Warrick Couch interviewed by Ragbir Bhathal in the Australian astronomers oral history project [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 3701838
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Couch, Warrick J., 1954-, interviewee
- Online Version:
- National Library of Australia digitised item
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research, personal copies and public use.
- Description:
-
- 2006
- 3 digital audio tapes.
- Series:
- Australian astronomers oral history project
- Summary:
-
Warrick Couch born in New Zealand, talks about his family background; his childhood; his schooling; mentors and his interests as a young boy; undergraduate years at Victoria University in New Zealand; his studies, lecturers and involvement in student politics; his postgraduate years; PhD at Mount Stromlo Observatory, ANU; Barry Newell; his work on the Distant Cluster project; David Malin; the Anglo-Australian Telescope and 4 m telescope in Chile; his PhD thesis; Ken Freeman; postdoctoral work at University of Durham, UK; Richard Ellis; Brian Boyle; coming back to Anglo-Australian Observatory as an Australian National Research Fellow in 1985; his research collaborators and research; the Directors of AAO at that time; the discovery of Type Ia supernova and its significance; Hubble Space Telescope observations of the lensing cluster Abell 2218; life cycle of star formation in distant galaxy clusters; Multi-object spectroscopy.
Couch discusses research findings on a catalog of morphological types in ten distant rich clusters of galaxies; the Supernova Cosmology Project and the implications for the nature and structure of the universe; Brian Schmidt; the shape of the universe; the age of the universe; Concordance cosmology; cosmological parameters; study of spheroidal populations in distant clusters and outcomes; summary of what has been found about star formation in galaxies; his research strategy; his involvement with Gemini and Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) projects; his promotion to Professor and Head of the Physics Department; the differences between Liberal and Labor government policies on science; the strengths of Australian astronomy; the decline of physics students in universities; his family and workload; major achievements in life to date.
- Biography/History:
-
Professor Warrick Couch has made significant contributions to the study of galaxies and clusters. Currently, Professor and Head of the Physics Dept. at the University of New South Wales. He is also an Australian Project Scientist for Gemini and ELT (Extremely Large Telescope) and a member of the International Gemini Board. He was an Australian Science Citation Laureate for 1981-1998.
- Notes:
-
- Recorded on May 23, 2006 at the Physics Department, University of New South Wales, Sydney, N.S.W.
- Also available online http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-218676877
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Timed summary (4 p.) and uncorrected transcript (typescript, 51 leaves)
- Subject:
- Occupation:
- Astronomers
- Other authors/contributors:
- Bhathal, Ragbir (Ragbir Singh), interviewer
- Related Records:
-
This belongs to the Australian astronomers oral history project.
This collection contains 38 records. - Copyright:
-
In Copyright
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- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2076 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Sound Recording
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 2006
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