12 April 2012
'Cosmic Quest: The Story of Astronomy' - Graduates' Council Discovery Lecture 2012
The story of how mankind has sought to discover its place in the Cosmos will be told in this year's Graduates' Council Discovery Lecture at the University of Dundee.
Renowned writers and broadcasters Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest, who have greatly enhanced the popularisation of science across TV, radio and print in recent decades, will focus on the people and personalities who furthered our understanding of the Universe when they appear at the Dalhousie Building on Saturday, 21st April.
Their talk, taking place in partnership with the University's Saturday Evening Lecture Series, will show how astronomy grew from its roots in superstition to become the most all-embracing of the sciences. More than any other science, astronomy has driven our cultures by shaping religions, philosophies and beliefs, and inspired great thinkers to ask the biggest questions of all.
Nigel, an expert on human space flight and a future astronaut with Virgin Galactic, said, "The progress of astronomy has been led by inspirational characters - and outright mavericks - who have pushed our knowledge of the heavens forward.
"They have forever tested the limits of our imagination in the quest to understand the Universe and their number includes the firebrand Galileo, the moose-owning Tycho Brahe, and the blunt Yorkshireman Fred Hoyle, who questioned every scientific orthodoxy."
Heather, a specialist in astrophysics, added, "Over the millennia, the cutting edge of astronomy has driven ever outwards. While scholars once debated whether the Earth circles the Sun, they can now say how the Sun shines, what distant stars are made of, and even when the Universe began.
"But with each question answered, dozens appear as if from nowhere: what's inside a black hole, what kind of planets orbit around other stars, and what will be the ultimate future of our Universe - and is there life out there?"
Heather has hosted several TV programmes and series', and many radio shows. In 2008, she wrote and presented BBC Radio 4's epic 30-part series 'Cosmic Quest', a groundbreaking overview of the history of astronomy. She has written more than 30 books, and was awarded the CBE in 2007 for her services to science.
Nigel is an internationally acclaimed science populariser specialising in astronomy and space. His 36 books and over 1000 articles have been translated into 27 languages, while his TV productions have gained awards both in Britain and in the US.
Together they formed Hencoup Enterprises, an international science and media consultancy dedicated to public outreach and the promotion of science. They jointly write columns for 'The Independent' newspaper and 'BBC Focus' magazine, and have co-authored several books.
'Cosmic Quest: the Story of Astronomy', the 2012 Discovery Lecture, takes place at 6pm on Saturday, 21st April in the Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee. The lecture is free and open to members of the public. Overflow theatres may be in use for this lecture.
The Graduates' Council Discovery Lecture is held in association with Dundee City Council, and will conclude this year's Saturday Evening Lecture Series.
The event is followed by a civic reception and book signing, also being held in the Dalhousie Building. Free tickets are available from www.dundee.ac.uk/tickets or by phoning 01382 385564.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
