POPULAR particle physicist Brian Cox gave Island secondary school pupils the science lesson of a lifetime yesterday (Wednesday).
Professor Cox visited the Island as a guest of Tynwald along with five NASA astronauts who flew on the last ever mission of the space shuttle Discovery.
Hundreds of students were treated to the science lesson with a difference as Professor Cox took to the stage in the Villa Marina to offer his insights into the wonders of the universe.
Starting with a discussion on "big science" Professor Cox explained to the students about the Big Bang theory - "the current best theory about how the universe evolved" - and the work he is currently doing at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland.
He told students: "The goal of big science is to understand what the universe is made of, how it came to be and what its future will be. It seems like an almost impossible goal but we can do it."
The presentation, as well as a live question and answer session, was streamed live on the internet by Wi-Manx so that members of the public could also watch.
Speaking afterwards Professor Cox said he had never been to the Isle of Man before but the visit "certainly wouldn't be his last".
He also spoke highly of the Isle of Man's efforts within the space industry and said: "I didn't know until recently the importance of the space industry to the Isle of Man.
"To me, obviously, the future of the places like the Isle of Man and the UK is the high-tech industries like the space industry. I think you need genuine government support for that and it's brilliant that here that is there. I was fascinated when I learnt that this is a place that really genuinely values space."
Professor Cox, who is a professor at the University of Manchester, rose to fame after presenting a five-part BBC Two television series called Wonders of the Solar System last year. This was followed by Wonders of the Universe in March of this year.
Speaking about the reaction to both programmes Professor Cox said he was "delighted" with the response and the impact the programmes have had on young people.
He continued: "You can see from the questions (asked by the students) that at that age they have an immense interest in science. You can see now it's very acceptable to be a geek. I think that is a very positive step.
"The teachers I meet genuinely want to engage with children – they would love it if I could do 10 school visits a day which is why I try and do bigger events like this. I think the desire is there.
"There is a step-change going on in how science is perceived and there is now a challenge to politicians to grab it and keep that momentum going.
"The great thing with learning is that the world is made a better place, a richer place. Our future is there in space – there is no doubt."
Check back to isleofman.com soon for an interview with the NASA astronauts.
