A Russian PhD Theoretical Physicist’s Experiences in Russia, Astrophysics, and Movie Making with Kip Thorne (Interstellar)
Elena (Lena) Murchikova
-Graduate Student in Astrophysics: California Institute of Technology
-Kandidat phys-math nauk in Theoretical Physics (2009): Department of Theoretical Physics, Moscow State University
-Postdoc in String Theory Group, Imperial College London
Ms. Elena (Lena) Murchikova is a young Russian woman currently studying for a PhD degree in Astrophysics at Caltech. She will talk about her post-Perestroika childhood in Russia, the Russian school and university system, and her studies at Moscow State University, where she studied for and defended the advanced kandidat phys-math nauk degree (equivalent of PhD) in Theoretical Physics in 2009. She will discuss her postdoc work in the String Theory Group at Imperial College London and how this led to her decision to go to Caltech. She will talk about her experiences with high power lasers, cryogenic liquids, elementary particle physics, string theory, and astrophysics. She will also talk about meeting 25 Nobel Laureates during one week. Finally, she will discuss her experiences as an on-set adviser for the movie Interstellar, assisting the science consultant on the film, Kip Thorne, and consulting with Jessica Chastain (actress in the role of Murph).
The following is a link to the presentation (pdf file extension).
