“Obama’s vision for the future of NASA…is putting a lot of stock in the private sector,” says Paul Delaney, a professor of physics & astronomy in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Science & Engineering. “There have been a lot of groups that have been trying to position themselves to take advantage of what they see as a commercial opportunity in the coming decade. And I think they are right.”

Delaney says Obama’s vision is clear on what the next generation of space exploration vehicle should do: study near-Earth asteroids – and their potential wealth of resources – and get ready to go to Mars.

If industry can deliver on the “low-Earth orbit” side of space exploration, he says, such as the “taxi” activity of restocking the International Space Station, NASA will be free to pursue larger goals “of getting away from Earth entirely.”

But Canada ultimately stands to profit, Delaney says, pointing to our track record in robotics and space technology, which will be needed as the groundwork is laid for future travel. “There’s a good history here as far as developing space hardware, instrumentation,” he says. “I think you’re going to see stepped-up activity from Canadian industry to contribute in a more significant way.”

91��ɫ has considerable space research capacity through the (CRESS) and the . Recently, one of , funded by and the (CSA).

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, with files courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Delaney also spoke to CTV News Aug 2 about the 50-50 odds Canadians have for seeing the northern lights this week, provided the skies cooperate by staying clear:

The sun has entered a solar maximum, a stormy period in the sun's activity cycle that recently resulted in a coronal mass ejection -- a release of a large amount of charged particles that are hurtling towards the Earth at high speeds.

91��ɫ astronomer Paul Delaney said the result is that the incoming charged particles "are going to interact with the Earth's magnetic field, or magnetosphere."

"We've got a 50-50 chance that as those particles rain down into our atmosphere, they will trigger extensive aurora borealis -- the northern lights -- all across the northern hemisphere from about Toronto's latitude and further north," Delaney told CTV News Channel during an interview in Toronto on Tuesday morning.

Delaney's interview is also available on .

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer

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From traditional deep sky wonders (galaxies) to local highlights (the moon and planets of the solar system) to new vistas (comets and supernovae), this innovative online experience means that you can sit back at home and join the observatory team as they explore the heavens.

An online forum is also available if you are interested in chatting with the observing team. You can also ask questions and even send in requests for objects to observe. There is no charge to join this Web opportunity and anyone with an interest in astronomy or space science will enjoy the experience.

The service will be online Monday evenings for two to three hours after twilight. For more information on exact times when the service is available, visit the Web site.

The observatory coordinator, from the in 91��ɫ’s , is the project leader. Undergraduate students who are part of the observatory team operate the telescopes.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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The 91��ɫ Circle is an ongoing program that offers curious people like Pitt an opportunity to experience university lectures first-hand. It was created for parents and family of 91��ɫ students, alumni, neighbours and friends who want to hear leading 91��ɫ faculty explore their ideas and research.

Right: The 91��ɫ Circle offers an opportunity for non-students to hear lectures by 91��ɫ faculty

Pitt is among more than 500 people who have joined the 91��ɫ Circle since it began last October and says that she appreciates the opportunity to experience University life because she was never able to realize her own dream of attending university. "When I was growing up in Britain, the country was just coming out of the Second World War," she says. "The soldiers lucky enough to survive were offered priority spots in university programs. There were very few spots left for everyone else. I was not able to attend university and instead studied to become a children's nurse. This program offers a great chance for me to experience university."

Coordinated by 91��ɫ President Emerita Lorna Marsden and Cynthia Bettcher, special adviser to Jennifer Sloan, vice-president of university relations, with help from 91��ɫ's Alumni Office and print media sponsors and 91��ɫ Region Media Group, the 91��ɫ Circle embodies the spirit, energy and intellectual excellence of the University’s 50th anniversary, which was celebrated in 2009.

Left: 91��ɫ alumnus and 91��ɫ Circle member Bart Zemanek (BA Spec. Hons. ’07, MSc ’10) with Lorna Marsden

For Marsden, the 91��ɫ Circle offers a wonderful opportunity to transport the magic of 91��ɫ's talented faculty into the University's affiliated communities. “The 91��ɫ Circle comes from the goal of making our really marvelous faculty members better known through their ideas and work, and helps the community to better understand the University,” says Marsden. “The 91��ɫ Circle offers serious talks for lay people who don’t have the opportunity to attend lectures.”

The circle offers a cross-section of 91��ɫ’s leading professors and researchers presenting talks on topics that are current and engaging. Twice a year, the circle’s membership gathers on 91��ɫ’s Keele campus for a full day of lectures and a complimentary locally sourced (locavore) lunch. The inaugural event took place last fall. On May 1, the 91��ɫ Circle returned, bringing more than 150 members back to the Keele campus.

Right: There is no generation gap here. 91��ɫ Circle member Irina Shoikhedbrod brought her son, 91��ɫ political science master's student Igor Shoikhedbrod, to the May 1 event

The October launch event featured lectures by Faculty of Health Dean Harvey Skinner, astronomy Professor Paul Delaney and theatre Professor Phillip Silver.

The May 1 event repeated the format established by the inaugural event and offered lectures by four 91��ɫ faculty. The morning sessions featured presentations by film Professor Seth Feldman, director of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, and psychology Professor Debra Pepler, member of the LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence & Conflict Resolution. Feldman talked about his experience working for a year on a documentary about Charles Darwin and about why Darwin matters and how the noted scientist means different things to different people. Pepler spoke about how the patterns of power and aggression established in playground bullying move on to become sexual harassment and dating violence in adolescence and workplace harassment in adulthood.

Left: Professor Seth Feldman talks about his research and experience making a documentary on Charles Darwin

Following lunch, the 91��ɫ Circle members listened to talks by Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Allan Hutchinson and Schulich School of Business Professor Bernard Wolf. Hutchinson delivered an energetic lecture about some of the great cases that shaped the legal world. Wolf talked about the aftermath of the most recent economic crisis, the resulting ballooning national debts and the implications of the economic health of the United States, Greece and Spain on the global community.

Videos of each of the presentations are available on the 91��ɫ Circle Web site.

The response to the 91��ɫ Circle events have been heartwarming, says Bettcher. “Seventy-two per cent of those who attended the May 1 event completed a survey about their 91��ɫ Circle experience," she says. "Of those, more than 99 per cent indicated that they were very satisfied with the day. What we found so significant about the responses was that everyone said they would attend another 91��ɫ Circle event.

"One of the biggest requests we got following the first 91��ɫ Circle event, which took place last October, was for the recipe for the spicy pumpkin soup that was served at the locavore lunch,” laughs Bettcher. She and Marsden immediately got to work tracking down the recipe (right) and arranged to have it modified for smaller, family-sized portions. The soup, says Bettcher, was created for the 91��ɫ Circle lunch by the chefs working at the Underground restaurant on 91��ɫ’s Keele campus.

What's next on the agenda for this legacy jewel? Bettcher says the next event is Raise Your Space IQ, which will take place on Saturday, July 17, from 9 to 11pm. During this event, 91��ɫ astronomy Professor Paul Delaney (who delivered a presentation at the inaugural 91��ɫ Circle event) will lead participants through a tour of the night sky. The 50 91��ɫ Circle members who were first to sign up for the event will have an opportunity to look through the University's telescopes and listen to Delaney and astronomy students talk about the wonders of the universe.

Coming this fall, 91��ɫ Circle members will be able to to a new series of concerts and events brought to 91��ɫ from venues around the world through a new partnership between the 91��ɫ Circle and DigiScreen. In a departure from other 91��ɫ Circle events, the Prestigious Performances have been thrown open to everyone, including 91��ɫ students and faculty. The Prestigious Performances Series will be brought to the big screen in the Price Family Cinema by DigiScreen through the company's alliance with Opus Arte and the Royal Opera House of London.

The Prestigious Performance Series will offer world-class concerts, theatre, opera and ballet, presented in high definition format, from venues such as Covent Garden in London, the Palais Garnier in Paris, Teatro Real in Madrid, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London and the Lincoln Center in New 91��ɫ City. 91��ɫ professors will moderate each performance.

The series will be presented on Sunday afternoons starting at 2pm, with the first presentation on Sept. 26 showcasing a performance of As You Like It by William Shakespeare, from the Globe Theatre with an enlivening commentary by theatre Professor Mark Wilson, associate dean in 91��ɫ's Faculty of Fine Arts.

Other performances include a concert featuring the music of the late jazz icon Ray Charles with commentary by 91��ɫ music Professor Ronald Westray and a presentation of Puccini's opera La Bohème. For more on these performances, visit the 91��ɫ Circle Web site.

Left: 91��ɫ Circle member Elizabeth Pitt

The membership will also be returning to the Keele campus on Oct. 30 for another full-day lecture and lunch presentation. Details of this event will be made available early in June on the 91��ɫ Circle Web site.

"I can hardly wait," says an enthused Pitt. "My calendar for the fall is looking wonderful."

By Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor and eldest daughter of Elizabeth Pitt.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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The video is available on .

To view the schedule for NASA's , visit their site.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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You can watch , which runs for approximately six minutes. Here's an excerpt:

The Hubble telescope marks two decades in space this month, where it has captured stunning images that have had a profound effect on our understanding of the universe.

And to celebrate, NASA has released a recent image that shows a star factory in action.

91��ɫ Paul Delaney said the image of the Carina nebula, one of the largest star formation regions that exists, captures "the wonderful interplay between dust, gas and stellar embryos."

Although the way stars are formed has been known for some time, there was no way to get a front-row view of the action until Hubble.

"Hubble has been able to peel aside some of the veils which have always annoyed astronomers and gotten right into the deepest parts of star formation areas," Delaney told CTV News Channel this week.

"It's a vindication of the stellar evolutionary theories, and that's really what Hubble has been about," he said. "It has been able to confirm, deny and advance the theories of astrophysics in such a wonderfully pictorial way."

In another photo of deep space taken by Hubble with an exposure of one million seconds, or four and a half days, nearly 10,000 galaxies are visible, Delaney said. Some of the galaxies are younger than one billion years old, which means the image allows scientists to see back 12 million years in time.

Hubble looks through many different filters -- including ultraviolet and infrared ones -- to capture "the full breadth and beauty of the image," Delaney explained.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Delaney's interview is (the video will start automatically following a short commercial). It runs for approximately four and a half minutes.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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