Chapter 11
September Nerdnite is coming up, same nerdy time, same nerdy place. 6.30 pm for a 7 pm start at Nectar Bar, Kingland (470 New North Road, above the Kingslander). We have a diverse range of talks this month. Be there and be square!
Our first speaker is astrophysicist Phil Yock, from the University of Auckland, with a talk entitled “We see them come, we see them go, some are fast, some are slow”.
All stars in the Milky Way are in motion. When one passes in front of another, Einstein predicted the background star would brighten up, not dim down, because light is bent by gravity. The world’s largest telescope devoted to observing Einstein’s brightening effect is in New Zealand. It is called MOA. The MOA telescope finds about 500 brightenings every year, from fast ones caused by rogue planets to slow ones caused by black holes. Several cool planets have been found orbiting stars beyond the snowline where temperatures fall to about – 200C. MOA’s prime goal would be to find an inhabited planet out there, following Giordano Bruno’s prediction of the 16th century.
Next up, we have Ali Seyfoddin, who will be talking about delivering drugs beyond the cornea.
From Arsenic containing Fowler’s solution to controlled release nanoparticles, pharmacists have come a long way in promoting public health. Ali’s presentation introduces the concept of drug delivery and gives insights into what is involved in ocular drug delivery, challenges, obstacles, and the opportunities.
And last, but certainly not least, is Gemma Cookson, urban designer.
In Gemma’s talk, ‘Occupying the Edge : An exploration of Christchurch urban housing’, she will discuss work from her Masters of Architecture (UNITEC) final project, which looks at the Social, Environmental and Economical factors shaping the rebuild, and will present a potential solution that involves urban aerodynamics, community gardens and canals to enhance the quality of life and bring people back into Christchurch´s Center City.
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