5TH ANNUAL BIG BANG MILE

***** SCIENCE TALKS *****

Hosted by S*T*A*R Astronomy​

LOCATION

Holmdel Township Meeting Room

101 Crawfords Corner Road
Holmdel, NJ  07733
​
DATE
Sunday, July 12, 2026
9:00 am
*** FREE ADMISSION ***
... BUT you must REGISTER HERE as seating will be limited!

2025 EVENT Program (for reference)

SCHEDULE

  9:00 am               Welcoming remarks                           Scott Linnell (Shore AC) and Rob Nunn (S*T*A*R Astronomy)
  9:15 am               Presentation on cosmology               Speaker TBD
10:15 am               Break begins
10:25 am               Introduction of speaker #2
10:30 am               Presentation on nuclear fusion           Brian Chen, Thea Energy
11:20 am               Questions and answers
11:30 noon            Program ends

9:15 AM – Presentation on Cosmology: "(TBD)" by (TBD).

​10:30 AM – Presentation on nuclear fusion energy: "Thea Energy: Building Scalable Fusion Power Plants".  Presented by: Brian Chen, Thea Energy.

​Brian Chen is a technical program manager and engineer specializing in fusion energy R&D, with a focus on superconducting magnet systems and materials development. At Thea Energy, he leads the design, build, and testing of first-of-a-kind magnet systems for next-generation stellarator devices. His work spans experimental campaigns, high-field magnet development, and the integration of materials, manufacturing processes, and instrumentation into complex test platforms. He is focused on advancing superconducting technologies from benchtop research to robust, scalable systems. Brian graduated from New York University with a degree in Applied Physics and Mathematics.