Fwd: Dark Matter Day, the James Webb Space Telescope, and lots more
News of online events at RAL and sister lab and of the Oxford Science and Ideas Festival
Chris H
| Subject: | Dark Matter Day, the James Webb Space Telescope, and lots more |
|---|---|
| Date: | Mon, 18 Oct 2021 11:02:32 +0000 |
Good afternoon,
We
hope that you are all keeping safe and well. We
are really excited about the events we, and our sister
labs, are planning over the autumn: including Nobel
Laureate Art McDonald explaining dark matter as part of
our Dark Matter Day celebrations, coding Christmas
lanterns with IF Oxford and of course the launch of the
James Webb Space Telescope. You can find details of all
of Rutherford Appleton Laboratory’s events (including our
events aimed at schools) on our main Eventbrite page:
https://stfc-ral.eventbrite.co.uk.
If
you cannot make any of our events live but would like to
receive a recording of them, please register at the links
below.
·
Dark
Matter Day (age 12+), Thursday 28 October 14:30-16:30
o
When
we look around our world, and out into space, there is an
enormous variety – trees and birds and planets and stars;
however, everything that we can see and touch, “visible
matter”, accounts for only 5% of the Universe. It turns
out that most matter is “dark” – this is your chance to
find out more about dark matter, and how we’re trying to
understand it better.
o
This
event, in partnership with SNOLAB in Canada, will include
tours of two underground laboratories, short talks from
three different experiments trying to find dark matter and
an introduction by Nobel Laureate Professor Art McDonald.
o
To find
out more and to register, please visit: https://darkmatterday2021.eventbrite.co.uk
·
Dark
matter: ask me anything! (age 12+), Monday 1 November
19:00
o
In
addition to the event above, join Catherine Heymans,
Astronomer Royal for Scotland, and a panel of fantastic
scientists at this event as they answer all of your
questions about dark mater!
o
To
register, please visit: https://darkmatter-askanything.eventbrite.co.uk
Our
popular Talking Science series began in September and
continues this Friday with a fascinating and extremely
important talk from the Jenner Institute:
·
Talking
Science – Vaccines by numbers (age 11+); Friday 22
October 19:00, by Dr Sean Elias (The Jenner Institute,
University of Oxford)
o
In
the UK we are getting close to fully vaccinating 70% of
the population – but what of the remaining 30%? Around
20% are children under 18 and the remaining 10% are a
varied group, from those who cannot be vaccinated for
medical reasons to those who are vaccine hesitant or
actively against vaccination. How can we reach out to
these individuals to maximise vaccine uptake,
and, ultimately, does it matter?
o
To
register, please visit https://talkingscience2021-22.eventbrite.co.uk
·
Talking
Science – The Science of Dr Who (age 12+); Tuesday 23
November 18:00, by Karl Byrne
o
Dr
Who is the longest running science fiction programme in
the world, entertaining and terrifying children and adults
alike for over 50 years! Keep your sonic screwdrivers
close as mega fan Karl Byrne looks into the scientific
possibilities behind travelling through time and space,
regeneration and aliens with two hearts. Step into the
TARDIS and get ready to meet Cybermen, Daleks and Co!
o
To
register, please visit https://ukri.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-QDHCGw4SZG8WgHl8EYcoQ
·
Talking
Science – Marvellous microbes for plastics pollution
(age 12+); Friday 26 November 19:00, by Dr Joanna Sadler
(University of Edinburgh)
o
From
the clothes we wear, through to tiny components of a
mobile phone, plastic is present in almost every corner of
our lives. Dependence on these useful materials has led to
a vast build-up of plastic in natural environments,
leading to a global crisis. Incredibly, nature has already
responded with its own solutions to tackle plastic waste.
This talk will explore how some microbes (microscopic
living organisms) can ‘eat’ plastic, and how we can use
this to design new methods to break down plastic.
o
To
register, please visit https://talkingscience2021-22.eventbrite.co.uk
·
Talking
Science – The James Webb Space Telescope: Preparing for
launch (age 10+); Friday 17 December 19:00, by Paul
Eccleston (Chief Engineer, RAL Space) and Dr Stephen
Wilkins (University of Sussex)
o
The
James Webb Space Telescope is the largest space telescope
ever built and, after years of designing, building,
planning and testing, it will launch on 18 December. Webb
is the scientific successor to the famous
Hubble telescope, and will learn even more about the
Universe: from the first galaxies to the air around alien
worlds. This talk will cover both the fascinating science
Webb will undertake and the incredible engineering that
has made it possible – including the testing for launch,
some of which took place here at Rutherford Appleton
Laboratory.
o
To
register, please visit https://talkingscience2021-22.eventbrite.co.uk
We’re also really
pleased to be working with our friends at IF Oxford again
this year:
·
Glow
Your Own; Tuesday 19 October 17:00 and the
following four Tuesdays
o
Get
ready for the Oxford Christmas Light Festival by creating
your very own moving lantern. In this workshop series,
you’ll learn how to use computer coding and sensors in a
circuit to control LEDs and motors using Arduinos
and Tinkercad, combining art and engineering. Glow Your
Own includes live online sessions with all workshops later
available on-demand at www.if-oxford.com. The first session took place on
Ada Lovelace Day, and is already available to
catch-up online.
o
To
register, please visit https://if-oxford.com/events/?_search=glow%20weekly
·
IF
Oxford, Oxford Sciences + Ideas Festival; 9-26 October
o
IF
Oxford are running over 100 science and ideas events for
adults, children and teenagers. Join in activities
hosted online and in venues across Oxford 9—26 October
2021.
o
You
can browse the programme and book now at www.if-oxford.com
The
launch of the James Webb Space Telescope is
something we’ve been looking forward to for a very long
time and there will be a series of fascinating talks about
it this autumn.
·
Driving
through exoplanet atmospheres; Tuesday 19 October 19:00
o
This talk will take us on a journey to
explore how we measure and understand the nature
of the strange new worlds beyond our Solar System that
Webb is expected to study. We will dive into the
atmospheres of alien planets to discover the truly wild
nature of planets in the Universe.
o
Registration
is not required, but for joining information please visit https://spacecentre.co.uk/event/dr-hannah-wakeford-qa/
·
New
views of our solar system from the James Webb Space
Telescope; Tuesday 2 November 19:00
o
Join
Dr Leigh Fletcher as he reveals the incredible potential
of the James Webb Space Telescope for exploring the
diverse environments across our Solar System. Webb will
explore worlds both near and far, using its unprecedented
infrared capabilities to open the door to new discoveries
- from the distant, cold Ice Giants and Kuiper Belt, to
the potentially-habitable satellites of the Gas Giants, to
the swirling storms of Jupiter and Saturn.
o
To
register, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-views-of-our-solar-system-from-the-james-webb-space-telescope-tickets-185763923897
·
Galaxies:
past and present; Tuesday 16 November 19:00
o
Join
Dr Emma Curtis-Lake to hear how Webb will act as a time
machine, allowing us to peer into the early Universe to
learn how galaxies first formed and how they evolved. The
first galaxies looked very different to the awe-inspiring
shapes of the Universe today. We have already glimpsed the
messy, turbulent and erratic galaxies populating the
toddler stage of the Universe, but huge chunks of the
picture are still missing and it will take Webb to start
filling them in.
o
To
register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/galaxies-past-and-present-tickets-182492920237
·
Building
the James Webb Space Telescope; Tuesday 13 December
19:00
o
Starting
as a junior engineer, Piyal Samara-Ratna worked in an
international team of more than 200 engineers to support
the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) through its 10
year development. MIRI is one of Webb’s four
science instruments, and is so sensitive it could see a
candle on one of Jupiter’s moons! Piyal is now the lead
mechanical engineer for the instrument and played a key
role in delivering it to NASA and connecting it to Webb
for its trip to space.
o
To
register, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/building-the-james-webb-space-telescope-tickets-185921635617
You
can find out more about the James Webb Space Telescope at
the UK’s Webb website www.jwst.org.uk.
Booking
is now open for the Royal Observatory Astronomy Talks, which
take place on Monday evenings at 19:00.
·
To
register for all talks, please visit https://www.roe.ac.uk/vc/public/astronomy-talks/
·
In
pursuit of darkness; Monday 25 October 19:00
o
Look
up at night. How many stars can you count? Surely, it’s
not many. How about you now try on a remote mountaintop
under clear skies and the aid of a gigantic telescope? In
this talk we will review the elements that affect
astronomical viewing and their impact on the selection of
sites to build modern telescopes.
·
Astrophysics
through the pandemic; Monday 8 November 19:00
o
Like
all aspects of life, the world of Astrophysics research
has been greatly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, but
not all for the worse. Learn how we had to adapt, how it
affected research, and what lessons we plan to take from
this going forward as the world opens up.
·
Missions
to Near Earth Asteroids; Monday 22 November 19:00
o
This
talk will describe the two recent missions which have
taken samples at Near-Earth Asteroids, Hayabusa-2
at Ryugu and OSIRIS-REx at Bennu. Hear about the
scientific results from the orbital phases of the
missions, the dropping of surface landers, and how the
material is returned to Earth. The talk will be
illustrated with amazing images from these missions.
·
Black
holes in the Universe; Monday 6 December 19:00
o
In
2015, a merging pair of black holes was directly detected
for the first time. Since then, the number of detections
has grown substantially. This talk will describe the new
catalogue of black holes and highlight some surprising
features that pose new challenges for our understanding of
these elusive objects.
Normally,
at this time of year, applications for our work
experience programme would be open, with placements
in the summer term 2022. With the still uncertain
national situation, we’re not quite sure how work
experience will work this academic year, so we have not
yet opened placements. We’ll have an update for you about
the programme by the end of the year!
We
do hope you’ll be able to join us for an event soon. If
you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us
at visitral@PROTECTED.
Best
wishes,
The Public Engagement Team at
RAL
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