THE NEXT EVENT IS: ‘Women in Astronomy’ by Derek Dempsey
WHEN: 3rd September, 2018 @ 19:30
WHERE: Harbour Hotel, Galway City
Talk: ‘Women In Astronomy’ takes a look at some of the women who have made significant (and often overlooked) contributions to astronomy. Cecelia Payne Gaposhkin, Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Tabitha Boyajian and Carolyn Porco, among others.
It may seem quite unbelievable that, until relatively recently, barriers were placed in the paths of women who wished to pursue a career in Astronomy. Those who pushed through this barrier had to fight exclusion and prejudice; nor were their achievements always properly recognised. Women are still under-represented in the field, but have made immense contributions that far outweighs their numbers.
Speaker: Derek Dempsey
As a teenager in secondary school, Derek Dempsey became firmly hooked on astronomy by the excitement of the Apollo moon landings and has been reading about the subject and observing the night sky ever since. Derek graduated from the UCD School of Engineering in 1978 and has spent his professional life working in telecommunications – but has always found time for amateur astronomy. He is one of the founder members of the Newport Astronomy Club, motivated in no small part by the Gold Tier accreditation of the Mayo Dark Sky Park in May 2016 by the International Dark Sky Association.