Discovering planets, stars and galaxies

You're warmly invited to this in-person talk with physicist Dr Jeff Grube, part of our STEM Lectures for Schools series. We particularly welcome students from local schools with an interest in STEM subjects. This event is aimed at those aged 16+, but younger students are welcome to attend.

Book your tickets now!

About the talk

Our knowledge of the universe is growing every year, but how do scientists actually make the discoveries that build this understanding?

Join Dr Jeff Grube, Senior Lecturer in Physics Education, to explore the amazing astrophysics research which has led to our current understanding of the universe; and its planets, stars and galaxies. Jeff will take you on a compelling visual history through this work, showing how graphs in particular are an important tool for clarifying and summarising the ever-growing mountains of data that scientists are gathering. Jeff will also touch on his personal journey in STEM, and the experiences which led him to his current role at King’s.

About the speaker

Dr Jeff Grube completed his PhD in high energy astrophysics at the University of Leeds in 2007. Following a postdoctoral position at University College Dublin (2008-2009), he was then a joint postdoc at the Adler Planetarium and the University of Chicago (2009-2015). The primary instrument he worked on was VERITAS, an array of gamma-ray telescopes in Arizona, focusing on particle acceleration in the jets of active galaxies, shocked regions of supernova remnants, in addition to the search for Dark Matter annihilation signals. While in Chicago, Jeff led many outreach efforts with the museum public at the Adler Planetarium, and with school groups. Then, Jeff was a Lecturer at Stevens Institute of Technology where he developed and taught several modules in Astrophysics, Classical Mechanics, and Mathematical Methods (2015-2017). Jeff joined King’s in Autumn 2017.

Additional information

This event is aimed at those aged 16+. Younger attendees are welcome, but please note that attendees under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. If you are aged 14–18 and booking for yourself, please check with a parent or guardian before booking your place. For school groups, tickets are limited to 30 students per booking, to ensure a larger number of schools can attend.

Registration for this event will take place in reception in the main Strand Building entrance. This is on the Strand, directly opposite St Mary Le Strand Church.

This event is organised by the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences at King’s College London.

If you have any questions or would like any further details, please email nmes-outreach@kcl.ac.uk.

For in-person events we operate a policy of overbooking, to help manage on the day drop-out rates. Please ensure you arrive in good time to avoid disappointment on the day.

The doors to the lecture theatre will open at around 16.00. Complimentary refreshments will also be served at this time. The talk will run from 16.30–17.30. There will then be time for informal networking and Q&A with the speaker until 18.00, when then event will finish.

Timings

The doors to the lecture theatre will open at around 16.00. Complimentary refreshments will also be served at this time. The talk will run from 16.30–17.30. There will then be time for informal networking and Q&A with the speaker until 18.00, when then event will finish.

 

About the programme

STEM Lectures for Schools is a series of engaging events for secondary school students, organised by the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences (NMES). Attendees will hear from researchers working at King’s about the ground-breaking work they do, and the career path they took to get here. Throughout the year, the series will feature speakers from all NMES Departments: Chemistry, Engineering, Informatics, Mathematics and Physics.

Accessibility

This talk will take place in the Edmond J Safra Lecture Theatre, on the ground floor of the King's Building. The theatre is fully wheelchair accessible, with designated spaces for wheelchair users. There are accessible bathrooms on this floor.

The nearest step-free underground station is Blackfriars, but a number of bus routes stop a short distance from the Strand Campus.

 

Photography and Privacy Notice

The event you will be attending will have photography and/or videography. If you do not wish to appear in any recordings or photographs, please approach our registration team on the day of the event or email nmes-outreach@kcl.ac.uk beforehand. Photographs and recordings taken may feature in our publications or on the King’s website and social media channels. All personal data will be processed in accordance with King’s privacy policy available here.

We collect and process your personal information to help us manage and run the event. In accordance with the King’s College London Data Retention Schedule, we will keep your information until the completion of the event. To find out more about how the university deals with your personal information, including your rights, please see the university’s core privacy notice. Your personal information will be transferred to the United States via Eventbrite. Please read this article where you can find out more on how Eventbrite protects your data.