On Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 7 pm (PST), Dr. Alexie Leauthaud (University of California, Santa Cruz) will give a free, illustrated, non-technical lecture entitled:   

" A Journey from the Big Bang to Planet Earth" 

in the Smithwick Theater at Foothill College, in Los Altos (see directions below)  

The talk is part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series, now in its 28th year.  

Professor Leauthaud will discuss some of the largest challenges to our understanding of the universe and its basic ingredients. She will focus on some of the latest research on the nature of dark energy and will explain why recent results from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Collaboration (DESI) collaboration made international headline news earlier this year. She will speculate on what the new research might mean for the future of our Universe. Zooming into planet Earth, Professor Leauthaud will discuss some of the top challenges facing the profession of astronomy, including the political headwinds from recent attacks on science and funding, and why astronomers are increasingly becoming involved in the fight against climate change. In the process, she will share her own journey in recognizing the predicament of life on this blue planet.

Dr Alexie Leauthaud is a Professor at the University of California Santa Cruz and studies the nature and evolution of the Universe. She currently serves as the co-spokesperson for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Collaboration (DESI), a group of 900+scientists that reported a prize-winning discovery earlier this year. She is also P.I of the Merian Survey, a project studying dark matter in tiny galaxies. Dr Leauthaud is also a leader in helping define academia's role in fighting the climate crisis and is the lead convener of a new nation-wide working group on climate action in academia. She is working on several community-based efforts to increase food sovereignty, urban food production, and climate resilience. Her work has been recognized by awards from the European Research Council, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, and the Department of Energy. 

Past lectures in the series can be found on YouTube at: http://youtube.com/svastronomylectures   

and as audio podcasts at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1805595