Astronomy at King’s & The Centre for Visualization in Science

Hi friends, welcome back to a new blog!

Have you ever walked through King’s and found some really neat space pictures shown on the television screens? Have you ever wondered where those pictures came from? Who took them? Well I’m pleased to tell you that those pictures are taken right from King’s very own research centre! In honor of Astronomy Day tomorrow, I thought I would talk a little about where these space pictures come from. If you’re interested in knowing more about our own research centre, you’re in luck because this blog is going to be all about this research center in Q & A form!

Q #1: What is the research center called?
The research centre of The King’s University is called King’s Centre for Visualization in Science! (KCVS for short)

Q #2: What is it?
This is a research centre that continually works towards understanding science in Canada by creating inventive ways of visualizing science, for example, they developed an interactive periodic table. It’s also a the source of our really stunning space photography!

Q #3: Who is included in this research centre?
Our very own professors, Brian Martin who teaches astronomy courses here at King’s, and Peter Mahaffy who teaches chemistry courses at King’s are co-directors of this centre. They also work alongside a team of undergraduate researchers from a wide range of disciplines. You do not have to be a science student to do some awesome research!

Q #4: How long has this research centre been around?
It has been around for 12 years, and started in 2007! There are some pictures on their website of future students who have done some amazing contributions towards the KCVS.

Q #5: Do you offer astronomy as a major?
Since astronomy is relevant to the KCVS, I thought I’d mention this because we get a lot of questions on this! We do offer some astronomy courses, but not as a major. We do, however, offer a variety of courses on astronomy that you are more than welcome to take! The astronomy course list can be found here.

Q #5: How do I get involved with research and the KCVS?
Ask! Peter Mahaffy and Brian Martin are always so excited to tell students more about the KCVS research centre and perhaps recruit any interested minds itching to do some research!

There you have it friends, 5 important questions and some facts you may or may not have known about our research centre. Hopefully I’ve sparked some interest amongst some of you! If you would like to know more about the King’s Centre for Visualization in Science, click here to be directed to their website. Talk to you in the next blog!  

Yours Truly,

Bianca