Making sense of the universe

27 Aug 2009

Delivering the public lecture titled ";Our universe, and the role of life in it", Lord Martin Rees was in Singapore on 24 August 2009 as part of the Lee Kuan Yew Distinguished Visitors Programme. At the lecture held at the Shaw Foundation Alumni House, he raised some pertinent questions on life on Earth and beyond. Lord Rees is Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics and Master of Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. He holds the honorary title of Astronomer Royal.

Lord Rees explained how far the Earth has progressed some 14 billion years ago, since the beginning of time. He noted the endeavours by men to scour for life beyond Earth via the use of telescopes and outerspace missions, including Sputnik, men on the moon and more recently, the NASA Kepler Mission launched earlier this year.

According to Lord Rees, to confront the overwhelming mystery of the Big Bang theory, we need a unified theory of cosmos and the microworld. One needs to also consider the role of human beings which are midway between atoms and stars.

"This century may be a defining moment. It is the first in our planet's history where one species - ours - has Earth's future in its hands, and could jeopardise not only itself, but life's immense potential," concluded Lord Rees. He added that the Earth in the cosmos is a special space and humans are its stewards in a crucial era.

Following the lecture, Lord Rees was presented with a medal and certificate of Honorary Fellowship by President of the Institute of Physics Singapore (IPS) Assoc Prof Kwek Leong Chuan. The IPS Honorary Fellowship is conferred to distinguished individuals having made exceptional significant contributions in physics or a related field of science.

Lord Rees hoped that the audience will go back home with an understanding of the cosmic complex brought about by astronomy, fundamental and environmental sciences.

In 2005, Lord Rees was appointed to the House of Lords and elected as President of the Royal Society. He is a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has also published more than 500 research papers in the field of astrophysics and cosmology, as well as seven books, including five for the general public.

His awards include the prestigious Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, the Cosmology Prize of the Peter Gruber Foundation, and the Crafoord Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy.

Incepted in 1985, the Lee Kuan Yew Distinguished Visitors Programme invites internationally eminent and outstanding academics and scholars to Singapore to make high level contributions to NUS, NTU and Singapore in general. Since the launch of the programme, there has been a total of 63 Distinguished Visitors.