View more Archive News
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Physics was brought to life for students from across the borough
in a fascinating talk about how the reaction that powers the sun
could provide a clean energy source for the future. Dr
Melanie Windridge delivered a lecture entitled "Powering the
Future: Fusion" at Bolton Central Library as part of the Ogden
Trust Partnership series of lectures and events and was enjoyed by
Year 11, 12 and 13 students from Bolton School Girls' Division and
Boys' Division, Canon Slade, St Catherine's, Thornleigh and Bolton
Muslim Girls' School.
The talk focused on the need for new energy resources and how
physicists are trying to replicate the fusion reaction that powers
the sun in experiments at places such as Joint European Torus
(JET), the world's largest fusion experiment at Culham Centre for
Fusion Energy. Dr Windridge related much of the presentation
to everyday physics that takes place in the classroom as she talked
about the potential for harnessing the energy produced in the
fusion reaction as a future alternative to fossil fuels.
The talk was one of a series of events organised by Mr Brendan
Ickringill, Ogden Physics Teaching Fellow for the region and based
at Bolton School, which are aimed at encouraging young people to go
on and study Physics or Chemistry at university. Students
from Thornleigh and Bolton School Boys' Division also recently
attended a lecture at The University of Manchester about Biomedical
Imaging: Where Physics and Medicine Meet.
Dr Windridge has a PhD in Fusion Energy from Imperial College
and has spent much of her time at the Joint European Torus (JET)
research facility at Culham Centre for Fusion Energy. In 2010
she was the Institute of Physics Schools' Lecturer and spoke to
over 10,000 students about fusion. She has made many TV and
radio appearances.
Share or bookmark with: