next IAS/SDAS meeting and other talks in November

Hi all,

Hope you have been well.

The next IAS/SDAS meeting will be on Monday, November 5th at 8pm in Gonzaga College, Ranelagh. The topic will be “What makes a comet Great?” and the speaker is John Flannery. All are welcome and admission is free.

An additional talk this month will be given on November 29th by Professor George Miley, a past-pupil of Gonzaga, and former Director of Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands. More details can be found below and we hope you can make it along to this special lecture which will be held in the main Theatre within Gonzaga College.

I’d just like to wish all those travelling to view the total solar eclipse of November 13/14 from Australia a very enjoyable holiday and clear skies for the event. We hope to have some reports of the trip for our meeting in December.

Talk soon,

John


Thursday, November 29th – “Observing the Universe” lecture in Gonzaga College, Ranelagh
Professor George K Miley, former Director of Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands, and currently Chair of the International Astronomical Union’s Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), will give a public lecture on Thursday, November 29th at 8pm in Gonzaga College, Ranelagh, Dublin.

We hope you can make it along to this very special lecture by Professor Miley who is a past-pupil of Gonzaga College and a pioneer in the field of Radio Astronomy. He was recently named a Knight of the Order of the Dutch Lion, the Netherlands’ highest public distinction, and has received numerous other awards.


Wednesday, October 31st – IAA lecture “Searching for the rarest objects in the Universe”
The next IAA Public Lecture in Belfast will be given by Dr Daniel Mortlock of the Astrophysics Group, Imperial College London. Dr Mortlock led a team which recently found the most distant quasar yet discovered, with an amazing redshift of 7.1. See www.science2day.co.uk/industry/science/2...rve-nascent-universe Admission is FREE, including light refreshments, and will be at 7:30pm in the Bell Lecture theatre (NOT the Larmor, as used for the last lecture), Physics building, main QUB Campus.


Thursday, November 1st – “The Reality of Science Fiction” panel discussion @ Science Gallery Join writer Michael Carroll (2000AD, Judge Dredd), DCU's Pat Brereton (Hollywood Utopia, Smart Cinema), and Head of Zoology at TCD, Nicola Marples to find out how important scientific accuracy is in science fiction, and how much of an impact science fiction can have on scientific research, public opinion, and even funding decisions. Admission is FREE and you can register at sciencegallery.com/events


Monday, November 5th -- IAS/SDAS lecture “What makes a comet Great?” Comets PANSTARRS and ISON are expected to be brilliant objects in our skies during 2013. But will they perform as expected or turn out to be a disappointment? “What makes a comet Great?” is a talk by John Flannery that will explore the history of comets through the ages, their origins, and the characteristics that leads some comets to be deserving of the title “Great”. Venue is Gonzaga College, Ranelagh at 8pm and admission is FREE.


November 11th to 18th – Science Week 2012 Hundreds of events are listed that will be happening countrywide for Science Week 2012 which this year has the theme “Everyday Experimenting”. Read more at scienceweek.ie


Monday, November 12th – Astronomy Ireland lectureDr Nicholas Walton of Cambridge University will deliver Astronomy Ireland's November Public Lecture in Trinity College Dublin on November 12th at 8pm. The topic will be “Gaia: Mapping the Milky Way” and more details are at www.astronomy.ie/lecture201211.php


Tuesday, November 13th – The Alchemist Cafe, Dublin
The Mercantile, Dame St, Dublin is the venue for this month’s Cafe which will feature a panel of experts discussing the human brain. More details at www.alchemistcafedublin.com/


Wednesday, November 14th – Royal Irish Academy lunchtime series lecture“Scientific Collections in the Edward Worth Library” is the title of a lecture to be given by Elizabethanne Boran, Librarian, The Edward Worth Library, from 1-2pm on November 14th at Academy House, Dawson Street. More details at www.ria.ie/Events/Events-Listing/Autumn-...ure-series--(3).aspx


Wednesday, November 14th (and Friday, November 16th) – Mars Science Laboratory talksThe Planetary Society, in association with the School of Physics NUI Galway, Galway Astronomy Club and CIT/Blackrock Castle Observatory, Cork will present a public lecture, in both Galway and Cork, during Science Week 2012 titled “The Mars Science Laboratory ‘Curiosity’ – In Search of Origins”.

The talk will describe how the mission is currently proceeding, show the latest images, outline the geography of Mars for those attending to become more familiar with the planet itself and invite discussion from the audience on topical matters of space exploration and its value to society.

• Galway Talk: 8.00pm, Wednesday 14th November 2012, O'Tnuathail Theatre, NUI Galway
• Cork Talk: 8.00pm, Friday 16th November 2012, Blackrock Castle Observatory, Blackrock, Cork

Admission is FREE and places allocated on a first come first served basis - simply turn up on the night! The talk is suitable for the general public and expert alike, and for children of about eight years and older. The presenter is Kevin Nolan, Coordinator to Ireland for The Planetary Society and author of the book “Mars, A Cosmic Stepping Stone”. Contact Kevin Nolan at info@planetary.ie or on 087-238-6141 for media relate matters. Full details on the lectures, including media and lecture based downloadable resources available at: www.planetary.ie


Wednesday, November 14th – “Hunting the Higgs Boson” lecture in NUI, MaynoothNUI Maynooth are hosting a wide range of evening lectures during Science Week 2012. An especially topical talk on the Higgs Boson will be given by Dr Stephen Haywood of CERN at 7:30pm on Wednesday, November 14th in the Hume Building (room LT2) on the University Campus. More details at sciencefaculty.nuim.ie/scienceweek2012.shtml


Saturday, November 17th – Irish Meteorological Society One Day Conference
“Weather and Health” is the subject of this year’s IMS One-Day Conference which will be held on Saturday, November 17th in the wonderful venue of the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin. More details can be found at www.irishmetsociety.org/latest/iop-ims-conference-17-november


Monday, November 19th – Lecture by Professor Martin Rees
The DIAS School of Theoretical Physics Statutory Public Lecture 2012 in association with the School of Cosmic Physics will be given this year by Professor Martin Rees on Monday, November 19th at 6pm in Theatre L, Newman Building, Arts Block, UCD. The title of the lecture is “Cosmic perspectives: from planets to the multiverse” and admission is FREE. More details can be found at www.dias.ie/index.php?option=com_content...s&Itemid=103&lang=en


Tuesday, November 20th – “Exploring the Nano-flatlands” lecture in the RDS
Professor Valeria Nicolosi, ERC Research Professor at the School of Physics and the School of Chemistry in TCD and Principal Investigator at CRANN, TCD, will present this public lecture on “Exploring the Nano-flatlands: New frontiers opened by the world’s thinnest materials” on 20 November at 7pm. Admission is FREE but you need to book at events.rds.ie/?eventID=18794


Tuesday, November 20th – EPA lecture series “From a Distance: Observing Earth from Space”
In November, the Environmental Protection Agency is hosting another Climate Change lecture in its popular series. These lectures are aimed at providing updates on the science of climate change, as well as the policy and political responses to this global challenge. The speakers are top international experts and practitioners in aspects of climate change. The lecture will be chaired by Dr John Bowman. The venue is The Round Room at the Mansion House, Dawson St., Dublin at 6:30pm. Admission is FREE but you need to book via the details page linked to at www.epa.ie/news/events/


Thursday, November 22nd – Robinson Lecture “To Mars, Titan, and beyond!” in Armagh From Terry Moseley: The eleventh Robinson Lecture will be held on Thursday, November 22nd in The Armagh City Hotel, 2 Friary Road, Armagh. The title is “To Mars, Titan and the Universe Beyond! Europe's Arrival on the Space Frontier” and will be delivered by Professor David Southwood, Imperial College London. Professor Southwood has recently retired from the position of Director of Science and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency and is now President of the Royal Astronomical Society. The lecture will begin at 8pm and is scheduled to end at 9pm, followed by light refreshments. Attendance at the Robinson Lecture is FREE but if you would like to attend, please contact the Armagh Observatory to obtain tickets. Please write, telephone, or send an e-mail to: Mrs Aileen McKee, Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh, BT61 9DG; Tel: 028-3752-2928; Fax: 028-3752-7174; e-mail: ambn@arm.ac.uk


Wednesday, November 28th – “How Did We Get Here?” lecture in the RDS
Sandra Delamer will give a talk on The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at 6pm in the RDS on Wednesday, November 28th. The JWST is the successor to the Hubble and will look beyond where Hubble can see, for a glimpse of the first light sources in the early universe and the formation of the first stars. The talk, aimed at a general audience, will look at the broad goals of the JWST mission and how it follows on from Hubble, and the excitement and challenges of working with a science and engineering team of many different disciplines to bring one part of the telescope from design, through build and test, to delivery. Admission is FREE but you need to book at www.rds.ie/cat_event_detail.jsp?itemID=1099908


Wednesday, November 28th – Irish Geological Association lecture at the GSI, Dublin
“Tectono-Magmatic Evolution of the Antarctic Peninsula” is the title of a talk to be given by Conor Ryan (Tullow Oil) to the IGA on Wednesday, November 28th at 7pm in the Geological Survey of Ireland building in Beggars Bush, Dublin. More details about the Association’s program can be found at www.geology.ie/2012/07/programme-octobe-december-2012/ -- there’s a very intriguing field trip being organised on December 1st to go gold panning.

IAS/SDAS meeting tonight (November 5th) ... full details below.

Hope to see you there!

john

A big thanks to John for a very interesting lecture on comets, very informative and very well delivered.

Paul

I have to agree with Paul it was a really informative talk given in laymans language. The kid really enjoyed it too.