Astronomy and Poetry brought together for next Go York lecture

The next Go York lecture at York St John University will be hosted by Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, one of the country’s leading astronomers.

She will discuss her joint interests, ‘Astronomy and Poetry’. Prof Bell Burnell is a Visiting Professor of Astrophysics while, as a hobby, she collects poetry about astronomy and space.

She will look at how poets have responded to discoveries in astronomy and discuss what topics have caught their attention and whether they appear to be pro or anti-science.

The lecture will take place in Fountains Lecture Theatre on Tuesday 13 May 2014 at 6:30pm, with an arrival reception from 5:45pm. The lecture is free and open to all members of the local community.

In 1967, while a graduate student at Cambridge University, Prof Bell Burnell discovered pulsars, opening up a new branch of astrophysics. She has served on many panels including holding the position of President of both the Royal Astronomical Society and the Institute of Physics. In 2010 she was awarded the Royal Society Michael Faraday prize for excellence in communicating science. This year, in October, she will become the first female President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE). She is a well-known figure in the world of championing science and gives more than 40 outreach lectures each year.

Go York is a series of lectures which bring together York St John University’s eminent academics, high profile speakers and the local community for a series of events to be enjoyed by all.