Lectures shed light on light

Lectures shed light on light

Are lasers part of your life and you don’t even know it?

As part of the New Zealand Institute of Physics conference being held at the University of Waikato in July, there are two free lectures on lasers and microwaves that are open to the public.

While the physics conference attracts academics, school teachers, industry and the physics community, University of Waikato Senior Lecturer Dr Marcus Wilson says the two public lectures would be of interest to the general public, including high school students.

“UNESCO has designated 2015 as the International Year of Light, so it is fitting that both of these lectures are focused on light – lasers and their applications, and the cosmos – what we can see with light when we look into the night sky.

Professor Richard Easther from the University of Auckland will illustrate how the universe was born and discuss how we see it today through telescopes and eyes. This talk tells the story of the microwave background from its discovery through to the present day, and looks at what we hope to learn from it in the future.

Professor Hans Bachor from the Australian National University’s lecture is about lasers, which are used in everyday equipment such as Blu-ray players, computers and communication devices. Whether you can see them or not, they are part of your life.

Dawn’s Early Light by Professor Richard Easther is on Sunday, July 5 from 7.30pm-9pm in the Price Waterhouse Coopers lecture theatre at the University of Waikato.

Lasers are part of your life by Professor Hans Bachor, is on July 6 in the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts Concert Chamber on-campus from 7.30pm-9pm.

ENDS

© Scoop Media