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2009’s Woman in Science speaks at Frontiers of Physics event
Institute of Physics
24 November 2008
Hot on the trail of Professor Athene Donald’s success in the 2009 L’Oreal UNESCO Women in Science Awards, she took part in the Institute of Physics (IOP)’s Frontiers of Physics Event in Liverpool.
On Saturday, November 22, the Capital of Culture’s BT Convention Centre played host to the event, bringing a selection of top scientists to Liverpool to share the wonder of their different fields of research.
As a happy coincidence, earlier in the week it was announced that Professor Donald is the 2009 European Laureate for Women in Science, awarded for her research in biological physics which she undertakes at the University of Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory.
Athene is only the second Brit to win the Europe-wide award since the awards were established in 1998.
While Athene discussed her work at the event, which over her career has touched on the physics of materials as diverse as ice cream, cement, starch and protein aggregation, other top physicists were also present to touch on the excitement of smashing particles, the mystery of dark matter and the potential of nuclear fusion, an energy source which mimics processes inside the Sun, to supply us with an almost infinite source of energy.
The event, chaired by Professor Jocelyn Bell-Burnell DBE, president of the IOP, was a one-off opportunity to hear about particle physics from Professor David Wark from the High Energy Physics Group at Imperial College, about astrophysics from Professor Michael Rowan-Robinson from the Blackett Laboratory also in Imperial College, about biological physics from Professor Donald and about latest developments in nuclear fusion research from Stephen Cowley, director at the United Kingdom’s Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).
Dr Beth Taylor, director of communications at IOP, said, “The event was an opportunity for anyone with a passion for this fundamental and fast-moving discipline to be updated on the latest developments and hopefully catch a glimpse of what the future may bring.”
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