As head of public outreach at APS Physics, Becky Thompson '01 has done a lot of work making science more accessible, including being the creative force behind the organization’s Spectra comic book.
Thompson's latest project, due out this summer from MIT Press, is the book Fire, Blood and Physics: The Science or Game of Thrones.
In advance of the book and the show's final season premiere, Thompson recently gave a lecture California State University-San Marcos. The talk was previewed by the San Diego Union-Tribune.
From the article:
She delivered her first speech on “Game of Thrones” science in 2013 and has been doing talks ever since at science festivals, science cafes, universities and conventions. Thompson said the two questions that always come up at each event are the strangely long seasons in the land of Westeros and whether it’s possible to build a 700-foot-tall ice wall, like the one toppled at the end of season 7. To get those answers, she interviewed glacier scientists and she’ll share their thoughts on Thursday.
Thompson earned her bachelor's degree in physics at Bryn Mawr and her Ph.D. in physics at the University of Texas at Austin.