Why we measure the universe | Professor Wendy Freedman | TEDxChicago

Astronomer Wendy Freedman, at the University of Chicago, shares humanity's quest to measure the expanding universe, revealing an exciting scientific mystery: our measurements don't match. Drawing from decades leading major observatories and the Giant Magellan Telescope project, she explains how the James Webb Space Telescope is achieving unprecedented accuracy in cosmic measurements. The talk explores the thrilling possibility that the Hubble Tension—conflicting expansion rate measurements—signals new physics waiting to be discovered. Freedman demonstrates how science progresses not by closing books but by opening new chapters, inspiring future generations to look up and ask questions that could lead to revolutionary discoveries about our cosmos. Professor Wendy Freedman is one of ten named University Professors appointed by the president of the University of Chicago. She is a trailblazer in astronomy and observational cosmology, and her current research focuses on increasing the accuracy of measurements of the universe’s expansion rate and testing for potential new fundamental early-universe physics. She previously served for eleven years as the Crawford H. Greenewalt Director of the Carnegie Observatories and was the founding chair of the Board of Directors for the Giant Magellan Telescope, a 25-meter optical telescope scheduled for completion in Chile in the 2030s. Professor Freedman received her doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of Toronto and began a Carnegie Fellowship at their Observatories in 1984. In 2025, she was named one of TIME100’s most influential people in the world. She currently serves as the Principal Investigator of a James Webb Space Telescope program. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx