September 2013 NUI Galway Public Talk by World-renowned Astrophysicist

NUI Galway’s Astronomy Society will welcome world-renowned astrophysicist Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell for a special public talk entitled ‘A light-weight Introduction to Gravitational Radiation’ on Tuesday, 24 September. 

Professor Bell Burnell is renowned for her discovery of pulsars, rapidly rotating neutron stars, in 1967 and has won numerous awards for her strong role in promoting science. In 2008 she became the first female President of the Institute of Physics and is a strong supporter, and role model, of women in science.

This talk will introduce the topic of gravitational waves and show that researchers are on the threshold of detecting a whole new spectrum of radiation. These waves, sometimes called ripples in space-time, were first predicted by Albert Einstein. Professor Bell Burns will be examining if Einstein was right, what these ripples are, how are they created and how to detect them. 

NUI Galway’s Astronomy Society was established last year and already has over 540 members. Promoting astronomy, both recreationally and academically, the society host a series of talks on astronomy and organise events to increase general awareness and understanding of astronomy. The society also works with the Galway Astronomy Club and is supported by the University's Centre for Astronomy.

Professor Bell Burnell's talk will take place at 7pm in the Kirwan Theatre in the Arts/Science Building (Concourse). This talk is free and open to the general public.

-ENDS-