Bluedot Journal 2017

EINSTEIN’S RELATIVITY:
TESTED TO THE LIMIT WITH PULSARS
Rene Breton
Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity was published in 1915, and,
in over a century it has not failed a single time despite hundreds
of tests and experiments. RENE BRETON will discuss the formidable
achievements of the last 40 years in using pulsars to test Einstein’s
theory.
MISSION CONTROL | 17:30 – 18:10
SPIDER SILK FOR THE FUTURE
Fritz Vollrath
The potential of spider silks to revolutionise science and medicine is
huge. Professor at Oxford University’s Department of Zoology, FRITZ
VOLLRATH explores the many uses of spider silks, and the cuttingedge
technology needed to study these outstanding polymer fibres
that are tougher even than Kevlar.
MISSION CONTROL | 18:15 – 19:00
THE INQUISITIVE GIANT:
THE LOVELL TELESCOPE AT 60
Simon Garrington
PROFESSOR SIMON GARRINGTON, Associate Director of Jodrell
Bank Observatory, hosts a screening of The Inquisitive Giant. Made
by the Central Office of Information in 1957, the film tells the story
of the planning and construction of the University of Manchester’s
Jodrell Bank and the iconic Lovell Telescope.
STAR PAVILION | 10:00 – 11:25
PLANES, SHIPS AND THE CLIMATE CHANGE
Alice Larkin
VOLCANOLOGY IN MANCHESTER
Mike Burton
The recent explosion in air travel and the shipping of material goods
pose a dire threat to the impending challenges of climate change.
With the Kyoto Protocol omitting related targets from its policies,
PROFESSOR ALICE LARKIN looks at measures needed to reverse the
trend.
STAR PAVILION | 11:30 – 12:10
Volcanoes impact our lives in multiple ways, the most striking
example recently being the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull which
disrupted air traffic for several weeks. MIKE BURTON presents the
latest volcanological research happening in Manchester, allowing us
to deepen our understanding of volcanoes and the threats they pose.
STAR PAVILION | 12:15 – 12:55
HOW TO BE A ROCKET WOMAN
Vinita Marwaha Madill
SCIENCE AND THE PATRIARCHY
Angela Saini
With only 6% of engineers in the UK being female, the physical
sciences are lacking a diverse technical talent pool. VINITA
MARWAHA MADILL, founder of Rocket Women, a platform to inspire
girls to study STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics),
discusses her career in the space industry.
STAR PAVILION | 13:00 – 13:40
Science journalist Angela Saini, author of Inferior: How Science Got
Women Wrong and the New Research That’s Rewriting the Story,
has investigated the science behind gender stereotypes and asks
whether we need a radical overhaul of the way researchers think
about women.
STAR PAVILION | 13:45 – 14:25
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