR

    CONTACT Ted Shaeffer    ted.shaeffer@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

  • Mar
    5

    Appl Math: Aditya Khair on "Title TBA"

    McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

    11:15 AM M416, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

    LOCATION M416, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Ted Shaeffer    ted.shaeffer@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

  • May
    13

    Appl Math: Melanie Mitchell on "Title TBA" - Reiss Lecture

    McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

    11:15 AM

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

    ADD TO CALENDAR

    CONTACT Ted Shaeffer    ted.shaeffer@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

  • May
    14

    Appl Math: Melanie Mitchell on "Title TBA" - Reiss Lecture

    McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

    11:15 AM

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

    ADD TO CALENDAR

    CONTACT Ted Shaeffer    ted.shaeffer@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)