Pupils starstruck by conference speaker

06 Feb 2013

Christ College recently hosted The Institute of Physics Welsh Physics Teachers Conference.

The conference was attended by over 90 Physics teachers, technicians and students from all over Wales.

Christ College pupils however were able to get in on the act as they were able to meet the guest speaker Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell DBE, FRS, FRAS and to listen to her talk to the conference.

Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered the first four pulsars in 1967 and she has been an internationally renowned astrophysicist ever since. Her talk was entitled “We are made of star stuff” and took the audience from the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago through the complex process of star evolution and death to explain the origin of the elements from which we are all made. With many overlaps with the Sixth Form Physics syllabus, the pupils who attended were able to follow this animated and fascinating talk.

The all-day conference included further workshops and demonstrations in the Hubert Jones Science Centre on materials, experiments with water, datalogging and careers in physics.

Photo: Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell