Departmental Colloquia - IOP Yorkshire Branch

Abstract:

Lord Rutherford said of Michael Faraday that he was one of the greatest experimenters ever; Albert Einstein believed that Faraday was responsible for the greatest change in the intellectual structure of physics since Newton. There is little doubt that Faraday bequeathed a greater corpus of useful knowledge than any other physical scientist. How did it come about that Faraday, a deeply religious man who left school at thirteen to become an errand boy and then an apprentice to a bookbinder (a young man who never attended high school or university and knew no mathematics), could reach such pinnacles? In terms that are intelligible to non-scientist and interested lay persons, the speaker shall endeavour to answer the above and related questions. The tale of Faraday's achievements and discoveries is one of the most romantic in the history of science; his character, intellect and commitment speak to us through the ages. It is particularly important that following the International Year of Chemistry, we ponder on the genius of one of the greatest chemists who ever lived.

The Speaker:

Sir John once occupied the chair of chemistry created for Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, of which he was Director (1986-1991). Formerly he was head of Chemistry at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth (1969-1978), Head of the Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Cambridge (1978-1996) and Master of Peterhouse (1993-2002). He is now Honorary Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Cambridge University. He was knighted in 1991 for his services to chemistry and the popularisation of science.

Abstract:

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2011 was awarded to three astronomers "for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae". After explaining the historical background to this important discovery, the lecture will address the question of what may actually cause this acceleration. Is it an ingredient called Dark Energy, or should Einstein's gravity theory be modified? The lecture will present current observations with the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as new projects such as the "Dark Energy Survey" and the ”Euclid" space mission.

The Speaker:

Ofer Lahav is Perren Professor of Astronomy and Head of Astrophysics at University College London (UCL). He received his PhD from Cambridge University, where he was later a member of staff. In 2004 he moved from Cambridge to UCL, where he established a Cosmology group which is heavily involved in new large galaxy surveys. Among them is the international "Dark Energy Survey", where he coordinates the science activities of over 100 scientists in 5 countries. Lahav is currently Vice-President of the Royal Astronomical and a holder of a Wolfson Royal Society research merit award.

Abstract:

John Gribbin argues that we owe our existence to the presence of our large Moon, produced by the impact of a Mars-sized object four billion years ago. But this is only part of the story, just one of the astronomical and geophysical reasons why the Earth is special. For the first time, he makes the link between the whole series of cosmic events that have affected the Earth and given rise to our intelligent civilization - a civilization, Gribbin argues, that is unique within our Milky Way Galaxy. If humankind can survive the present environmental crises, the whole of the galaxy may become our home. And if not, our demise may be an event of universal significance.

The Speaker:

Dr. John Gribbin trained as an astrophysicist at the University of Cambridge before becoming a full-time science writer. He has worked for the science journal Nature, and the magazine New Scientist (for which he is now physics consultant) and has contributed articles on science topics to the Times, the Guardian and the Independent. Gribbin has received awards for his writing in both Britain and the United States and is currently a visiting Fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex.