Department Contact Information

Physics Department

Location: 180-204
Phone: (805) 756-2448
Fax: (805) 756-2435
Email: physics@calpoly.edu
Chair: Jennifer Klay

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Cosmic Evolution Project

The National Academy of Sciences says that the role of science is to provide plausible natural explanations of natural phenomena.

The goal of our Cosmic Evolution Project is to develop and maintain online multimedia educational materials to help scientists explore and explain the composition, structure, and evolutionary processes and history of the Earth and the universe from the Big Bang to big brains and artificial intelligence.

We want to explain how the cosmic web, galaxies, black holes, stars, planets, and moons emerged from primordial quantum fluctuations and how the kingdoms of life emerged from diversification and selection processes involving cosmic, astrophysical, geophysical, biogeochemical, molecular, cellular, multicellular, and ecological evolution.

We analyze and synthesize material from textbooks, websites, peer reviewed research, YouTube videos, Wikipedia articles, and simulation models. We create educational materials, design computer models, and tell stories based on the principles of thematic interpretation. This is an interactive process - the questions we ask guide our research and our research generates more questions. Unlike most research, ours may or may not develop new knowledge, but it offers scientists opportunities to develop new insights into what nature does.

For more information, check out this webpage: https://evolution.calpoly.edu/

Robert Echols

Robert Echols

Professor

Email: rechols@calpoly.edu
Office: 180-606
Phone: 805.756.7649
 

Bob Field

Bob Field

Research Scholar in Residence

Email: rfield@calpoly.edu
Office: 180-642

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