9 November, 10:00, Sofia Tech Park
Get ready for a journey through science that will change the way you see the world around you!
We’re waiting for you on November 9th at Sofia Tech Park for a day filled with impressive science and curious ideas. You’ll meet international speakers with captivating topics that will inspire you and make you seek answers. Of course, even the most complex subjects will be presented in an engaging and accessible way.
Find out more about the event and get your ticket for this scientific adventure today!
I. Talks
At Ratio Forum, we will dive into the world of scientific mysteries and future technologies. We’ll explore how math can make you a millionaire, how fast the universe is expanding, and how we can “kill” an asteroid before it reaches our planet.
The international speakers will present in English, and at this time, translation is not planned.
1. Million-Dollar Math Equations
A) The Biggest Mysteries in Mathematics
Is it possible to solve a math problem to make you a millionaire? Well, that’s the idea behind the Millennium Prize Problems—seven of the world’s hardest math problems, each carrying a $1 million prize. (One has already been solved, but the other six are still waiting for someone to crack them.)
Dr. Tom Crawford, a tattooed football fan and mathematician from Oxford, will introduce us to the six unsolved problems. We’ll dive into brain-busters like the Riemann Hypothesis and the P vs NP Problem. If you’ve never heard of them, don’t worry—at Ratio Forum, Dr. Crawford will explain their significance in a way anyone can understand, guiding us through some of the most intriguing mathematical mysteries.
Whether you’re a math genius or it wasn’t your favorite subject in school, we guarantee this talk will change your view of math equations.
2. Echoes from the Universe
A) The Science of Gravitational Waves
Gravitational waves ripple through the entire universe like pulses in space and time. They allow us to “see” some of the most powerful events in the cosmos: from black hole collisions and exploding stars to the Big Bang.
We’ll explore the next generation of gravitational wave detectors, which may help us answer some of the most important questions: How fast is the universe expanding? Are there extra dimensions? Could these innovative detectors reveal the mysteries of neutron stars and their inner structures? We’ll find out with Martin Hendry.
At Ratio Forum, Martin Hendry will guide us through the latest advances in gravitational wave science, and we’ll peek beyond today’s discoveries. We’ll talk about findings made with LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) and look into the future to see what science has in store for us in 2030.
3. How to Kill an Asteroid
A) The Science of Planetary Defense
Many apocalyptic films start with planet-killing asteroids, but today the real threat is different: tens of thousands of asteroids the size of football stadiums, which could wipe out entire cities, lurk in the vastness of space and are much harder to detect due to their “smaller” size.
But there might be a way to stop them…
At Ratio Forum, Robin Andrews will tell us how science can prevent one of these “city killers” from reaching our planet. He will reveal the story of the DART mission and the global efforts of scientists and engineers to create Earth’s planetary defense system.
From exploding alien intruders to priceless cosmic materials hidden in shopping bags and a daring idea from the U.S. Air Force, this talk is a blend of triumph, creativity, and genius. It’s a science-(non)fiction thriller that shows how the future of humanity may depend on our ability to kill an asteroid before it kills us. A topic captivatingly explored in Robin Andrews’ latest book, How to Kill an Asteroid: The Real Science of Planetary Defense.
4. Paradoxes
A) Discussion
At Ratio Forum, we will dive into the world of paradoxes and attempt to uncover some of the mysteries they hold.
Martin Hendry, a gravitational astrophysics specialist from the University of Glasgow and a member of the LIGO team; Dr. Tom Crawford, a mathematician from Oxford and popular science communicator; and Madelaine Elchinova, Assistant Professor of Epistemology and Philosophy of Perception, will explore how paradoxes challenge our understanding of truth, logic, and reality.
We’ll discuss classic paradoxes, like the Liar Paradox, which questions the boundaries between truth and falsehood, along with various mathematical, logical, and philosophical paradoxes that defy our intuition about probability and spatial reasoning.
We’ll try to understand how paradoxes shape new theories and solutions in science and philosophy. Can unsolvable contradictions actually be a source of knowledge? Can something be both true and false at the same time?
Join us on November 9 to discover the answers to these questions and to explore the “paradoxical” nature of the world we live in.
II. Exhibits
II. Exhibits
2. Calligraphy Equations
III. Speakers
1. Tom Crawford
Dr Tom Crawford is a mathematician at the University of Oxford and the person behind the award-winning ‘Tom Rocks Maths’ YouTube channel. You may also recognise him from Numberphile, where he is often found talking all things fluids, or sharing some of the interview questions he uses for the Oxford admissions process. When not misbehaving with numbers, Tom can usually be found playing football, snowboarding or getting a new mathematical tattoo (14 and counting…).
2. Martin Hendry
Martin Hendry is Professor of Gravitational Astrophysics and Cosmology at the University of Glasgow where he is also Clerk of Senate and Vice Principal of the University, having previously been Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy between 2012 and 2020.
He is a senior member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration: the global team of more than 1500 scientists who, with their colleagues in the Virgo Collaboration, made the first ever detection of gravitational waves – a discovery awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics.
Martin is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and is also a Fellow (and currently Vice-President) of the Royal Society of Edinburgh – Scotland’s National Academy. He is a passionate advocate for science education and communication and in 2015 he was awarded the MBE by Queen Elizabeth for services to the public understanding of science.
3. Robin George Andrews
Robin is perpetually curious and often ridiculous. He’s a doctor of experimental volcanology (blew stuff up for science), a full-time, freelance, award-winning science journalist (rearranges letters for money), a part-time award-winning photographer (takes photographs that aren’t awful), a scientific consultant (tells people how to do science right), an occasional lecturer (rearranges letters and says them aloud for money), a public speaker (rearranges letters and says them aloud, sometimes for free), and a frequent explain-how-volcanoes-work TV guest (gesticulates wildly on live television).
His work has appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic, Scientific American, Quanta Magazine, Nature, Gizmodo, Forbes, The Verge, Atlas Obscura, CNN, the Guardian, The Times, and elsewhere.
4. Madelaine Elchinova
Madelaine Angelova-Elchinova is an Assistant Professor at Sofia University, where she currently teaches Epistemology, Philosophy of Perception and Philosophy of Action. Madelaine is also the President of the Bulgarian Society for Analytic Philosophy (BSAP). Her current research interests concern questions related to cases of perceptual illusion and hallucination, as well as the nature of belief-forming and basic beliefs. She thinks that teaching philosophy should be done through everyday examples and considers debates in the public sphere as an excellent source for good theoretical case-building.
IV. Schedule
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 10:00-11:00 | Registration |
| 11:00-11:15 | Opening remarks |
| 11:15-12:15 | Robin Andrews - How to Kill an Asteroid: The Science of Planetary Defense |
| 12:15-12:35 | Coffee break |
| 12:35-13:35 | Martin Hendry - Echoes from the Universe: The Science of Gravitational Waves |
| 13:35-14:20 | Lunch |
| 14:20-15:20 | Paradoxes - discussion |
| 15:20-15:45 | Coffee break |
| 15:45-16:45 | Tom Crawford - Million-Dollar Math Equations: The Biggest Mysteries in Mathematics |
| 16:45-17:05 | Fireside chat |
| 17:05-17:15 | Closing |
V. Venue
We’re looking forward to seeing you at Sofia Tech Park!
Getting there
1. Public Transport
a) Coming from the city center, take busses 306, 184 and 84, trolleys 5 and 8 – you’ll need the “Sofia Tech Park” stop.
b) Coming from Mladost, take busses 1, 3, 5 and 6 – you’ll need the “Sofia Tech Park” stop.
c) In both directions, you can use busses 1, 3, 5, 6, 280, 294, 305 and 306 and trolleys 4, 5, 8, and 11, and get off at the “Aviation square” (“Ploshtad na aviatsiata”) stop.
2. By car
Sofia Tech Park has multi-level parking with a capacity of 500 places. Parking is paid, but there’s a new lower tariff on weekends – 1 lev for every 2 hours of your stay. The first 15 minutes are free of charge.
VI. FAQ
Although we have a full day packed with activities and interesting talks, you can join us later, too. The registration is open throughout the whole day, so you can come whenever you like.
Although your ticket has your name on it, that is solely used for our administration. We don’t check names at the door, so you can give the ticket to another person and you don’t need to write to us to change it. For Concession tickets we will need to verify that the ticket carrier has active student rights or has a senior card.
No, you can just download your ticket on your mobile phone and let us scan the QR code at the entrance
Sofia Tech Park’s parking is paid, but there’s a new lower tariff on weekends – 1 lev for every 2 hours of your stay. The first 15 minutes are free of charge. You will need to validate your parking ticket at the machines in the parking building and pay your parking fee before leaving.
Since the program spans several hours and most of it is happening inside, we will not be able to let in pets at the event.
Every ticket holder has access to a lunch pack provided by our partners from CoKitchen. There are vegetarian and vegan options, too. If you have other dietary requirements, please, ask the team at the lunch tables for the full list of ingredients. You can also grab a cup of coffee during our coffee breaks. Water will be available at the premises, too.
If you want to catch up on breakfast or satisfy your sweet tooth, we will have a stand with some pastries available for you to purchase. There will also be a beer bar from lunch time onwards.
VII. Tickets
If for whatever reason you are not able to afford a ticket to the event, drop us a line at info@ratio.bg and we will give you access to the talk recordings.
VIII. Partners
If you’re interested in a partnership opportunity, drop us a line at partnerships@ratio.bg