The Vega Science Trust

Latest News
Latest News from the Vega Science Trust

22/03/2012	Vega Science Trust to Close
	Sadly after 17 years the charity the Vega Science Trust is to close. This means that there will be no new productions on behalf of the Trust. The good news is that the existing archive of Vega films will continue to stream. The Vega Science Trust would like to thank all those that participated in the productions (the building of the website and the content), the trustees, sponsors, volunteers and staff and last but not least the Vega audience. Thank you!

06/06/2011	Solar Cell Video
	A short video looking at solar cells. Jonathan explains how solar cells work in generating electricity. He then shows us some of the ways in which he uses solar power to enhance his work and home life.

08/03/2011	New Server to enable streaming of mpg4
	We are very happy to announce that we have just installed a new video server to enable access to Vega streamed videos on iphones and ipads etc. This came after requests from viewers wishing to watch Vega videos from ipads as part of taught science class work. The new server should also enable us to provide higher quality videos streams in future.

19/11/2010	Graphene and the Carbon Revolution
	Part 1 of the 2 part series of short videos explaining what graphene is and how it fits in with the revolution in carbon science.

19/11/2010	What is Graphene?
	In October 2010 the Nobel Prize for Physics was won by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov at Manchester University for their work on graphene but if you are left wondering just what graphene is then watch this video. Jonathan explains all.

18/10/2010	Sue Hartley
	`The 300 Million Year War` - Biomass v Herbivores. Video recorded in 2010, a University of Sussex public lecture by Sue Hartley, Professor of Ecology at Sussex University. Here Sue tells us some interesting facts about plants (Biomass) and their success in surviving herbivores (Animals).

08/08/2010	Andrew Spielman
	An interview with Andrew Spielman on `Environmentally Friendly Intervention and Long-term Sustainable Solutions for the Control of Malaria` has just been up-loaded in Flash format.

02/08/2010	Malcolm Heggie
	Malcolm Heggie, Sussex University gives a lecture on one of the 3 forms of carbon - graphite sheets. He tells us more about the use of carbon in nuclear energy and his research on the folding properties of graphene.

07/07/2010	Ram Rao
	The Face to Face interview (3 videos) with Ram Rao has been re-encoded to Flash format.

07/072010	The Nano2Hybrids Research Project
	Its the end of the EU funded Nano2hybrid research project where 8 research groups over Europe set out to invent a benzene gas sensor based on carbon nanotubes. A short film summing up the project and highlighting the results of the research can now be viewed.

05/07/2010	Infrared Photography
	Jonathan shows us that by attaching a simple filter to a standard digital camera we can take Infrared photographs. These can be very beautiful and also very informative. One of five modules supported by SEPnet (South East Physics Network) to aid GCSE Physics workshops and revision.

01/07/2010	New Instructional Mini Films
	Five new mini films by Jonathan Hare of the Creative Science Centre and BBC Rough Science have been produced and added to the Vega website.

16/05/2010	Women in Science on Vega
	A collection of videos high-lighting women working in science from the Vega Science Trust.

27/04/2010	Richard Ernst
	The fascinating documentary on Nobel Laureate Richard Ernst who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of modern NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) techniques has been up-loaded in Flash format. On this video Richard Ernst talks to Harry Kroto and Ed Goldwyn about his research, his family life and his passion for his collection of Tibetan art.

27/04/2010	Gustav Born
	A fantastic documentary on Pathophysiologist Gustav Born (son of Max Born) now up-loaded in Flash. Filmed in 2004 Gus Born is interviewed by Harry Kroto and Ed Goldwyn on his research work and his unusual and interesting family background.

27/04/2010	Max Perutz
	The second in our interviews with Nobel Laureate and molecurlar biologist Max Perutz has been up-loaded in Flash. In 2000 Harry Kroto interviewed Sir Max Perutz at his home in Cambridge.

15/03/2010	Jacques Monod
	New Flash encoding of a rare interview with French Nobel Laureate and Biologist Jacques Monod.

15/03/2010	Interview with Richard Friend
	New Flash encoding of an interview with Sir Richard Friend, Cambridge University. Here he discusses his research work on conjugated polymers, time-resolved optical spectroscopy and molecular conductors and magnets.

26/02/2010	Interview with Fred Sanger
	Re-encoded to Flash format! Scientist Fred Sanger is often considered the father of modern molecular biology, and is one of the few people to have been awarded two Nobel prizes. Working in Cambridge he developed a new chromatographic method for determining amino-acid end-groups. His new chromatographic results on the free amino groups of insulin were published in 1945 and the complete sequence of insulin in 1955.

26/02/2010	Interview with George Gray
	Encoded to Flash format an interviewed by Harry Kroto with scientist George Gray has contributed fundamentally to the research and development of liquid crystal materials which comprise the Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) that are so essential to today`s information based society.

26/02/2010	Interview 1 with Max Perutz
	From the Vega archive of interviews with scientists, interview 1 with Max Perutz, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge has been re-encoded to Flash format. Nobel Laureate Max Perutz discovered the structure of Haemoglobin.

12/02/2010	Reflections on Science
	The Reflections on Science series has now been re-encoded to Flash format. This series features well known scientists explaining to an audience key aspects of science. The photograph on the left is of Sir John Cornforth the British Nobel Laureate for Chemistry with his wife Rita. In his programme he disentangles an historically important puzzle in steroid synthesis and explains how to be right and wrong.

12/02/2010	Royal Institution Discourses
	The Royal Institution Discourses have now been re-encoded to stream in Flash format. The picture on the left shows the famous Evolutionary Biologist John Maynard-Smith presenting his highly popular R.I. lecture on the Origin of Life.

03/01/2010	Interview with Aaron Ciechanover
	Aaron Ciechanover was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2004 for the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated degradation. Here he talks about his life up until and after the Nobel Prize was awarded.

29/01/2010	Interview with Robert Curl
	Harry Kroto interviews fellow Nobel Laureate and spectroscopist Robert Curl. Both were awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1996 with Richard Smalley for the discovery of fullerenes.

03/12/2009	The Next Big Thing Discussions
	The Next Big Thing Discussions on topics such as Nanotechnology, Stem Cell Research, Energy, Ageing, Disease, Mobile Phone Safety, GM Foods have been re-encoded to Flash format for ease of viewing.

20/11/2009	Interview with Theodor W. Hänsch
	To the list of interviews with Nobel Laureates in Physics we have just up-loaded an interview with Theodor W. Hänsch who was awarded the Prize in 2005 for his contribution to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy.

15/11/2009	Interview with Yuan T. Lee
	Added to the list of interviews with Chemistry Nobel Laureates is and interview with Yuan T. Lee who shared the Nobel Prize in 1986 for contributions concerning the dynamics of chemical elementary process.

12/11/2009	Interview with Richard R. Schrock
	Just added to the list of interviews with Chemistry Nobel Laureates is an interview with Richard R. Schrock who shared the Nobel Prize for the development of the metalthesis method in organic synthesis.

09/10/2009	77 Below
	Artist Lita Albuquerque travels to the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica with a team including science adviser Simon Balm and film producer Sophie Dia Pegrum. Watch how Lita`s art installation which maps the stars above the South Pole comes into fruition.

07/10/2009	Harry Kroto
	The Vega Science Trust wishes Harry Kroto its Chairman and Co-founder a very Happy Seventieth Birthday! You can view videos of lectures by Harry here, here and here and see Harry in action interviewing many scientists such as Fred Sanger here.

23/9/2009	Lectures
	Four lectures given by Nobel Laureates Paul Crutzen, Sherwood Rowland, Martinus Veltman and Gerardus `t Hooft which recorded at previous Lindau Meetings of Nobel Laureates have been just added to the Vega website under other lectures.

04/8/2009	An Interview with Sir John Walker
	In 2006 an interview with Sir John Walker was recorded at the Lindau Meeting of Nobel Prize Winners. Here he discusses in-depth his background, education and career in a three part series which can be viewed here.

29/7/2009	Bill Gates puts Classic Feynman Lectures on-line
	Lots of interesting blogs and articles on Bill Gates purchasing a set of early Feynman lectures to view on Microsoft`s Reseach site under the title Project Tuva this month but if you have not already watched the set of four Douglas Robb Memorial lectures recorded at Auckland University some years after the Project Tuva lectures they can be viewed here on Vega . These lectures have recently been compared very favourably to the Project Tuva lectures by some Feynman fans.

28/7/2009	New Flash Encodings
	Three programmes: An Interview with Sir John Cornforth, NL, an Interview with Walter Kohn, NL and a Royal Society Lecture given by Paul Hoffman on the life of Paul Erdös have been encoded to play in Flash format. In addition a lecture given by Sir Harry Kroto at Toyo University, Japan to mark the 20th anniversary of the University and in memory of Rick Smalley who died in 2005 has been added to the website.

28/7/2009	NanoSeries
	While working on the N2H project - a research project with the aim of inventing a nano gas sensor Chris and Irene decided to make some short videos explaining what carbon nanotubes are! Here we learn about different carbon nano forms, how nanotubes are made, what they are used for and how we can see them.

9/7/2009	New Face-to-Face Interview with Wilson Greatbatch
	Wilson Greatbatch is attributed to advancing the development of the early implantable cardiac pacemaker. In this interview he discusses these developments.

5/6/2009	New Video Diaries on the N2H project website
	New video diaries produced by the Vega Science Trust have been uploaded to the N2H (How to invent the tiniest gas sensor?) website. To view please go to Nano2hybrids or for an quick glance at the Introduction and latest results see Vega here.

27/5/2009	Climate Change - Call for Internet Education
	In an interview with the UK newspaper - The Times, Vega Chairman, Sir Harry Kroto calls for an increase in education on the internet to help towards changing attitudes and combating climate change. Read article.

25/5/2009	ST. James`s Palace Nobel Symposium
	View interviews and videos with six of the participants from the Nobel Symposium talking about their science and their global sustainability concerns on the Vega website. Here, here, here and here.

2/4/2009	EU Diversity Project Film
	A new and exciting EU project looking at ways in which to promote women into decision making positions in science has just started. Vega was invited to make a short film on the initial meeting between scientists, departmental managers and politicians. Link to view the film here.

5/1/2009	Five New Mini-Films by Jonathan Hare
	Five new instructional mini-films, Giant Fullerenes, C60 and Nanotubes, Fresnel Lens, Transistor and Electrical Generator Demonstration have been added to the existing set of ten videos already on the site. These films are intended to be used in workshops or class with accompanying information provided by Jonathan.

2/11/2008	Interviews with Nanotechnologists
	Don`t forget to watch the new video diaries from the N2H project if you want to find out how near scientists are getting to inventing the tiniest gas sensor.

1/11/2008	New Rotblat Tapes
	9 previously unseen and rare tapes from an interview with Sir Joseph Rotblat have been added to the website.

31/10/2008	Review of Vega Website
	To see review of the Vega Science Trust on Hero - the official gateway to Universities, Colleges and Research and Research Organisations in the UK.

18/07/2008	General Update

	The Large Hadron Collider
	A series of 8 short documentaries licensed to Vega from the Science and Technology Facilities Council high-lighting research work being carried out at Large Hadron Collider, CERN including hunting for the Higgs and research on the Big Bang and Anti-matter.

	The Quest for the Higgs
	A film teaser - short documentary into the innermost structure of the Universe by produced by Martijn Veltman with Martinus Veltman as concepts provider/executive producer.

	Women Working In Nanotechnology
	A documentary to high-light an EU funded project supporting women working in nanotechnology `WomenInNano` was completed and can be watched here.

	New Face-to-Face Interview
	A very rare interview of Jacque Monod produced by ex-Horizon producer Edward Goldwyn has been kindly licensed to the Trust. Don`t miss it here.

	New Lecture by Michael Kasha
	A rare film of Michael Kasha lecturing on the 7 essential highlights of Quantum Mechanical concepts in Chemical Physics recorded at Florida State University has been up-loaded here.

	STFC website
	A new version of the Vega website including all of the Vega content in the Science and Technology Facilities Council subject areas is now up and running. STFC.Vega The content on this site has been re-encoded to Flash for streaming.

	Website
	Vega has completed the re-encoding all of content on the website to Real10 with the exception of the Rotblat Face-to-Face interview 1, thus increasing the quality of the streamed content dramatically. Work to improve and up-date the website is on-going.

	Jonathan Hare`s Mini Films
	We now have a set of 10 instructional mini films completed. These films sponsored by the Leverhulme Trust are part of a research project on ways to use the internet for teaching. Jonathan is available to give on-line mentoring.

	Leverhulme Project Bonny Eagle High School, Maine, USA where Vega is working with teacher Russel Taylor. If you would like to be involved with the Leverhulme school`s internet outreach project please email replacing `at` with @.

	N2H up-date
	A set of short documentaries giving an overview to the Nano2Hybrids nanotechnology project was completed and posted to the Vega website. The video diaries are in full swing, the project has just passed mid-term and the research going well see: nano2hybrids

11/06/2007	General Update
	The Leverhulme Project - we are producing a set of educational modules to be used in teaching. These can be seen at Vega Workshop Videos. We are also working on an exciting new Nanotechnology project which gives a view into the working lives of a group of European scientists developing a Nanotechnology research project. the project takes the form of a short documentary and on-going video diaries and a holding site can be found at: www.nano2hybrids.net Harry Kroto has been working on an outreach project from Florida State University. A joint Vega/FSU project. Programmes can been seen at: http://www.geoset.info In addition we are in the process or re-digitising all the programmes on the site. This work is almost complete and we hope that you like the higher quality streaming video. Three lectures have been added to the site under Vega Science Lectures. These are three lectures by Kroto, Tonomura and Woolfson recorded at the Bionanotechnology symposium which was held at Toyo University. Extensive work has taken place on the website`s server entailing the removal and re-installing of all the video material and re-installing new software. A series of 8 Astrophysical lectures by Harry Kroto have been added under Vega Science Lectures. Two Face-to-Face interviews with Gustav Born and Richard Friend have been added to the Face-to-Face series of interviews. Andrew Spielman`s Issue programme on Malaria was completed and added to the site. Many new interviews with Nobel Laureates have been added to the Interviews with Nobel Laureates pages under Chemistry, Physics or Medicine. We still have further interviews to edit and are working on these at present.


24/07/2005	General Update
	Presently Vega is working on two new Face to Face programmes on Richard Friend and Gustav Born. A new Issues programme featuring Andrew Speilman an expert on Malaria. Fourteen new interviews with Nobel Laureates from the 2005 Lindau meeting. A third series of Snapshot programmes to be broadcast on the BBC in November. Harry Kroto and Jonathan Hare are working on Internet workshops to schools and the website is being up-dated. In addition we are experimenting with making DVDs as an alternative to VHS.

08/05/2005	Snapshots Repeated
	The second series is to be repeated on the BBC`s Learning Zone.

04/06/2005	Lindau: Series Two
	The second series of Lindau interviews has been added to the site. Eleven new interviews with Nobel Laureates who were awarded the prize for Physics were recorded during the 2004 meeting at Lindau have been added to the site. To see these programmes click here

24/05/2005	Issues Series Launched
	A new series of programmes on issues of scientific concern has been launched, starting with a lively and entertaining interview with Tony Benn talking about his work during the period he was Minister for Science. Interviewed by Harry Kroto. For more information click here

05/05/2005	Snapshots Broadcast On The BBC
	The second series of Snapshots is broadcast on the BBC`s Learning Zone. To see these programmes on the Vega website click here

03/05/2005	Snapshots Series Wins Award
	The second series of Snapshots is awarded a Learning on Screen Award for the best non-broadcast production. These awards are given for excellence in production of educational programmes.

07/02/2005:	Snapshots: Series Two
	A second series of 4 new Snapshots - The `day in the life` programmes on young scientists has been added to the site. Featuring a Chemist, Psychologist, an Engineer and an expert on Malaria. To see these programmes on the Vega website click here

24/03/2004:	Vega Awards 2004
	The 4th International Vega Awards For Excellence in Scientific Broadcasting are back for 2004, after taking a break for a year. Visit the page for more information and an entry form by clicking here

29/03/2004:	Face to Face: George Gray
	A new interview with George Gray (who has contributed fundamentally to the research and development of liquid crystal materials) has been added to the Face to Face series. Visit the page by clicking here

23/03/2004:	Face to Face: Ram Rao
	A new interview with Ram Rao (who is a prolific science writer and who has published many papers and books) has been added to the Face to Face series. Visit the page by clicking here

18/03/2004:	Lindau Documentary
	A new Vega documentary that follows six students and their experiences of meeting their idols at the 2003 Lindau Nobel Prize Winners Meeting has been added to the site. Visit the page by clicking here

05/03/2004:	Meccano Clubs
	The Meccano Club pages are a new Vega initiative with the aim of establishing after school engineering clubs based around Meccano.

20/03/2004:	Website update: New Server Online
	The new server has been installed and now is running 100% of the vega site.

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