Public talk - Fred Watson - Telescopes of the Future
The telescope is literally the world's most far-reaching invention. It is a time machine, allowing us to look billions of years into the past for answers to some of our most profound questions. In its 400- year history, the telescope has progressed from a crudely fashioned tube holding a couple of spectacle lenses to colossal structures housed in space-age cathedrals - and, increasingly, sophisticated machines surveying the universe from space. In this talk Fred Watson will take us on a time-tour of telescopes, from their earliest days to the complex machines we have now, and give us a sneak-peek at future telescopes, some of them only yet imagined. He'll also discuss how telescopes have changed our view of the universe, and what astronomers hope to learn with them in future.
Join Professor Fred Watson (Astronomer-in-Charge of the Anglo Australian Observatory and ABC commentator) and a panel of astronomy and engineering experts in a discussion about current and future technologies and what they can tell us about the universe.
Who should attend: general public
Date: Saturday 18 August
Time: 7.30-9pm
Location: Macquarie Theatre, Macquarie University
Bookings required: contact Rachel Rizk 02 9850 6045, rachel.rizk@mq.edu.au
Cost: free
Parking: The best parking for this event is in carparks W1, W2 or C1. Parking is free for this event.
Maps of campus: http://www.ofm.mq.edu.au/maps_campus.htm
Fred Watson is Astronomer-in-Charge of the Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO) at Siding Spring near Coonabarabran, NSW. He works with a team of astronomy and IT specialists and helps to maintain the scientific productivity of the AAO's two telescopes. When time permits, Fred carries out research into the history of scientific instruments. He has written two books on optical intruments, and was a contributor to the award-winning historical encylopaedia Instruments of Science.
A small component of Fred's job that spills over into a large component of his private life is communicating astronomy to the public. He has been a guest speaker at venues ranging from Parliament House and the Australian Museum to Science in the Pub, and is much in demand among science educators. Fred also has regular slots on ABC Radio. He writes regularly for several publications, including Australian Geographic and the annual Yearbook of Astronomy, edited by Sir Patrick Moore.
Fred's website is located at http://www.aao.gov.au/local/www/fgw/, and a more detailled biography can be found here.
The Panel
Dr David DeBoer works in CSIRO's Australia Telescope National Facility and leads the team building the Australian SKA Pathfinder telescope -- a $100-million-plus precursor to the giant SKA radio telescope. He came to Australia in 2006. Prior to that, his most recent positions were at the SETI Institute in California, where he was Project Manager from 2003 and Project Engineer from 2000 for the Allen Telescope Array (ATA). He has also had professorial, scientist and research engineer positions at institutions such as Georgia Tech, Hughes, University of Mexico and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. David is well known in the radio astronomy community and is a member of various SKA working groups and task forces, and while in the USA was a member of the International SKA Steering Committee (ISSC).
"Macquarie - Centre of the Universe" is a joint project between CSIRO and Macquarie University for National Science Week and National Engineering Week, 2007.