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Public Lecture Series - Star Dust: the Cosmic Seeds of Life

21 Jan 2008

 

"How did life on Earth begin?" is a question of high philosophical, scientific, and popular interest.. For the last fifty years, scientists believed that life began with simple inorganic molecules which, under proper conditions, gradually evolved into complex organic compounds and eventually life. Recently, through observations with space-based infrared telescopes, astronomers have discovered that old stars can synthesize organic compounds with complex aromatic and aliphatic structures over time scales as short as several hundred years. Stellar winds from these old stars then spread these organic materials throughout the Galaxy, including our primordial solar system.

The Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, is honoured to have Professor Sun Kwok, Dean of Science and Chair Professor of Department of Physics, to deliver a lecture entitled "Star Dust: the Cosmic Seeds of Life" at the Public Lecture Series. In this lecture, Professor Kwok will talk about evidence for this stellar-solar connection, and how star dust may have influenced the origin of life on Earth.

Members of the public are cordially invited to attend the Public Lecture, details of which are as follows:

Date: January 23, 2008 (Wednesday)
Time: 5pm (Light refreshments from 4.30pm)
Venue: Wang Gungwu Lecture Hall, Graduate House, HKU
Medium: English
Remarks: Free admission

Professor Kwok joined HKU as Dean of Science and Chair Professor of Physics in 2006. Prior to joining HKU, Professor Kwok was the Faculty Professor of Department of Physics & Astronomy, the University of Calgary, Canada. He was also the Director and Distinguished Research Fellow of the Institute of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, Taiwan.

Professor Kwok enjoys high international standing in the field of stellar evolution and astrochemistry. His theory on the origin of planetary nebulae - spectacular-looking objects formed near the end of a star's life, has become the standard model for the death of stars. More recently, he has found that planetary nebulae can rapidly synthesize large amount of complex organic compounds, as well as widely spreading them throughout the Milky Way Galaxy.

He has been guest observer on many space missions including the Hubble Space Telescope and the Infrared Space Observatory. Since 1994, Professor Kwok has been serving as the Principal Investigator for Canada's submillimeter-wave satellite Odin which was successfully launched in 2001.

For public enquiries, please contact Ms Cindy Chan of the Faculty of Science at 2241 5286. For press enquiry and interview arrangement, please contact Ms Cherry Cheung of the External Relations Office at 2859 2606.