To consolidate the knowledge I got from these talks, I decided to do a powerpoint after each talk.
Chernobyl 25 years after
4 June 2pm @ Science Centre Singapore
It happened a quarter of a century ago but Dr Sergei Belyakov still remembers vividly how much he suffered from high radiation exposure after the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant meltdown on 26 April 1986. The Ukrainian-born scientist was part of a Soviet clean-up crew assigned to tackle the world`s worst nuclear plant disaster. In this cafe, Dr Belyakov will share his experiences about the disaster, his 40-day stint at the stricken plant and the aftermath. Of more recent concern, Japan has upgraded the Fukushima nuclear emergency to the maximum of 7 on an international scale for atomic crises. This is the first time this highest ranking has been invoked since the Chernobyl disaster. Dr Belyakov will also be sharing his impressions of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant crisis. General aspects of nuclear energy, the workings of a nuclear reactor, radiation and the dangers of mishandling radiation, etc will also be discussed.
Link to Document:
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AViV8cbBcGW9ZGZ0d3R3andfNzhkbnF2Y250Nw&hl=en_US
Singapore Dragonflies
21 June 11am @ Science Centre Singapore
Mr Robin Ngiam is a Senior Project Officer from the National Biodiversity Centre. He is basically an odonatologist and the author of the dragonfly book that NParks will be publishing next month. This special session aims to create awareness of the diversity of dragonflies in Singapore, and their fascinating existence and contribution to the biodiversity. Robin will also be introducing few species of dragonflies and what their habitats are. Remember those colourful ones flitting over the canal, storm drain or pond? Why there? Despite our highly urbanised environment, one third of all dragonflies in Singapore can still be found in our parks. Forty species were found living around the ponds in our parks, such as Bishan Park, Kent Ridge Park and Toa Payoh Town Park. The NParks book is a compilation of a 2-year survey of “local” dragonflies. The book introduces the species of dragonflies that are found around the island, how they are useful to us and the ecosystem, and the efforts to conserve these species in Singapore. This book will allow dragonfly lovers to witness dragonflies in their own habitats – around our own home. After the talk, you are invited to observe the dragonflies in our EcoGarden.
Link to Document:
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AViV8cbBcGW9ZGZ0d3R3andfMTYxZGg1c3YyZHY&hl=en_US
Astronomy Talk
24 June 7pm - 9pm @ Science Centre Singapore
Encourage your children's interest in astronomy. Join us to learn about the evolution of optical instruments in astronomy and the amazing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) which was launched into space in 1990. Discover the fascinating facts about the HST and how it beams hundreds of thousands of images back to Earth, shedding light on the great mysteries of astronomy and advancing our knowledge of the universe. Are there planets beyond our solar system? Look at the beautiful images from HST and marvel at new stars, galaxies and more…
Kalaimani s/o Retnasamy has been in the teaching service for the past 34 years. He has been interested in Astronomy since 1969. He is the founder member of The Astronomical Society of Singapore and has been its Secretary for many years. He has given hundreds of talks on astronomy to society members, schools, interest groups, schools and the general public.
Link to Document:
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AViV8cbBcGW9ZGZ0d3R3andfMjYyZm5iM3JnZGI&hl=en_US
