STAG Public Science Lecture | Science and Art with the James Webb Space Telescope

A public science lecture about the James Webb Space Telescope. The speaker is the deputy director of the Space Telescope Science Institute. Everybody welcome (suitable for ages 12+).The James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful telescope ever launched, has opened new windows to explore the Universe. Discoveries already span the full range of astrophysics, revealing details about the formation and evolution of the most distant galaxies and the composition of planets beyond our Solar System. The beautiful images are an artistic as well as scientific endeavour. Hear some of the latest results and get a view behind the scenes of the development and operation of 'Webb'.About the speaker: Dr. Nancy A. Levenson is the deputy director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), an 850-person, world-class research facility in Baltimore, Maryland. She provides executive-level leadership and vision across the institute and champions a science-driven approach to support its missions and the communities it serves. STScI conducts science and flight operations for NASA’s flagship astronomical observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope. It also performs science operations for the iconic Hubble Space Telescope and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.The institute engages the public with the current scientific discoveries and scientific potential of all these missions. Dr Levenson is also a research professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. Previous appointments include interim director of STScI, deputy director and head of science at Gemini Observatory, and tenured faculty at the University of Kentucky. She earned her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Levenson’s research focus is active and star-forming galaxies and their obscuration. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.The Southampton Theory, Astrophysics and Gravity (STAG) Research Centre brings together researchers at the University of Southampton with world-leading expertise on issues relating to fundamental physics and astronomy.