Profile
Heather Campbell
My CV
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Education:
PhD in Supernovae Cosmology from University of Portsmouth, MPhys from University of Sussex, Weald of Kent School, Capel Primary School
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Qualifications:
PhD
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Work History:
Post Doc at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge
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Current Job:
Researcher in Astronomy
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Read more
The Gaia Satellite Mission is scanning the whole sky many times to map position and motions of the billion brightest stars in the Galaxy. But because it looks at the whole sky many times we can search for transient objects, things which change in brightness, like explosions of stars. However, once Gaia finds a new source it might not look at it again for a month, and thats too late! So I’m spending a lot of time at the moment going to telescopes around the world getting more information of these objects, taking spectra to find out what they are and images to see how they change in brightness. But we (astronomers) can’t get enough telescope time to get enough information on all the objects Gaia will find, about 3 Supernovae per day, so we need schools to help! You can use robotic telescopes (e.g. the Faulkes telescopes) from your classroom to observe the new sources, help work out what they are and contribute to real scientific discoveries.
I’m also involved in outreach of the Gaia satellite, this included taking a stand about the satellite to shows around the country, visiting astronomy societies, and schools, teacher training events and helping make these animations http://gaia.ac.uk/multimedia/gaia-one-minute.
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My Typical Day:
Use computers to analysis data from supernovae and discuss science ideas with colleagues.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Arrange for the schools involved in I’m a scientist to visit the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Enthusiastic, driven, bubbly.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not really, I loved school, always wanted to learn more, and still do today.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Changes all the time, but a singer I always love is Nina Simone.
What's your favourite food?
Chocolate, couldn’t live with out it!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I had more time using telescopes, clearer skies (I’m writing this while at a telescope in Italy which we cant use due to lots of cloud) and I had more confidence.
Tell us a joke.
How do astronomers see in the dark? They use standard candles
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