National Astronomy Meeting - Great Debate and Radium Song Cycle Screening

The National Astronomy Meeting has come to Birmingham! Join us to debate the future of the far side of the Moon, and watch a screening of a new astronomy-inspired audio-visual artwork.

The evening will begin with complimentary refreshments, before four international experts debate the proposition that "The far-side of the Moon shall be preserved solely for scientific endeavours". You'll also get a chance to have your say, with anonymous voting before and after the debate. After a short interval, you'll be among the first to see an exclusive screening of three distinct pieces from "Radium: A Song Cycle", a new large scale audio-visual artwork, followed by a Q&A with the composer.

18:30 - 18:50: Refreshments
18:50 - 19:00: Welcome Address
19:00 - 20:00: The Great Debate
20:00 - 20:30: Interval
20:30 - 21:00: Screening of "Radium: A Song Cycle"

The Great Debate is convened by Prof. Martin Ward (University of Durham), and will feature Prof. Joe Silk, Dr Nikita Chiu, Dr. Jonanthan McDowell and Dr. Manuel Salvoldi. The composers of "Radium: A Song Cycle" are Dominic Sedgwick/Sarah Tyrer and they'll be joined for Q&A by project consultant Dr Gavin Lamb (Liverpool John Moores).

The evening will be hosted in the Teaching and Learning Building, on the University of Birmingham Edgbaston campus (https://campusmap.bham.ac.uk/search/5d6f49131e1f64009327a1f9?projectId=uob) and is free for all to attend. Please note, that all under-18s will need to be accompanied by a parent/ guardian. The science content of the debate should be accessible to students of GCSE level and upwards.

Details of the Great Debate panelists

The Convenor:
Martin Ward is Emeritus Temple Chevallier Professor and Associate Fellow of The Institute of Advanced Study at Durham University. He has served as a consultant to NASA and ESA, and has more than 50 years of experience in research on Black Holes and Quasars. His hobbies include scientific research in the search for life beyond Earth, and the promotion of the public understanding of science.

The “pro side” proposer:
Joseph Silk is Homewood Research Professor of Physics at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and emeritus researcher at the Institut d’Astrophysique, Paris. He was Savilian Professor of Astronomy at the University of Oxford from 1999 to 2011, founding the Beecroft Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, and Professor of Astronomy and Physics at the University of California at Berkeley, where he began his academic career in 1970. His research specialties span cosmology and astrophysics. He is the author of seven popular books, including The Big Bang and Back to the Moon. Silk is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences. His numerous awards include the Balzan Prize and the Gruber Prize in Cosmology.

The “pro side” seconder:
Dr. Jonathan McDowell's career includes contributions in astrophysics, astro-informatics and space policy/space sustainability. Dr. McDowell has
a B.A in Mathematics (1981) and a Ph.D in Astrophysics (1986) from the University of Cambridge, England. He was a staff astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics from 1992 to 2026 and is now a honorary professor at Durham University's Space Research Centre. He was science software algorithims lead for the Chandra mission and co-led the SAO Astronomy undergraduate summer research program from 1995 to 2025. He is the editor of the online space newsletter Jonathan's Space Report and has published papers on the boundary of outer space and the environmental effects of satellite constellations. McDowell is a co-founder of the Center for Space Environmentalism and is an advisor to the Open Lunar Foundation.

The “con side” proposer:
Nikita Chiu is Associate Professor in Space Innovation & Technology Governance at Durham University (Business School and Space Research Centre). She is Ad Astra Distinguished Fellow in Robotics & Outer Space Governance, and also a JSPS Invitational Fellow in Medicine. In 2024, she founded CN2i, a global collaborative network to advance inclusive innovation in critical domains including deep sea, space and polar exploration. Dr Chiu is a former recipient of the Ernst Mach Grant, a research award named after the renowned Austrian Physicist. She previously served as Research Fellow in Robotics and Outer Space Technologies at the University of Oxford, and is a former Research Affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Chiu read Technology Policy at St Edmund’s College at the University of Cambridge, and gained her PhD from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva in 2014. 

The “con side” seconder:
Dr Manuel Salvoldi is an aerospace engineer with 25 years of experience in the space sector across industry and academia. He has worked at the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES), Thales, and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, contributing to spacecraft attitude and orbit control, flight dynamics, ground mission operations, and management of the Scientific Centre for the VENμS Earth observation mission. His research has focused on spacecraft navigation, Earth observation image processing, and AI-based onboard image analysis for CubeSats, including collaboration with the European Space Agency's Φ-lab on maritime situational awareness. He is committed to promoting the societal benefits of space technologies and has spoken at the UN General Assembly, UNISPACE+50, and UNCCD events on satellite technology for sustainable development. In 2026, he founded ABA Space Education, an EdTech venture dedicated to developing digital STEM technologies, space-themed experiential learning, and providing strategic advisory services to organisations within the space sector.