We hope that you are all keeping safe and well, and that this new lockdown has not affected you too badly.  Sadly, we won’t be able to welcome you to the lab in person for some time to come, and so until at least Easter our programme of events will be virtual – we do hope you’ll be able to join us. 

 

Working with Diamond Light Source and Newbury Astronomy Society, Stargazing with RAL will take place online on Friday 22 January, from 17:30-20:30, and booking is now open online:

https://stargazing2021.eventbrite.co.uk

As you’ll see from this and our website (https://www.ralspace.stfc.ac.uk/Pages/Stargazing-with-RAL-2021.aspx), we'll be running four different strands of activity – each one will have a series of half-hour talks / tours or activities, so you can switch between them to catch as much as possible.  We’ll also be recording everything, so you’ll be able to catch up later if you miss anything:

• Introductions to our space research (age 9+): In this strand we'll have virtual tours of our facilities, and you'll have the chance to find out about the space research that we're doing around the country - from studying meteorites in our particle accelerators, to hunting for the elusive dark matter from our lab in a mine.  This will include:
• ​When the chips are down: space research at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source
• From the atmosphere upwards: an introduction to Chilbolton Observatory
• Exploring space from beneath the surface: space research at the Boulby Underground Laborator
• ​Preparing for launch: an introduction to​ ​RAL Space​ environmental testing
• An introduction to space science at Diamond Light Source
• Virtual planetarium shows and ask-an-astronomer (age 7+): We'll be giving you a virtual tour of the night sky, and giving you the chance to ask questions to our experts and friends from Newbury Astronomy Society on anything from meteor showers to how to set up a telescope in your back garden! Weather permitting, we may even be able to stream some live views through our telescopes of the night sky.
• Space talks (age 10+): Our experts will give a series of talks about blue moons, creating miniature stars, and how we're using space technology to minimise food waste.  These talks will include:
• Testing for space
• How to create a miniature star using one of the world’s most powerful lasers
• An introduction to stargazing using binoculars
• Using space technology to reduce food waste in India
• Once in a Blue Moon
• Secure communication in space
• Family make-along activities (age 5+): In these sessions we'll be showing you how to make Saturn mobiles, rockets, model International Space Stations, comets and more.   Activities will include:
• Comet making
• Make your own rocket
• Make your own International Space Station
• Make a Saturn mobile
• Cloud making

More details, including timings, are available on our website: https://www.ralspace.stfc.ac.uk/Pages/Stargazing-with-RAL-2021.aspx

 

Together with our sister sites in Cheshire and Edinburgh, we also have some brilliant talks coming up, which will again take place via Zoom:

·       Weird new worlds; Monday 25 January 19:00-20:00: to register please visit https://www.roe.ac.uk/vc/public/astronomy-talks/index.html

o   With literally thousands of exoplanet candidates discovered to date, we now know of a few relatively Earthlike worlds -- and many many more planets very different from those in our own solar system! Beth will discuss what we know already about these worlds and what we will be learning in the next decades.

 

·       How you can contribute to science; Monday 8 February 19:00-20:00: to register please visit https://www.roe.ac.uk/vc/public/astronomy-talks/index.html

o   Working scientists often receive messages from people who want to contribute to science in some way. Learn about various ways the public can participate in scientific research, from helping with outreach and education to art projects which incorporate scientific research and results.

 

·       Drug development as told through the eyes of neutrons; Wednesday 10 February 10:30-11:30, Age 16+: to register please visit https://neutron-delivery.eventbrite.co.uk

o   On average, it takes ten years for one drug to go from concept to approval. The COVID-19 pandemic proves that even with global funds being poured into research, drug development can never be instantaneous. But why is this the case?

o   This event will begin with a virtual tour around ISIS Neutron & Muon Source, followed by a presentation on how our world-class facility has been used in hundreds of projects, spanning every stage of the drug development process. Delivering medication through a patch on your skin, studying cocaine for the greater good, and tracking water movement to reveal cancer types: join us for a trip through each step of the drug development process, told through the eyes of neutrons.

 

·       Jurassic-sized headaches in the field; Friday 19 February 19:00-20:00, Ages 8+: to register please visit https://talkingscience2020-21.eventbrite.co.uk

o   You are in the middle of nowhere. It is 40 degrees Celsius. A dust storm has sprung out of nowhere…and you have 6000 kg of precious dinosaur bones suspended in mid-air. You are beginning to lose site of the truck on which you have to place the load. The rapidly disappearing truck is a mere 10 metres away, but it might as well be a mile. Join Prof. Phil Manning on a journey from the  'fun' of excavating dinosaurs in the field to the excitement of studying them at the synchrotron

 

·       What does the future of our Universe entail?; Monday 22 February 19:00-20:00: to register please visit https://www.roe.ac.uk/vc/public/astronomy-talks/index.html

o   We will discover how the human understanding of cosmology has evolved from the ancient Greek to nowadays. We will go through the current cosmological models, and discuss the predictions for the far future of our Universe. What will happen to our Universe way after the Earth and then the Sun will cease to exist? May humans outlive that, and may new intelligent life still develop in the far future?

 

·       Growing supermassive black holes; Monday 8 March 19:00-20:00: to register please visit https://www.roe.ac.uk/vc/public/astronomy-talks/index.html

o   We now know that supermassive black holes, with masses of millions to billions of times the mass of the Sun, are found at the centres of most galaxies (including our own galaxy, the Milky Way). But where do they come from and how do they get so big? This talk will describe how astronomers are able to see growing black holes and why we think they play a key role in shaping the Universe.

 

·       One tough cookie; Friday 12 March 19:00-20:00, Ages 5+: to register please visit https://talkingscience2020-21.eventbrite.co.uk

o   What can a biscuit tell us about engineering and the strength of the materials around us? It turns out quite a lot! Join engineer Amanda Brummitt as she uses cookie dough, oven temperatures and a recipe for disaster to explain engineering materials.

 

·       The life cycle of galaxies; Monday 22 March 19:00-20:00: to register please visit https://www.roe.ac.uk/vc/public/astronomy-talks/index.html

o   Our most powerful telescopes reveal a universe filled with galaxies that come in a dizzying range of shapes, sizes, colours, and environments. How this diverse population arose over 14 billion years from the primordial Universe is a fascinating and complex story that astronomers are only now beginning to piece together. It's a story worthy of a Hollywood movie, including lurking villains, dangerous neighbourhoods, and powerful explosions that put a Michael Bay movie to shame. In this talk, I'll tell the life story of galaxies as we now understand it, by combining multi-wavelength galaxy surveys and state of the art supercomputer simulations.

As we said last year, our STFC Work Experience programme 2020-21 will be rather different this academic year:

• Work experience at STFC is for students in Year 10 – 13 (or equivalent).

·       We have been working hard to look at the possibility of providing in person placements at RAL in 2021, but due to the ongoing pandemic and changing rules, we have made the decision that we will not be offering in person placements next year.

·       For next year (summer 2021), we are hoping to offer a series of online sessions for students to attend. We are also in the process of organising a small number of more intensive virtual project placements. Both of these schemes will be through a single online application process, which will open later this month.

·       We are in the process of updating our website (www.stfc.ac.uk/workexperienceral) with more details and application forms, which will open this month. We are still finalising these plans and can’t provide specifics about dates or projects at this time. We will provide an update once these open.

We do hope you’ll be able to join us for an event soon.  If you have any questions, please contact us at visitral@PROTECTED.

 

Best wishes,

The Public Engagement Team at RAL