Astronomy Ireland · www.astronomy.ie · (01) 847 0777 · info@astronomy.ie THE BA FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE Last night's presentation by Simon Singh and Richard Wiseman in the RDS was one of the most entertaining and stimulating events I have ever attended - well worth missing 'the match' for! Full credit to the Irish Skeptics Society and RDS for organising this event for the BA Festival, which continues today and tomorrow with some more superb events that you will not want to miss. Book your days holidays off work now! There are some brilliant talks by world authorities so don't miss them. Their website is authoritative and the best way I found of search for events is to use: http://www1.the-ba.net/the-ba/page.asp?selectPage=639 Select the day you want, and list FULL DETAILS with ALL EVENTS ON ONE PAGE. Then you can print it out or wade down through it and make a list of talks/events to go to. I did. Here are just a few of my selections for Thursday and Friday (in 'start time' order) see above website for many other events that will interest you: Thursday: · EINSTEIN AND ASTRONOMY - Organised by: The BA Physics & Astronomy Section Presidential Session Date : 08/09/2005 - Time : 14.00-17.30 Location : Edmund Burke LT, Arts Building - Cost : **€7.00 To celebrate Einstein year, the Physics and Astronomy section President, Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell, will deliver a lecture on how Einstein's general theory of relativity has shaped the field of astronomy in the 20th century. This and other invited lecturers will cover topics ranging from the work of people like Arthur Eddington to pulsars, gravitational lensing and gravity waves. - A S Eddington and Einstein's theories - Jocelyn Bell Burnell, University of Oxford and President of the BA Physics and Astonomy Section What if Eddington had not been there? Eddington made Einstein's theories accessible to a wide audience and used the theories in his work. His eclipse expedition verified Einstein's prediction about the bending of light. Eddington's key role in the acceptance and understanding of Einstein's work is discussed. - Gravitational waves: Wrinkles in relativity - Sheila Rowan, University of Glasgow The detection of gravitational waves remains one of the most challenging problems in experimental physics. Observation will allow us to see deep into some of the most violent events in the Universe. In this talk a review of this emerging new field in observational astronomy will be given. - Fast, attractive and very precise - Michael Kramer, University of Manchester Objects of extreme matter, so called neutron stars, can be observed as pulsating radio sources known as pulsars. Their fascinating properties presented in this talk make them superb cosmic clocks that can be used to test predictions by Einstein's theory of general relativity - Illuminating the dark side of the Universe with gravitational lensing - Meghan Gray, University of Nottingham Gravitational lensing is one of the most powerful and versatile tools in the modern astronomer's toolbox. In this talk I will explain its origins in Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, and demonstrate how we use it to reveal the dark side of the Universe. · HYPNOSIS: MYTH OR MIRACLE? - Organised by: Date : 08/09/2005 - Time : 19.00-20.30 Location : National College of Ireland, Mayor St, IFSC - Cost : Free, ticket required Psychologist Peter Naish discusses and demonstrates the science behind hypnotism. Does hypnotherapy really work? Is stage hypnosis just a trick? The evening will conclude with an optional group hypnosis session, for those who would like first-hand experience. Friday: · IRISH INNOVATORS IN SCIENCE - Organised by: The BA History of Science Section Date : 09/09/2005 - Time : 09.15-12.15 Location : Panoz Institute LT 2 - Cost : **€7.00 Irish scientists have a long history of innovation and imaginative research and this session will focus on four of the many interesting personalities, highlighting their contribution to better scientific understanding. - William Rowan Hamilton - Siddhartha Sen, Trinity College Dublin An account of the life and work of Hamilton, prodigy and one of the worlds great scientist. - Wresting science from Theologians: John Tyndall's 1874 Belfast address - Frank James, Royal Institution Many people have given the credit or blame for the collapse of Christianity in the 20th century to science and in particular to the 1874 Belfast address by the Irish-born natural philosopher John Tyndall. However, this talk will argue that the decline of Christianity involved many factors other than science. - Kelvin & Company: The works of William and James Thomson - Crosbie Smith, University of Kent Buried in Westminster Abbey alongside Newton, William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) was the first scientist elevated to the British peerage. This talk, however, explores the less well-known origins of William and James Thomson in the north of Ireland. Their Belfast context allows us to understand not only the character of two remarkable brothers but also the nature of their contributions to Victorian science and engineering. - John Joly (1857-1933): An extraordinary scientist - Patrick Wyse Jackson, Trinity College Dublin John Joly (1857-1933) FRS, geologist, physicist, engineer was a prolific inventor. He is remembered for his colour photography, with H.H. Dixon he explained the ascent of plant sap, he was a geochronologer, and he pioneered studies of radioactivity in rocks. · IRISH INDUSTRY AND ENGINEERING - Organised by: The BA History of Science Section Date : 09/09/2005 - Time : 14.00-17.00 Location : Panoz Institute LT 2 - Cost : **€7.00 Ireland is often forgotten as an engineering and industrial nation. This session reviews the work of a few of these innovators who have shaped the modern world, highlighting some of the outstanding examples of Irish industrial innovation and engineering. - The Muspratt Family: More than an Irish Connection - Peter Reed, The BA History of Science Section James Muspratt spent most of the first 26 years of his life in Dublin before moving to Liverpool in 1822. This talk highlights some of the important influences and connections from his time in Dublin and how they guided his later chemical manufacturing businesses, social life and those of his sons. - Richard Turner and the Curvilinear Wrought Iron Glass House - Edward Diestelkamp, National Trust Richard Turner (1798-1881) was reknowned during his lifetime for the wrought iron glass houses that he constructed throughout Ireland, England and Scotland in the 19th century. These were manufactured in his Hammersmith Iron Works, in Ballsbridge, Dublin. He carried out important commissions for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the great range of houses for the Royal Dublin Society at Glasnevin in Dublin, as well as for private clients. - Parsons as engineers - Garrett Scaife, Trinity College Dublin Two members of the Parsons family in particular displayed talents as both engineers and as scientists. The engineering skill of William, the father, was needed to build the telescope that revealed the structure of galaxies. The scientific approach of his son Charles underpinned his successful development of the steam turbine. - Harry Ferguson - He ploughed his own furrow - John Moore, NE Consultancy Born on a farm in County Down, Harry Ferguson was the first Briton to design and fly his own monoplane. He later turned his attention to agriculture and designed the "Ferguson System" which brought safety to mechanised cultivation and gave impressive results from a lightweight tractor, becoming a world best seller. · INGENIOUS TRINITY TOUR - Organised by: Date : 09/09/2005 - Time : 14.30-15.30 Location : Depart from Front gate, Trinity College Dublin - Cost : €5.00 Explore Ireland’s oldest university, with science writer Mary Mulvihill, author of Ingenious Ireland, the award-winning guide to Ireland’s scientific heritage. Meet the mysterious misnomer that is the great Irish elk, hear about the archbishop who calculated that the world began in 4004 BC, the medic who devised the humane hangman’s drop, and the polymath whose many inventions included the steam calorimeter and early forms of colour photography and cancer radiation therapy. - David Moore, Chairman. SOCIETY · MAGAZINE · SHOP Astronomy Ireland · www.astronomy.ie · (01) 847 0777 · info@astronomy.ie