Events for the 100 years of Unifi | "Unifi Chairs - Paul J. Steinhardt" March 13th, 2025 Time: 5 pm Location: Aula Magna del Rettorato, piazza San Marco, 4 - Firenze Organized by: Università di Firenze As part of the "Unifi Chairs" project, Nobel Prize winners, excellent scholars, well-known experts in thematic areas of transversal impact and interdisciplinary interest meet the student community, stakeholders and citizens.Paul J. Steinhardt, professor of physics and astrophysics at Princeton University, is renowned for his research in particle physics, astrophysics, cosmology, condensed matter physics, and geoscience.There is overwhelming evidence that the universe has expanded and cooled over the past 13.8 billion years according to the Big Bang theory. But was there really a Big Bang? We will discuss the main astronomical evidence for this theory, which may force us to replace it with a Big Bounce: an event that connects a previous period of contraction to the current period of expansion.Institutional greetings by Alessandra Petrucci (Rector of the University of Florence), introduction by Luca Bindi (Director of the Department of Earth Sciences).The meeting will be held in English with simultaneous translation into Italian.Free participation subject to availability. More information and how to participate