18th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation and the 7th Edoardo Amaldi Conference on Gravitational Waves
The 18th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation (GRG18) and the 7th Edoardo Amaldi Conference on Gravitational Waves (Amaldi7) brought to Australia the world's leading scientists in fields that range from the deepest theoretical investigations of our Universe and Black Holes to cutting edge optical and photon technology and e-research.
The world is on the verge of making the first direct detection of gravitational waves, emitted by the most violent astrophysical events in the Universe. This is the 'big physics' of the 21st century and this was 'the' international conference on the subject.
Conexion Event Management was appointed to work with scientists from the Australian National University, the University of NSW and a team of worldwide advisors. The conference program consisted of 6 concurrent sessions with delegates attending from 40 countries.
A highlight of the scientific program was the public lectures presented by Sir Roger Penrose on his theories of "What Happened Before the Big Bang" and Professor Kip Thorne who presented on "The Warped Side of the Universe: From the Big Bang to Black Holes and Gravitational Waves". These lectures provided a unique opportunity for Australian scientists, school and university students and interested general public to hear from these eminent scientists. Conexion developed a targeted campaign to promote the lectures to the general public using a very limited budget.
In keeping with the themes of the Conferences, The Sydney Observatory staged a special theatrical performance called "Leap of Faith" based on the theories of Galileo and Newton. The play was followed by a viewing of the 3D Space Theatre "Einstein's Universe" (which utilises 3D technology developed in Australia by the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at the Swinburne Institute of Technology in Melbourne).
The GRG18 and Amaldi7 conferences brought many eminent scientists to Sydney and provided a wonderful opportunity to raise the profile of Australian Theoretical Physics internationally, as well as stimulating Australian universities to provide high-quality training grounds.
"There was a very special atmosphere present at the GRG18 and Amaldi7 conferences, with intense and lively interactions between the participants and keen interest from students and the general public. The plenary programme was superb and the public lectures by Kip Thorne and Roger Penrose, two of the world's most eminent scientists, will long be remembered by all present. The conferences ran like clockwork, thanks to the detailed planning and coordination by our PCO Conexion during the preceding three years. They understood the special needs and requirements of our particular conferences and participants, and despite operating on a very tight budget, put together a very successful event, including an innovative and comprehensive social programme."
Dr Susan Scott
Chair Organising Committee
18th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation
Conexion Event Management Pty Limited
Level 3, 89-97 Jones Street
Ultimo NSW 2007
PO Box 601
Pyrmont NSW 2009
Tel: (+61 2) 9518 7722
Fax: (+61 2) 9518 7222
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