Press Releases & Outreach
I was very happy to lead a paper, published in Science, which received a press release by the European Southern Observatory. Using interferometric and imaging spectroscopy data, we were able to determine that in a magnetic massive binary system only one of the two stars was magnetic and that this magnetism (and a nebula surrounding the system) were the result of a stellar merger.
Overall, 550 media articles were released related to the paper, including releases from Reuters, The Independent, National Geographic and Science's own press article EurekAlert. The Science journals' "Altmetric" score of the paper is shown here, a metric measuring engagement. The article is "in the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric".
A publication with collaborators on the University of Leeds garnered a press release on 21/11/23 which has gained significant traction (e.g. AAAS). Using Gaia data, our team (led by PhD student Jonathan Dodd) showed that triple stars could be a key component in the formation of interacting Be binary star systems.
I was able to speak with youtuber Tom Scott about interferometry during his visit to Paranal and the construction site of the Extremely Large Telescope - check out the video here!
I was lucky enough to feature in the UK-based TV show 'The Sky at Night' in their episode on The Very Large Telescope. I was able to talk with host Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock about what it's like living and work at Paranal Observatory and some of my work with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI).
I was invited to contribute a "News & Views' article to the Nature journal. This series discusses recent Nature results, providing context for the novel research for the general astrophysics community, exploring the implications of the scientific findings and highlighting any caveats and key results. My article is due to be published alongside the Nature article it focuses on in June 2022.
I was very happy to lead a letter, published in A&A, which received a press release by the European Southern Observatory and KU Leuven. The study concerned the disproval of the existence of a stellar blackhole in the system HR 6819. Using interferometric and imaging spectroscopy data, we were able to confirm the true nature of the source - a binary system which has likely most recently interacted. Our team was interviewed by a number of media outlets (including New Scientist (UK, NL) , Science News (US), The Guardian (UK), VRT News (BE), Reuters (US) and more) and the original press release has been relayed on an international level (e.g. Sydney Morning Herald, Egypt Daily News, BBC Thailand, The Irish News).
Additionally, ESO interviewed members of our team for a special ESO cast video, where we discussed the scientific method and how collaboration allowed us to converge on the true nature of the source.
Working in tandem with the company SciMingo, I was able to try out filming a little summary of my research, where I introduce massive stars, discuss how they are connected to us and explain how I study them using multiple telescopes. It was great to gain some experience in front of the camera and exercise my outreach skills in a new format!
I was happy to be involved in a Q&A session during the National Space Academy online-takeover over week of the National Space Centre (Leicester, UK), where I chatted with young people interested in astronomy and space science.
I regularly Skype with schools across the globe, talking from pre- to high-school students about astrophysics and my work. I also do in-person school visits in Belgium. It's always great to hear what kids think about our Universe and to answer their questions!
I was a volunteer contributor for the UK magazine `Popular Astronomy' for several years, where I wrote articles on recent scientific discoveries for a general audience.
The `Pint of Science' festival is an annual festival which brings science to the public through pubs and bars. I hosted, presented at and helped to organise days of this outreach festival which is held in 34 cities across the UK from 2017 - 2019.
