Astronomy & Astrophysics at Nottingham

The primary focus of our research in Nottingham is to understand the formation and evolution of galaxies. Galaxies form the building blocks of the observable Universe, and typical galaxies, like the Milky Way, may contain over 100 billion stars. A major challenge in astrophysics is to understand how and when galaxies were formed, and how they evolved from the earliest systems to produce the variety of phenomena we see today.

We tackle these important problems in a number of ways. One approach is to study local galaxies, which we can study in exquisite, beautiful detail. Another technique is to study more distant galaxies in a wide variety of environments, including very dense regions of the Universe known as galaxy clusters. A key aim in this second approach is to understand the relative roles of 'nature' versus 'nurture' in influencing galaxy evolution. Yet another approach is to obtain very long exposures on large telescopes to study the most distant galaxies of all, to observe them in the act of formation. When we observe distant galaxies we are also looking back in time, and remarkably we can now observe galaxies as they were up to 13 billion years ago.

Complementing our various observational strategies, we also use theoretical models and computer simulations. With the latest supercomputers we can model the formation and growth of structure from the Big Bang to the present day, and by comparing our models and simulations with the real Universe we can determine if our theories accurately reflect reality, or if we are missing some key physical processes.

Finally we are developing a new interdisciplinary project with colleagues on the Nottingham Granular Dynamics group. The aim is to understand the properties of dust and rubble in the solar system, applying the unusual physics of granular systems that we have studied in the laboratory to astrophysical environments.

In summary, we are tackling a wide variety of problems in astronomy and astrophysics. The overall motivation is to understand the Universe we live in, and to understand our own origins on the grandest possible scales.

We are committed to delivering the impact of our research to all potential beneficiaries, which include both a broad societal audience through our outreach activities, and more commercially-oriented recipients through knowledge exchange. There is also a significant cross-over between these audiences, since our success in establishing innovative outreach activity has led us to develop the commercialization of these programmes as well. We seek to integrate these activities in the daily running of the group, to emphasize their importance and to get students and staff at all levels actively involved.

In outreach, as well as the traditional routes such as public lectures and talks to clubs and societies, we have sought to develop new channels to reach a wider audience. These initiatives include "The Inflativerse," a programme led entirely by our PDRAs and PhD students, that won funding from the University to purchase an inflatable planetarium and develop shows for it. Working with the University's widening participation unit, we target schools that serve underprivileged neighbourhoods, seeking to raise interest and aspirations of the children at these schools. We are currently reaching more than 2000 children per year with this initiative.

With Bamford serving as science director for the Citizen Science Alliance, we are also strongly involved in this movement, particularly the Galaxy Zoo projects to classify galaxies. These projects have engaged more than a million members of the public world-wide, getting them actively interested in science and developing their understanding of the scientific method. Bamford's responsibility for the oversight of scientific impact means that he also plays a key role in closing the loop by turning this outreach activity back into cutting-edge published scientific results.

In collaboration with video journalist Brady Haran, we have established a very strong presence on YouTube, describing the science that we undertake, as well as broader topics in physics and astronomy, through the "Sixty Symbols" video channel. These videos are intended to interest the public in science, and feedback through the associated comments forum indicates that they have a strong impact, even to the extent of changing people's educational and career aspirations. This channel currently has more than 180,000 subscribers, and the videos have been watched more than 16 million times.

The success of this programme has led to commercial knowledge exchange, as Google directly solicited new material for YouTube from Haran, and we developed the "Deep Sky Videos" channel to present videos with just an astronomical theme. The European Southern Observatory have subsequently brought in our experience, and academic staff together with Haran will be filming footage for them in Chile later this year. We also competed successfully for funding from STFC to spin this approach out to describing their facilities, through the "Backstage Science" video programme we developed.

In addition, we are involved in more conventional knowledge exchange, mainly relating to Pearce's expertise in modelling cosmological fluid dynamics. We have developed collaborations with engineers at the University that reach out to commercial partners including Rolls Royce to model the lubrication of engines, and Ambiental to study three-dimensional flood models.

These programmes are at varying degrees of maturity, and our plan for the coming few years is to realize the investment that we have made in developing these activities by making full use of them to present our work to the widest possible audience, while looking for opportunities to develop new complementary initiatives. In doing so, we will seek to maintain the basic ethos of embedding these activities in the core work of the group, and of involving students and staff at all levels in delivering the impact of our research.