IDAS 21st Birthday Convention May 11th 2002

 

 

After nearly nine months of careful planning and organisation by IDAS Members, our special 21st Birthday Convention finally took place on Saturday May 11th 2002. We had a very good turnout for the event, with nearly 50 people coming along to enjoy four excellent Guest Speakers. The event also allowed people to meet and chat with fellow amateur astronomers, and give them the opportunity to browse the tables of the well represented trade stands.

 

The Heanor Welfare Centre, on Wilmot Street, in Heanor was our venue for the day, and to be honest we really couldn't have had a better place to hold the Convention. There was ample room to accommodate the audience as well as the trade stands, and there was also good access to the all important amenities. There was also a very nice stage, which helped to give everyone a good view of the Speakers and the slide screen.

 

Our Master of Ceremonies for the day was our very own John Brown (Chairman), and he did a sterling job of keeping the day running to time. John began by welcoming everyone to the Convention, and he then gave a brief history of the Society.

 

Afterwards, John welcomed our first Guest Speaker onto the stage. This was Prof. Peter Coles from the University of Nottingham, who gave a talk entitled The Cosmic Microwave Background. Peter discussed the origins as well as the very latest research regarding this phenomena. Peter gave an excellent talk as usual, and it certainly put us in the right mood for the rest of the day.

 

After Peter's talk we had a 30 minute coffee break, and this allowed the audience to mingle and look around the three trade stands. Earth & Sky, Aurora Books and the Widescreen Centre came along for the day, and their attendance was very much appreciated. Books (both new and used), and astronomical equipment was available to buy at the stands. The Widescreen Centre brought along one of the new Meade LX90 GoTo telescopes, and this certainly attracted a lot of attention. A very impressive piece of kit!

 

Our second speaker, Neil Haggath then took to the stage and gave an interesting talk entitled What's in a Name. This was about the naming of astronomical objects, and is an area of astronomy that is often overlooked. Not surprisingly, Neil's talk was very well received by the audience. Unfortunately, about three quarters of the way through Neil's talk the gremlins decided to strike! The slide projector became jammed, but after some emergency surgery from John Brown and Mark Thomas, Neil was able to finish his talk - slightly later than planned. Even so, everyone appreciated at how well Neil quickly got back into the swing of things, and everyone gave him a warm round of applause at the end.

 

We then adjourned for lunch. The day was sunny and warm and while many people walked into Heanor to get a bite to eat, some sat on the grass outside the Welfare Centre taking in the Sun and eating their sandwiches. Some of the audience stayed inside and browsed over the trade stands, while Paul Hawkins, Paul Ryan and Ken McNulty worked hard to keep people well stocked with tea, coffee and biscuits.

 

After a leisurely lunch, we all returned to the Welfare Centre for the afternoon presentations. Dr Nigel Bannister from the University of Leicester gave the first of the afternoon talks, and this was entitled White Dwarfs and Rocket Shots.

 

Dr Bannister discussed his experiences of using sounding rockets, in his observations of white dwarf stars. By using these relatively small rockets his research team were able to obtain valuable astronomical data at a fraction of the price, especially when compared to how much it would cost to build a permanent orbiting observatory.

 

His state-of-the-art computer presentation was just first class, and the audience were able to witness some absolutely stunning video sequences of rocket launches - an excellent talk, and everyone was very impressed by the presentation.

 

After another 30 minute break, we then finished the day with a real treat. Sir Isaac Newton (aka Prof. Mike Edmunds of the University of Wales), walked into the room and introduced himself to the assembled audience. Mike acted the part of an aged Sir Isaac, looking back on his extraordinary life of scientific discovery. Every piece of information and anecdote that Mike used was based upon actual events and Sir Isaac's very own words.

 

As usual, Mike did a superb job of capturing the life and times of one of the greatest scientist that ever lived. This was a talk that was suitable for all, and you really didn't need to know much about Newton to appreciate Mike's superb presentation. The audience were thrilled by the talk, and as you can imagine was very well received by everyone.

 

After Mike had finished his talk, he very kindly helped to draw the numbers in the raffle. We had a good variety of prizes on offer, and a big thanks goes to Mary McNulty for her hard work in obtaining the prizes. Once the raffle was over, it was left to the audience to have a final look around the trade stands, and one last cup of tea or coffee before heading home.

 

Alas, it wasn't long before we had to start clearing up. By around 5-45pm we had finished our chores, and the IDAS 21st Birthday Convention had finally come to an end. I think everyone who had helped out during the day were exhausted, but pleased that all the hard work had resulted in a superb event.

 

We had a very good response from Members and visitors on how much they had enjoyed the day. Some even asked when we were going to hold another Convention, but to be honest, organising a regular IDAS Convention is not a practical proposition. However, our Silver Jubilee takes place in 2006, and that certainly seems like a good excuse to organise another Convention.

 

The Convention was a great way for us to commemorate our 21 years of existence, and I hope that those of you who were able to come on the day, thought so to.

 

 

Setting up before the event	Setting up before the event
John Brown (Chairman) - the MC for the day	Prof Peter Coles discusses the Cosmic Microwave Background
Neil Haggath talks about the naming of astronomical objects	Visitors take in the Sun during the Dinner break
Dinner time inside	Dr Nigel Bannister explains the use of sounding rockets in astronomical research
The Widescreen Centre's stand	A busy Earth & Sky stand
Prof Mike Edmunds as Sir Isaac Newton	Harry Bingham talks to a member of the audience
The audience browse the Earth & Sky stand	The day is almost over -  one last chance to buy something!