Black Hole Survival GuideMaster ClassIn-Person
Monday, Nov 16, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Barnard College, Sulzberger Parlor
Our partner, Barnard College, will be hosting this event.
Suppose you’re headed toward a black hole. What would you see? What would you feel? Could you survive? Janna Levin, a theoretical astrophysicist at Barnard College and a novelist, approaches the universe, and her teaching, with the mind of a physicist and the imagination of a writer. Drawing on her book Black Hole Survival Guide, Levin will lead participants on an imagined journey toward a black hole, exploring what these phenomena are, how they bend space and time, and what they reveal about the universe.
PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY, MATH
3 credits for school members
Limited to 18 teachers
Janna Levin
Janna Levin is an acclaimed theoretical cosmologist and the Claire Tow Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University. Known for her breakthrough research on black holes, gravitational waves, chaos theory, and the potential finite topology of the universe, she has bridged high-level science and public culture as a Guggenheim Fellow, Founding Director of Sciences at Pioneer Works, and the first female presenter in thirty-five years for PBS’s NOVA (Black Hole Apocalypse). Beyond her scientific papers, Levin is widely celebrated.