A group of Year 11 Physics and Year 10 Astronomy students from Priory
will be visiting
Liverpool John Moores
University on
the 18th of
March 2009 to hear a
lecture being given By
Dr Andrew Newsam
entitled,
"How
to Explore the Universe:
A tale of telescopes,
time travel and
extra-terrestrials."
The lecture is presented by
the
Institute of
Physics, (IOP), which is
a scientific
charity devoted to
increasing the practice,
understanding and
application of physics.
It has a worldwide
membership of over
36,000 and is a leading
communicator of
physics-related science
to all audiences, from
specialists through to
government and the
general public. Its
publishing company, IOP
Publishing, is a world
leader in scientific
publishing and the
electronic dissemination
of physics.
This years lecture is just the latest in the "Schools Lecture Series"
presented by the IOP, a
series which has been
running since 1993
How
telescopes can help us
understand more about
the origins and future
of the universe
2009 is the
International Year of
Astronomy (IYA)
celebrating the 400th
anniversary of Galileo’s
use of the telescope to
study the night sky. The
IYA is intended to
stimulate interest not
only in astronomy but in
science in general with
a particular slant
towards young people.
The IYA will mark the
enormous progress that
has been made over the
past four centuries,
both in our knowledge of
the universe and in the
tools we use to study
it.
It is fitting that the
Institute’s Schools and
Colleges Lecture Tour
for 2009 will show how
-
due to progress in
technology
astronomers can now
observe things
further and further
away and therefore
further back in
time;
-
astronomical
observations can be
used to learn more
about the origins
and future of the
universe;
-
modern telescopes
can be used by
astronomers to look
at the universe in
ever greater detail.
The show will involve
hands-on demonstrations
giving students the
opportunity to do some
astronomy themselves
using some of the most
advanced telescopes in
the world.
Presenter
Dr Andrew Newsam is a
Reader in Astronomy
Education at
The Astrophysics
Research Institute,
Liverpool John Moores
University where he
specialises in turning
sets of astronomical
data into a collection
of useful numbers that
can be used to do
science with. Dr Newsam
is also Director of the
National Schools
Observatory (NSO), a
project aimed at giving
school children the
opportunity to make
their own observations
alongside professional
astronomers on
top-quality telescopes.
What is the schools
lecture all about?
The schools and colleges
lecture has been
delivered by a series of
acclaimed physics
communicators annually,
throughout UK, since
1993. The free
interactive lecture is
designed to show school
pupils, aged 14-16,
contemporary
developments in physics
in a fun and lively
way.
