Events
Schools Lecture Series 2009 - How to Explore the Universe: A tale of telescopes, time travel and extra-terrestrials
Dr Andrew Newsam
Students, get involved with hands-on astronomy here.
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.
Previous schools lectures
- 2008 Lecture: Rock in 11 Dimensions: Where Physics and Guitars Collide - Dr Mark Lewney.
The lecture is available on CDROM. Please e-mail education@iop.org for a copy. - 2007 Lecture: Light Fantastic: the Science of Colour - Dr Pete Vuskusic, School of Physics, Exeter University.
The lecture is available on CDROM. Please e-mail education@iop.org for a copy. - 2006 Lecture: Gravity Gas and Stardust - Dr Pete Edwards, Durham University
- 2005 Lecture: Our Planet, Our Future - Dr Karen Bultitude, UWE and Dr Laura Grant, Liverpool University
- 2004 Lecture: Sport vs Physics - Dr Dave James, Sheffield University
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