Astronomy on Tap
I oversee the Kitchener-Waterloo branch of Astronomy on Tap, organising regular public astronomy nights with guest speakers.
Astronomy on Tap is a series of monthly events that take place worldwide in bars and pubs. These consist of accessible, engaging presentations on space and science, designed to share astronomy in a fun, relaxed, informal environment.
WCA/KPL Astronomy talks
I founded and oversee the monthly WCA/KPL seminar series, organised by the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics and hosted at Kitchener Public Library. These public talks aim to share the world-leading research taking place in Waterloo with the local community, in a free and accessible way.
Astrobites
From Jan. 2021 to Jan. 2023 I was a regular contributing author for Astrobites, an online journal whose aim is to make ongoing astronomy research more accessible. Astrobites publishes short, readable articles that summarise contemporary astronomy research in language that is (hopefully!) more intelligible to undergraduate students and the general public.
As well as publishing Astrobites articles approximately once a month, in July 2021 I represented Astrobites at the National Astronomy Meeting (which took place online), where I presented a poster advertising and prom oting the work of Astrobites.
You can find a full list of my articles here.
Inflativerse
For three years during my PhD I co-managed the University of Nottingham's Inflativerse project. The Inflativerse is an inflatable planetarium that is taken to schools in the Nottingham area, with a particular focus on schools in underprivileged areas and with a high fraction of children from backgrounds that are underrepresented in astronomy.
During this time I helped to develop a new range of astronomy-based activities for children, that we delivered when in-person planetarium shows were not possible. These new activities were very successful, and allowed us to permanently expand our outreach programme, helping us to build better relationships with schools whilst getting children excited about astronomy!
I'm a Scientist
I'm a Scientist is an online outreach activity that runs several times a year, and puts school students in contact with scientists, via "zones" that are dedicated to different areas of science. This gives students the opportunity to ask questions about science, university, or about being a scientist. I have participated in the scheme on multiple occasions over the past few years, speaking to students in physics zones, and general science zones.
Public talks
I frequently give talks on various areas of astronomy at public events, to local astronomy clubs, and groups of young people. A list of my public talks is given below:
| Aug. 2023 | Quantum School for Young Students, Waterloo, ON, Canada Galaxies: From the largest scales to the smallest, keynote astrophysics lecture |
| Aug. 2023 | University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada Meet the cosmic neighbours: Planets, comets, and aliens?, public talk at Perseids event |
| May. 2023 | Lord Byng Astronomy Club, Vancouver, BC, Canada (virtual talk) Galaxy evolution: An environmental issue, talk for school astronomy club |
| May. 2023 | Astronomy on Tap, Kitchener, ON, Canada A brief tour of the Universe, public event |
| Mar. 2023 | iTelescope Webinar Series, online talk The Universe in a computer, public talk |
| May. 2022 | Nottingham Astronomical Society, Nottingham, UK The turbulent lives of galaxy groups, public talk |
| Jul. 2021 | Wollaton Science & Technology Club, Nottingham, UK (virtual talk) The lives and deaths of galaxies: nature vs nurture, public talk |
| Mar. 2021 | The Skinners' School, Royal Tunbridge Wells, UK (virtual talk) Galaxy evolution: Environment, or fate?, talk for school astronomy club |
| Feb. 2020 | Nottingham Astronomical Society, Nottingham, UK Galaxy clusters and backsplash galaxies, public talk |
| Jul. 2019 | Sutton Trust Summer School, Nottingham, UK How to make (and break) a galaxy, hosted session for A-level students |
Media Appearances
Below is a list of public (astronomy-related!) media appearances I have made:
| Sep. 2023 | CTV Kitchener-Waterloo, September 19th 2023 TV interview about the aurora borealis (text article here) |
| Aug. 2023 | CBC Toronto, August 12th 2023 TV appearance discussing the Perseids meteor shower |
| Aug. 2023 | CBC Kitchener-Waterloo, August 11th 2023 Radio interview about the Perseids meteor shower |
