Join Cool Science for Science on Tap every 2nd Monday of the month upstairs* at Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub & Restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs. Presenters begin at 6:30 pm and typically speak for 60-90 minutes including Q&A, with food and drink available beginning at 6:00 pm. A wide variety of fascinating topics are presented by local scientists for informal discussion, and the relaxed atmosphere encourages anyone and everyone to come explore the latest ideas in science and technology. From practical to theoretical, the presentations and group interactions provide a fun and interesting way to gain an understanding of the world around us.
* unfortunately there is no elevator
Join Cool Science for Science on Tap every 2nd Monday of the month upstairs* at Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub & Restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs. Presenters begin at 6:30 pm and typically speak for 60-90 minutes including Q&A, with food and drink available beginning at 6:00 pm. A wide variety of fascinating topics are presented by local scientists for informal discussion, and the relaxed atmosphere encourages anyone and everyone to come explore the latest ideas in science and technology. From practical to theoretical, the presentations and group interactions provide a fun and interesting way to gain an understanding of the world around us.
* unfortunately there is no elevator
Next up: Monday, March 9, 2026 at 6:30 pm.
The Littlest Mystery in the Universe: What's Really Going On Inside a Proton?
Dr. Chris Monahan, Colorado College Department of Physics
Summary: Protons are everywhere. They're in the heart of every atom of your body, they power the sun, and they have been around since just a few seconds after the Big Bang. In fact, they make up nearly 99% of the mass of everything we see around us. In spite of this, the proton is still full of mysteries. Where does the proton's mass really come from? What determines its size? And what exactly is going on deep inside the proton? To answer these questions, scientists all over the world, including here in Colorado Springs, are using supercomputers, in combination with experiments in Europe, Japan, and the US, to peer inside the proton. New developments in our theory of the strong nuclear force, which governs how protons behave, and better experiments now mean we can finally rise to the challenge of answering these questions.
Chris Monahan is an Assistant Professor at Colorado College who uses supercomputers to try to understand what matter is made of at the most fundamental level. His interest in the basic building blocks of the universe started as a teenager in northern Scotland, reading about Einstein to avoid the rain. He obtained his bachelors and master's degrees from the University of Edinburgh and his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge, before moving to the US over a decade ago. His work has been recognized by both the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, and he recently served on a national panel helping to set the future priorities for particle physics in the US. When he's not thinking about protons, he's probably out enjoying the mountains with his two dogs.
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