When: Tuesday 20 November. Doors open at 7pm. Event runs 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Where: Julian Hodge Building, Cardiff University, Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10 3EU
How Much: Adults £18, Concession £12 (children, students, 60+ and those with a registered disability)
About Steve:
Dr Steve Swanson completed a degree in Engineering Physics and a PhD in Computer Science, before becoming a software engineer for a telecoms company.
He originally joined NASA in the Aircraft Operations Division, before being selected as a mission specialist in 1998. After completing astronaut candidate training, he embarked on his first space shuttle flight in 2007 aboard the STS-117.
Steve has logged a total of 195 days in space, in addition to completing four spacewalks totalling 26 hours and 14 minutes. He is a recipient of the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal.
Mission Discovery:
Video Credit: ISSET
Ross Barber gives us the brief:
“200 students are grouped into teams of six, to come up with an experiment which could be conducted on the International Space Station. We bring NASA leaders and astronauts to give talks, while they spend the week building this experiment to present to our team of judges. The winning experiment is launched to the International Space Station on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to be conducted by the astronauts on board.”
Mission Discovery will take place at King’s College London in July 2019. Visit ISSET’s website to find out more.
Pint of Science:
Dr Praveen Paul reveals the idea behind the project:
“Pint of Science was started by me and a friend, Dr Michael Motskin. We both have a biology background and we realised that when we were talking to friends, they didn’t understand what we were doing. So we decided to try and get this research out to more people. We have two to three speakers per event, but there’ll be hundreds of pubs around the country doing the same thing on the same night. It all comes down to our volunteers. Everyone’s got their own passion, and that’s what they communicate to people.”
Coming to a pub near you: 20 – 22 May 2019. Visit Pint of Science to see a full list of locations.
Pint of Science and ISSET join forces to bring the International Space Station Commander to speak at Cardiff University
Dr Steve Swanson’s tour will touch down in Cardiff on 20 November. Formerly a software engineer, Steve will be travelling across the UK to share his experience of life on board the International Space Station.
The tour is organised via a partnership between the International Space School Educational Trust (ISSET) and Pint of Science.
Ross Barber, project manager at ISSET, believes now is the perfect time to launch Steve’s tour. “It’s really important to engage people with the opportunities STEM offers,” he says. “There’s huge growth in the UK space industry, which means there will be more jobs and a stronger interest.”
ISSET run Mission Discovery programmes, giving 14 – 18 year-olds the opportunity to be mentored by NASA leaders. Fifty students are sponsored by Rhondda Cynon Taf council to take part and design an experiment. The winning idea is tested by astronauts at the International Space Station.
“We find the students will start working harder and focus on where they want to go,” Ross says. “The astronauts were in the same position. We use them as a metaphor for the NASA ‘you can do it’ spirit.”
Dr Praveen Paul, director at Pint of Science, says that Steve hopes to “give a first-hand account of what it’s like being an astronaut, and convey how inspiring space can be.”
Praveen and fellow scientist Dr Michael Motskin founded Pint of Science in 2012. By bringing academics to speak at pubs in 35 cities across the UK, Praveen says their mission is to make complex ideas more accessible. Previous events have covered everything from atoms to neuroscience.
“It’s important for scientists to have the opportunity to communicate what we do,” Praveen says. “And it’s a great way for people to be inspired and learn about what’s going on.”
The Astronaut Tour is open to adults and children aged ten and above. Book your tickets here.
When: Tuesday 20 November. Doors open at 7pm. Event runs 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Where: Julian Hodge Building, Cardiff University, Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10 3EU
How Much: Adults £18, Concession £12 (children, students, 60+ and those with a registered disability)
About Steve:
Dr Steve Swanson completed a degree in Engineering Physics and a PhD in Computer Science, before becoming a software engineer for a telecoms company.
He originally joined NASA in the Aircraft Operations Division, before being selected as a mission specialist in 1998. After completing astronaut candidate training, he embarked on his first space shuttle flight in 2007 aboard the STS-117.
Steve has logged a total of 195 days in space, in addition to completing four spacewalks totalling 26 hours and 14 minutes. He is a recipient of the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal.
Mission Discovery:
Video Credit: ISSET
Ross Barber gives us the brief:
“200 students are grouped into teams of six, to come up with an experiment which could be conducted on the International Space Station. We bring NASA leaders and astronauts to give talks, while they spend the week building this experiment to present to our team of judges. The winning experiment is launched to the International Space Station on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to be conducted by the astronauts on board.”
Mission Discovery will take place at King’s College London in July 2019. Visit ISSET’s website to find out more.
Pint of Science:
Dr Praveen Paul reveals the idea behind the project:
“Pint of Science was started by me and a friend, Dr Michael Motskin. We both have a biology background and we realised that when we were talking to friends, they didn’t understand what we were doing. So we decided to try and get this research out to more people. We have two to three speakers per event, but there’ll be hundreds of pubs around the country doing the same thing on the same night. It all comes down to our volunteers. Everyone’s got their own passion, and that’s what they communicate to people.”
Coming to a pub near you: 20 – 22 May 2019. Visit Pint of Science to see a full list of locations.