Speaker
Description
LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA form the second-generation global network of gravitational wave detectors. From the first detection of the GW150914 binary black hole merger to the latest results from the recent O3 observing run, our observations are pushing frontiers in observational astrophysics. To continue inspiring the wider public with our findings, one key communications activity of the LVK collaborations are "science summaries" for each of our papers. These texts provide a less technical introduction to the topics covered in each paper and its key results, aimed at both students and interested lay readers. They are published at www.ligo.org and promoted through social media channels of the three collaborations. Before the pandemic, they also proved popular as printouts at science fairs, and we all hope we can return to that mode of outreach soon. As a global collaboration, over recent years we have also significantly stepped up our output of translations of these summaries, drawing on member scientists from across the globe, with materials published in a total of 23 different languages so far.
