PT Derby Summer 2019

Primary Times Derbyshire
Inspire them to explore science with…
Professor Brian Cox
Primary Times teams up with Professor Brian Cox OBE to discuss the importance of science for children, his
own childhood inspirations, and his exciting world tour ‘Universal: Adventures in Space and Time’
How did you first become
interested in physics and
astronomy? Was there a
book or famous figure who
sparked your passion?
I was always interested in astronomy as far
back as I remember, and I think the reason
for that is it’s the simplest science. You can
do it without anything, you can go out into
your back garden and look at the stars, you
can see the constellations change from
month to month, you can see the planets
shift into position.
In terms of a famous figure, there was Carl
Sagan who made his series Cosmos when I
was 11. It was this idea that these points of
light in the sky are other worlds. The great
thing about astronomy is that it carries
your imagination away and you will never
learn everything there is to learn
about the universe.
Our aim is to get the
nation’s children inspired
by science. For you, why
is it important for children
to take an interest?
Science is above all else a way of
thinking, it’s a way of celebrating curiosity.
The central idea is that we don’t know
everything. It’s often easy to be afraid of
not knowing, when actually it’s the most
exciting thing, because then you can go
and find out. You might be the person
who finds out for the first time whether
there is life on Mars. I think that science
teaches us to think, nature forces us to
think in a particular way, and that’s the key
educational value of science.
What advice would you
give to children who are
aspiring to work in science?
I would say stay excited and stay curious.
Understand that if you want to be a scientist
you can be. It’s easy to think you have to be
a strange genius to be a scientist. There’s a
really famous story about Einstein going into
a school and saying “When I was your age,
I was no Einstein”.
Can you tell us a little bit more
about your upcoming world
tour ‘Universal: Adventures
in Space and Time’?
At one level it is huge, high-resolution
screens showing these amazing pictures
from the Hubble Space Telescope. But
also, we simulated a black hole. We
used the techniques that were used to
develop the film Interstellar to simulate
what it would be like to go and fly up to,
orbit and dive into a black hole, and what
we know about what happens. So, it is I
hope a spectacular experience that’s also
designed to make us think about our place
in the universe.
What top tips could you give
to parents who are trying to
introduce science into their
home for their children?
Science is about doing science ultimately.
You get excited about science by doing it,
and that’s why I think astronomy is great.
You can get one of those apps on your
phone that show you what the stars are,
you’d be surprised by how easy it is to
recognise what that is in the sky. And I
believe that’s what it is to deliver a little bit
of wonder to your children. I can’t think of
anything that’s easier and more rewarding
than just that.
Professor Brian Cox’s tour, Universal, is on
sale now www.briancoxlive.co.uk
www.primarytimes.co.uk/Derbyshire | SUMMER 2019 13