Gabriela González, gravitational-wave detection expert, LSU physics and astronomy professor and founding member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) will welcome two prominent voices in science this fall for evening programs exploring scientific discovery, communication, and the ways science shapes how we understand the world.

Renowned physicist and gravitational-wave detection expert Gabriela González will visit CMNH on Tuesday, Oct. 6 as part of the museum’s Conversations with Women in STEAM series.

Then, on Thursday, Nov. 19, science communicator, YouTuber, and novelist Hank Green will be at the museum for a moderated Q&A The Science of Optimism with Hank Green, part of the Linda and Les Vinney Know Your World Lecture Series.

Gabriela González
Originally from Argentina, González is a professor of physics and astronomy at Louisiana State University and a founding member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration—a group that achieved a landmark scientific breakthrough when their Advanced LIGO detectors recorded the first direct detection of gravitational waves produced by the merger of two black holes, confirming a prediction made by Albert Einstein in his theory of general relativity.

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, González will join CMNH astronomer Monica Marshall for a moderated discussion about the discovery of gravitational waves, González’s career in astrophysics, and her efforts to encourage more women to enter the field.

A limited number of tickets are still available for Conversations with Women in STEAM. Tickets are $30 each. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 6 and the event will begin at 7 p.m. Beverages and grab-and-go items will be available for purchase in Origins Café until 7:30 p.m.

science communicator, YouTuber, and novelist Hank Green.Hank Green
Green is one of the internet’s most recognizable science communicators—having built a social media following of more than 20 million people through his educational content that spans topics covering everything from microbes to supernovae.

Green is also a bestselling science fiction novelist and cofounder and CEO of Complexly, which produces educational YouTube channels like Green’s SciShow and Crash Course.

On Thursday, Nov. 19, at Science of Optimism, Green will discuss his career, his influence as a science communicator, and how important he says it is to remain optimistic in a world where distrust in science is becoming more normal.

Tickets for The Science of Optimism with Hank Green go on sale Wednesday, Oct. 14, when early registration for Museum members will open at 9 a.m. Tickets will be available to the general public beginning at noon. Tickets are limited to four per order and cost is $20 for Leadership Circle members, $25 per ticket for Museum members, and $30 for nonmembers.