Large awards scheme 2007 winners
Successful applicants in Round 2007
Mr M Paterson
G000328/1
Pfilm
“A Life in Physics - LHC Documentary Project“
Award - £85,000.00
The LHC (the Large Hadron Collider) will be switched on in 2008 and the scientific community is eagerly anticipating its first exciting year of data-taking. Whatever is discovered in the course of the experiments and data taking, it is certain that the information obtained will have far reaching implications for our understanding of the fundamental nature of the universe.
This project will document the work of a group of British based researchers involved in research at the LHC. A documentary record of the work and discoveries over a two year period will be produced, and distributed to a wide and varied audience.
It is envisaged that a gripping and enthralling story will be told .The films will use the naturally evolving narrative of the research process to tell the story.
There will be a unique process of collaboration between physicists and documentary filmmakers. A vital platform will be afforded to the scientific community which will allow scientists to engage with students and also the general public. At this crucial time scientists will be able to communicate not only their research but also the results and conclusions from this research.
The narrative of the films will be driven by the interrelated research of three principal UK based physicists. It is intended to use a “fly on the wall “approach so that the films will document the nature of the research which will include the experiments, discussions and conferences. The physicists will record video diaries, so that their personal drives and motivations will be revealed. This approach will capture the immediacy and excitement of the research and involve the audience on a personal level while endeavouring to explain the key concepts and ideas behind the project involved.
The final outcome will be:
- a series of ten minute serialised documentary films released quarterly on the internet over a two year period via a dedicated website with links to further information and resources about research at the LHC
- a sixty minute DVD documentary film for GCSE and A level students to be distributed to schools and colleges documenting the entire period of research over two years
Above all this project will try to capture the excitement of being involved with an experiment which is unique in time and opportunity.
Mr C Bishop
G000336/1
National Space Centre, Exploration Drive, Leicester LE4 5NS
"UK planetarium show: Astronomy"
Award £90,000.00
The National Space Centre will produce a planetarium show for presentation to a general public audience in seven large UK planetaria. It is being launched in July 2009 as a major contribution to the UK’s celebration of the International Year of Astronomy. It will be produced for the enjoyment of a general family audience and demonstrate to young people the opportunities that exist for them in UK science and engineering. The show will be developed by the National Space Centre’s Creative Services team, who are a team of highly skilled animators. The content development will benefit from the expertise of a recruited team of UK experts. The National Space Centre has already produced eight highly successful shows have been viewed in at least fifteen countries elsewhere.
The show will last some twenty five minutes and be seen by one million people over a two year period. The seven venues in the UK are, Armagh Planetarium, Dynamic Earth Edinburgh, the Royal Observatory Greenwich, The National Space Centre Leicester, Spaceport Liverpool, the Centre for Life Newcastle, and Intech Winchester.
The show will consider the following:
- The origin and evolution of the things we see in the Universe
- The technology we use to help us understand these things
- The UKs contribution to furthering our understanding
- Why an understanding of space is relevant to our lives
The summary of the show
It will start with the work of Galileo in 1609 and explain how theories have evolved and knowledge expanded since then. Major advances in technology will be presented as will the technology in use today. It will address several questions from the STFC Roadmap and introduce the research and technology that is helpful and to answer them.
- The origin of the universe, what we know and what we don’t know with reference to projects The James Webb Space Telescope, SWIFT, and LISA Pathfinder
- The range of telescopes available to us today and in the future
- How astronomy is supported by ground based experiments e.g. Large Hadron Collider
- The formation of galaxies, stars and planets and the prospect of life elsewhere
- The risks to life on Earth from extra-terrestrial objects and events
It will conclude by accepting there is much we don’t know, but celebrating how far we have come ,how science and our understanding of the Universe is constantly evolving and how the UK is at the forefront of so many astronomical endeavours.
Mr Maxwell Alexander
G000387/1
Max Alexander Photography
”The Astronomers – (portrait photographs of professional/amateur astronomers)”
Award £52,300.00
In 2009 the scientific community will celebrate the International Year of Astronomy and 400 years since Galileo first looked through a telescope. This highly original and novel project comprises a major photographic project which is to be a vision of British astronomy at the start of the 21st century.
The centrepiece of this exciting venture is to produce dynamic, original and interpretative portraits of astronomers in the UK. This will be strongly supported and complemented by reportage photographs of professional and amateur astronomy and provide a window on this golden age of astronomy.
There will be interpretative portrait photographs of leading members of The Astronomy World including Stephen Hawking, Bernard Lovell, Patrick Moore and Maggie Aderin. The amateur astronomers will not be forgotten and portraits made of Michael Oates (comet discoverer) Tom Boles, and Guy Hurst. The reportage photographs will be of professional astronomers, students, institutions, research centres, Greenwich and Herstmonceux. On the amateur side there will be photographs of backyard astronomy, star parties, sidewalk astronomy, meteor, solar and eclipse viewing.
The project will be realised as an exhibition and book with associated media spin-offs. It is hoped that by making the major figures more visible and giving astronomy a much higher profile, young people might be encouraged to pursue careers in these fields. It is anticipated that this exhibition and book will reach an audience that wouldn’t normally be exposed to astronomy. The public will find an exhibition telling the human story of astronomers more appealing and accessible.
This exhibition will contribute in a very real way to raising the profile of astronomers in society and their unheralded contribution. It will show the pure joy and excitement of astronomy. It will celebrate Galileo’s contribution and state the case of the British astronomer and mathematician Thomas Harriot. The people behind the great discoveries of the age will be profiled. It is hoped a wide range of people including younger people will want to become involved and engaged in astronomy. Some may even be encouraged to pursue careers in astronomy. It will demonstrate the valuable role of amateurs; identify current hot topics and cutting edge astronomy.
The United Kingdom has a proud record of success in astronomy and this project is expected to raise public awareness of such.
Page last updated: 11 July 2008
by Helen Watt
