Creating the cosmos – an interview with Kathy Romer

University of Sussex astrophysicist Professor Kathy Romer is inviting people to create their own cosmos at the Drawing on Science workshop on 6 September at the ONCA gallery in Brighton for the British Science Festival 2017.

‘People falsely assume that the greatest scientific discoveries were made in the past’

What first sparked your interest in science?

Both my parents are scientists, so I expect my interest started in vitro.

What’s it like to have a ‘eureka’ moment?

Eureka moments are few and far between and they are anyway usually false: give it a few hours and you’ll probably figure out you made an error – so it is best to down tools and go to the pub right away to make the most of the feeling of elation while the delusion lasts.

What will the audience learn at your event?

They will learn about concepts fundamental to cosmology and astronomy and then commit those concepts to memory by drawing cartoons.

I'm also involved with part of an event called “Seeing through sound” (reference H31), together with recent Sussex graduate Daniel Hajas. The audience will learn how technology can help blind and visually impaired people to appreciate complex concepts in cosmology.

What’s important about your area of research?

On the one hand there is nothing of importance at all about my area of research (cosmology). On the other hand, what could be more important than knowing how the Universe came to be this way and what will happen to it in the future. In the distant future the Universe is likely to rip itself apart. In the near future, I hope that people will start being nicer to one another and making the most of right now, because ultimately we are all doomed.

Which scientific discovery or invention has made the greatest difference to your life?

Hard disk data storage.

Which scientific mystery would you most like solved?

Domestic power generation by nuclear fusion.

Which scientists (alive, dead or fictional) would you invite to a summer picnic?

All the undergrads in the Physics department at Sussex: people falsely assume that the greatest scientific discoveries were made in the past. What’s fabulous about my job is that I get to meet the next generation of genii before they figure out domestic power generation by nuclear fusion.

Professor Kathy Romer is inviting people to create their own cosmos at the Drawing on Science workshop for the British Science Festival.