Australian Institute of Physics - Tasmanian Branch

2002 Cosmology Youth Lectures - North and South 

Industrial strength cosmology

Dr Fred Watson

(Astronomer-in-Charge, Anglo-Australian Observatory)

AIP Contact: Gary Burns 
(e-mail: Gary_Bur@antdiv.gov.au)
Please contact Gary to ensure space is available

The AIP is pleased to be able to present the opportunity for Northern and Southern Tasmanian students to experience a fully-illustrated talk by Dr Fred Watson, a renowned public presenter of science. Dr Fred Watson is a frequent ABC Science Program presenter. This talk will be presented at a level appropriate for College students, but is suitable for enthusiastic Year 10's.

ABSTRACT: 
The idea that a bunch of microbes living on the surface of a small left-over from the Sun's formation can understand the origin of the Universe is a pretty audacious one. Yet today we grace this audacity with a name - cosmology. It gives us a remarkably cogent picture of the Universe's evolution - from the Big Bang to the Teletubbies. Why are we so confident we're on the right track? In this fully-illustrated talk, Fred Watson picks out some of the highlights of today's cosmology and looks to its exciting future.

Fred Watson:
Fred Watson comes from a long line of Freds, but is the first one in the family to have become an astronomer. Born and raised in England's north-country, he was educated in Scotland, gaining his doctorate at the University of Edinburgh. He has worked at both of Britain's Royal Observatories, and at their overseas telescopes in Hawaii and the Canary Islands. 
In Australia during the 1980s, Fred helped to pioneer the use of fibre optics in astronomy, a technique that has today assumed world-wide importance. He is now Astronomer-in-Charge of the Anglo-Australian Observatory at Coonabarabran in north-western NSW, and also holds adjunct professorial appointments in the University of Southern Queensland and the Queensland University of Technology.
Fred's work centres around large-scale star and galaxy surveys, but he is also interested in global virtual observatories, dark-sky preservation, and the developing field of astrobiology. He writes and broadcasts frequently on astronomical topics, both in Australia and the UK.
Fred shares a tranquil hillside property in the foothills of the Warrumbungle Mountains with his wife, Trish, their two sons, six chooks and lots of music.

Return to AIP (Tas) home page.

Map: