3 minute read
NPL is pleased to announce the launch of a series of new lectures for the general public in partnership with the prestigious Royal Institution of Great Britain (Ri.)
“This is an exciting new partnership with a prestigious institution enabling the general public in the UK and internationally to hear from our experts about the everyday impact from our world-leading science and engineering,” said Penny Owen, ESG Director at NPL.
The lecture series will kick off in October with Fragile Times: Why accurate and resilient timekeeping is critical to the way we live. The lecture will delve into the fascinating and delicate realm of timekeeping. Discover how atomic clocks have replaced the Earth as our time reference, and how the present and future challenges in measuring and delivering time are met head on from NPL, the home of UK time.
This is followed in November by a lecture for young people aged 13+ who are considering a career in science, For Your Inspiration: measure up! At this interactive event, they will hear from scientists working in a range of different areas, how their jobs are helping to improve our understanding of how things work, and how they became scientists. They can then try out a range of activities and demonstrations at a fun, interactive exhibition.
The third lecture explores A future with quantum sensors, a fascinating lecture on NPL's exploration of quantum sensors to enable precision measurements of gravity, inertial forces, and magnetic fields. Discover how magnetometry is used to monitor everything from the spin of atoms to the detection of signals from the brain, atom interferometry and how it is being used to measure gravity, and much more.
The final lecture, in January 2024, is titled Unleashing the power of satellites for climate action. Attendees will learn about TRUTHS, a climate-focused mission led by the UK Space Agency with international partners and delivered by the European Space Agency. TRUTHS will make a ten-fold improvement in how we can observe and quantify climate change through its own direct measurements of the sun’s energy and how that is scattered, reflected and absorbed by the Earth.
An unrivalled number of Nobel Prize winners and eminent scientists speak at the Ri each year, whose purpose is to connect as many people as possible with science. For over 200 years the Ri has provided the general public in the UK and around the world with the opportunity to hear from leading scientists and cultural commentators explore the latest amazing science and the way in which it shapes our lives. Their events encapsulate the very best of today’s most influential and stimulating conversations, with over 24,000 people annually attending over 90 science talks at the Ri each year, over 41,000 people viewing our livestream talks, and hundreds of thousands more watching the talks on the Ri YouTube Channel.
To book or get more info:
Fragile times: Why accurate and resilient timekeeping is critical | Royal Institution (rigb.org)
For your inspiration: measure up | Royal Institution (rigb.org)
https://www.rigb.org/whats-on/future-quantum-sensors
Unleashing the power of satellites for climate action | Royal Institution (rigb.org)
21 Aug 2023