Reaching for the stars with Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock
public in-person lecture
Dame Maggie and the power of dreams.
Meet Dame Maggie, space scientist, broadcaster, and author. Fueled by the Moon landings and imaginary worlds of science fiction (especially Star Trek) all her life, Maggie dreamt of getting out there into space.
However, things have not been easy for her. Going to 13 different schools and having undiagnosed dyslexia meant school was a challenging place. But when you have a big, wonderful, powerful dream, anything is possible.
Maggie now runs her own company and speaks to people all across the world. In this talk she discussed her life journey and lessons she has learned on the way.
She took us on a journey into space and time - starting at our amazing planet and how space science is helping us tackle some of our biggest challenges. Then out through our solar system - when will we be living on other planets? Then further out into our galaxy, looking at the many other solar systems out there, and beyond to the wider universe itself.
Dame Maggie Aderin is a space scientist whose passion is presenting science to general audiences. She studied at Imperial College London, obtaining a Physics degree and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. She has worked in both industrial and academic environments, on missions including the James Webb Space Telescope and various satellites designed to monitor climate change.
Maggie is the CEO of Science Innovation Ltd., which she founded in 2004. Here, she conducts public engagement activities, sharing her love of space and encouraging underrepresented groups to enter STEM. To date, she has given talks to over 500,000 people globally.
She is a Bafta-nominated television presenter and won a Women in Film & Television New Talent Award. She co-hosts the world’s longest-running science programme “The Sky at Night”.
Maggie is also an author, with her recent children’s book “Am I made of Stardust” winning a Royal Society book prize. She is the Chancellor of the University of Leicester and has honorary doctorates from over 10 UK universities. She won an Institute of Physics gold medal, a Yale “Out of the Box Thinker” award and was “Woman of the Year in Innovation” in 2019. She is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and an ambassador for "Made by Dyslexia" and the "International Rescue Committee".
If you are a Member of Friends, one of the benefits of an annual Membership is a reduction in the price of lecture tickets, both for you and your guests. If you are not a Member and would like to take advantage of this, as well as enjoying the wide range of other benefits such as exclusive visits and FREE live streamed events, visit the 'Join Friends' page here.
We have a number of free school tickets available for each of our public in-person lectures at Imperial. A teacher can bring a group, up to a maximum of 10 students; students can book themselves by simply providing us with the name of the school but, if they are aged 16 or under, must be accompanied by a teacher. These tickets are limited in number and offered on a first-come first-served basis so book early!
