Prof. Ron Ekers
CSIRO/ATNF
October 10th, 2024 – 3:00 pm–5:00 pm – ARRC Auditorium, 26 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, 6151, WA
If you will be travelling from UWA, we have organised a mini-bus to take us to and from CSIRO. Please let us know if you intend to use this service.
Exploring the nature of scientific discoveries with examples from radio astronomy
I will discuss the nature of scientific discoveries which are a key driver for the advancement of science. In the 90-year history of radio astronomy many of the most significant advances in our understanding of the Universe have resulted from technology enabled serendipity. I will discuss a few of these cases (quasars, pulsars and the galactic centre) in detail to illustrate how the path to discovery can be very different from the widely accepted scientific methodology. I will also comment on how the vision to explore the unknown has influenced the development of the SKA and its precursors.