Einstein’s insights into light have changed how we think about time. In the 20th century, scientists used light to cool a gas of atoms to temperatures billions of times lower than anything else in the universe. Now, these ultracold atoms, Einstein's theory of gravity, and the discoveries of optics pioneers from Ibn al-Haytham to today, are converging upon a great scientific and technological wonder: atomic clocks, the best timekeepers ever. Today, the best primary ultracold atom clocks achieve accuracies of better than a second in 300 million years. Come hear how these amazing, super-accurate clocks are essential to industry, commerce, and science, and how they form the heart of modern GPS technology.

This will be a lively, multimedia presentation, with demonstrations and down-to-earth explanations about some of today's exciting science by Professor William Phillips, Joint Quantum Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Maryland