Dr. Shirin Haque To Deliver Harry Bayley Memorial Lecture During SciTech Expo 2010

 “Pitch, Mud and Amerindians – Astrobiology in the Caribbean”

http://sta.uwi.edu/60under60/shaque.asp

The Barbados Astronomical Society (BAS) in collaboration with the National Council for Science & Technology (NCST) will host the Harry Bayley Memorial Lecture on Saturday 13th March at 7:00 PM during the Sci-Tech Expo to be held at the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium. Dr. Shirin Haque has been invited to deliver this lecture and will arrive in Barbados on Friday 12th March. 

The Barbados Astronomical Society, an organisation of amateur astronomers, was founded by Dr. Harry Bayley in 1956. Dr. Bayley, a physician by profession, was also an avid amateur astronomer and devoted much of his spare time  to astronomical research using his 12 ½ inch Newtonian Reflector Telescope which he often set up on the YMPC grounds. 

In 1964 the BAS constructed an Observatory on Mt. Clapham on land donated by Lady Collymore  and named it in memory of Dr. Bayley. The Harry Bayley Observatory is the headquarters of the BAS and boasts a Celestron 14 inch Cassegrin Reflector as its primary instrument and a  Celestron CXG 8 inch  Altazimuth Reflector as a secondary instrument. 

The BAS is mandated in its mission statement to promote knowledge of astronomy in the school community and in general public, and in pursuit of this mandate, the  BAS conducts a series of  “Astronomy Badge” Courses for Cubs, Scouts, Brownies and other school groups as well as “Introduction to Astronomy” Courses for the general public. In addition, doors of the observatory are open to the public every Friday night from 9:00PM. For a entrance fee of $15.00,  visitors are treated to multimedia presentations, laser sky tours and incomparable views of celestial objects through various telescopes and binoculars. Saturdays are reserved for large groups by appointment. 

As part of its contribution to Sci-Tech Expo, the BAS collaborates with the NCST to present the Harry Bayley Memorial Public Lecture usually delivered by a prominent person in the astronomical community. This year Dr. Shirin Haque has been chosen. 

Dr. Haque is one of the most Caribbean eminent astronomers in the region, indeed she is head of the Department of Physics and Senior Lecturer at the University of the West Indies St. Augustine. She has given over forty lectures on a range of topics in Astronomy and Science and written numerous popular science articles for local newspapers and international magazines. 

Among her research interests are cosmology (i.e. a study of the origins and nature of the universe), observational astronomy and astrobiology. Some of her work was featured on BBC, Discovery Channel and CBC TV8 Barbados. She is also co-founder of the Caribbean Institute of Astronomy (CARINA) and a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (FRAS). Dr. Haque obviously has a personal commitment toward continuous self improvement as she is at present completing a Master of Philosophy Degree in Psychology. 

Dr. Hague’s excellence as a teacher is illustrated in her winning the Guardian Life Teaching Premium Award, the Distinguished Teacher Award from the Association of  Atlantic Universities,       (this is an international award competed for by seventeen universities) and the vice-chancellor’s award for excellence in teaching. 

This year’s lecture is entitled “Pitch, Mud and Amerindians – Astrobiology in the Caribbean” and examines how data gained from the investigation of pitch lakes mud volcanoes and Amerindian communities help scientist to determine whether  life  can possibly exist on planets and moons in our Solar System and in Planetary Systems across the Universe. 

Ricardo H. Small

President.