From
Stonehenge to Gemini:
A Venture Between Science and Technology
with
Jean-René Roy, Université Laval
From the earliest tracking of the motions of the stars during the Stone
Age to the discovery of the expansion of the universe in the 20th century,
astronomy has held an irresistible fascination for humanity.
The quest to know the universe is also the story of the development of
powerful new tools and technology to make that exploration possible. Perhaps
nowhere is this relationship clearer than in the successful and substantial
Canadian contributions to the new international Gemini telescopes, two
revolutionary instruments that are giving Canada and its scientists a
window on the universe.
An astrophysicist at Université Laval in Quebec City, Jean-René
Roy is one of Canada's best known scientists. As head Canadian scientist
on the Gemini project, he has been closely involved with all aspects of
the telescopes and the exciting research that will be carried out with
them. His own field is the evolution of galaxies and the feeding of interstellar
matter with new chemical elements from stars. He's also the author of
Les Héritiers de Prométhée, a new book that deals
with the relationship of science and society and the impact that science
and technology have had on the development of civilization.
Co-Sponsors:
--the Speaker of the Senate, the Hon. Gildas Molgat
--the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Hon. Gilbert Parent
--Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE)
--NSERC
DATE: Thursday, February 10, 2000 from 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
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