Saturday Physics for Everyone

Saturday Physics for Everyone (SPE) is a series of lectures on modern aspects of the physical sciences held Saturday mornings each fall. The program began in 1993 and offers high school students the opportunity to hear presentations from world-class scientists and researchers.

By attending Saturday Physics for Everyone, you will learn about recent advances in the physical sciences, you will gain an understanding of how physics affects development in modern technology, and influences your life on a daily basis. A question and answer session is held at the end of each program. This is your chance to interact with renowned scientific leaders in the research community.

  • Audience: High school students and the general public.
  • Cost: Free of charge.
  • Agenda: See schedule of events below for general series:
    Time Activity
    9:30AM Doors to Loomis open, light breakfast refreshments served
    9:45AM  - 10:15AM Physics demos by Society of Physics Students
    10:15AM - 11:30AM Lecture and Questions & Answers
  • Location: Room 141, Loomis Laboratory of Physics, 1110 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 60801
  • Parking: East side of building in lot B21.
  • Questions/Comments? Email us at sat_physics@physics.illinois.edu.
  • Talk Recordings: When available, the recordings from the professors' talks can be found below.

Register to receive email updates about Saturday Physics for Everyone for the Fall 2023 series:

Email List Sign Up

High School Students can also register below to connect with UIUC for Saturday Physics for Everyone and other Prospective Student Events: 

September 9th September 23rd October 28thNovember 4th November 11th December 2nd

Interested in volunteering? If you are a UIUC undergraduate or graduate student and would be interested in volunteering to support the Saturday Physics for Everyone program, send us an email at sat_physics@physics.illinois.edu. We'd love to connect with you!

Fall 2023

Saturday Physics for Everyone: Climate Change 101: From Basic Physics to Global Policy
Saturday Physics for Everyone - 30th Anniversary Event: Rocking the World of Physics
Saturday Physics for Everyone: Quantum Networking with Photons
Saturday Physics for Everyone: Einstein Matters

You may also like Saturday Engineering for Everyone offered in the spring semester.

Angela Kou "How to Build a Quantum Computer Using Aluminum"

Saturday, December 3, 2022

Martin Gruebele "The Future Prospects of Science"

Saturday, November 5, 2022

Alan Nathan "Physics and Baseball: Having Your Cake and Eating It Too"

Saturday, October 22, 2022

Charles Gammie, "Portrait of a Black Hole"

Saturday, October 8, 2022

Sangjin Kim: "Traffic of Molecular Motors on the Genome"

Saturday, September 24, 2022

Saturday Physics for Everyone Playlist

2015 - 2022