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Asked by 831etrc44 to Daniel, Freya, James, Miranda, Usman on 15 Jun 2015.
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Freya Wilson answered on 15 Jun 2015:
So the idea is that my work in making messages and communications secure means that people will be able to stop their bank accounts and email accounts getting hacked into, and reduce identity fraud, and also so that people can communicate secretly without other people listening in. So, in wars our armed forces could talk to each other about special missions without fear of the enemy finding out.
I study light that you can’t see- its the same stuff as light but instead of the light waves being short so you can see them, they are long so you can’t but they are still all around us. They’re called microwaves and they are the same things that heat up your food in your kitchen microwave, and they also are used to send wi-fi signals and mobile phone signals.
If we can make anything sent via microwaves secret then all your phone calls and wi-fi can be secret too.
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Daniel Hewson answered on 15 Jun 2015:
Colour influences our lives in many ways and is something that people and animals have an emotional and physical response to. Animals often use colour displays to attract a mate or to warn other animals of danger. We humans also use colour to attract attention and create a mood. Typically, colour is produced using pigments and dyes which eventually fade. I can produce colour that is iridescent and will never fade. I study how light interacts with my samples by shining lasers onto them and using detectors to collect the light that is reflected. I also use filters to change the type of light I shine on the sample.
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James Gilbert answered on 15 Jun 2015:
The equipment I help build is able to split light up into all the colours you can see (and some you can’t, like infra red and ultra-violet), but in immense detail. You can tell very similar colours apart with enough sensitivity to spot individual chemical elements ‘glowing’ within stars.
My work mainly enables us (and by ‘us’ I mean the human race, but with the help of astronomers) to learn about where we came from in the universe. So generally speaking, if we are able to understand more about the universe, this can have a big impact on peoples’ lives. Of course, there are some people who don’t care about this at all.. it’s personal opinion.
But! The technology developed for astronomy and space exploration has enhanced our everyday lives in more ways than most people know. For example: WiFi, CT scanners, and computer algorithms for medical diagnosis all come from astronomy. There are loads of space technologies, from solar panels to cordless drills!
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Miranda Jackson answered on 15 Jun 2015:
My current research is primarily in pure science, which is not in itself meant to change society beyond the contribution of knowledge, but it is possible that a device I build or a program I write will be of benefit to others. I also do quite a lot of teaching, and I hope that my work in that could help nuture the scientists of the future. For instance, I am currently working on building a number of detectors for cosmic rays, designed to be used by school students and their teachers, and I hope the students will be encouraged to study science.
I study X-ray and gamma-rays, which are at the highest energy part of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is similar to “light” that we can see, but at much higher energies and with somewhat different properties. For instance, we are protected from X-rays and gamma-rays that travel through space by our atmosphere. This is a good thing, in one way, but it means that I need to use data from satellites orbiting above the atmosphere in order to do my research.
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Usman Bashir answered on 26 Jun 2015:
Hi 831etrc44,
As a cancer researcher my work is very deeply rooted in improving the life of cancer patients. I do it by finding ways to detect it when its still small and has not spread everywhere. Do check out my profile i have added some cool pics – they should explain what I do n how. And do leave more questions !
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