Exploring the Universe: Students Inspired by Talk from UK Space Agency Chief Scientist

After completing a Space Fundamentals course, some of our Physics students had the opportunity to hear from Professor Adam Amara, Chief Scientist at the UK Space Agency, in a talk that brought their learning to life. Combining practical career insights with cutting-edge cosmology, the session built on the course content and explored the big questions about the universe and future of space science.

Lower Sixth student, Archie, wrote about this fantastic experience:

Just recently I had the pleasure of attending an engaging and informative talk at the College led by Professor Adam Amara, Chief Scientist of the UK space agency. The talk was split into two segments, with the initial talk covering the Space Fundamentals course that we had the opportunity to complete, covering a myriad of applicable skills and knowledge that could be brought to the table for any job concerning space. After this, the talk shifted to a more theoretical view on space covering the recent cosmological discoveries and insights into the future of the universe.

The Space Fundamentals course covered six modules: “Why space?”, “How space works”, “Earth Observation”, “Space Law”, “Humans in space” and “The Space Economy”. My personal favourite was “The Space Economy”, which covered people funding research into space and the ways space contributes to our economy, providing an in-depth insight into how the satellites are all cogs in the great machine that is our society. The first talk covered these topics and highlighted the job and study opportunities in these areas around Guildford and at Surrey University.

Finally, Professor Amara gave a brief but inspiring talk about the recent cosmological discoveries that have changed our understanding of the universe. He covered Dark Matter, the enigmatic substance which supposedly makes up the majority of the matter in the Universe. Throwing us into the deep end, he moved onto Dark Energy, the mysterious substance which causes the rate of increase of the universe’s expansion, with the million-dollar question being does W=-1. We swept through the ages covering Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, discoveries of exoplanets and the new telescopes being built to observe and find them. 

The talk offered students a valuable combination of practical knowledge and scientific exploration, highlighting both career pathways in the space industry and the exciting mysteries still shaping our understanding of the universe. Professor Amara’s insights left students with a deeper appreciation of space science and its real-world impact.