Studying UFOs in the Name of Science In-Person
- Date:
- Wednesday, October 1, 2025
- Time:
- 7:00pm - 8:30pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Dutcher Community Room
- Audience:
- Adults
- Categories:
- Local Interests and Community Travel and the Great Outdoors
Join University at Albany Professors Matthew Szydagis and Kevin Knuth as they share their efforts to build a scientific field around unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), formerly known as UFOs. The team has been testing their studies since 2021, setting up cameras in the Catalina Island area of Laguna Beach, which is a well-known place to spot UAPs. Their tools include software developed by Szydagis that allows for a pixel-by-pixel analysis of successive camera frames, using AI and human verification. They will discuss the stigma surrounding UAP research, their tools, and what they've seen out in the field. Their research was published in Progress in Aerospace Sciences in June 2025. Please register online.
Associate Professor Matthew Szydagis has been working in the Department of Physics at University at Albany since 2014 and has conducted research on experimental astroparticle physics, focusing on dark matter.
Professor Kevin Knuth has been working in the Department of Physics at University at Albany since 2005. He was a research scientist at NASA before that, working in the Intelligent Systems Division at the NASA Ames Research Center in California.