We used a telescope and a high-precision laser system to beam an atomic clock signal through thin air. While we only sent the signal between buildings, this is the first step in developing a system able to beam these signals to satellites in orbit, with the ultimate aim of pushing our theories of the universe … Continue reading Between a clock and outer space
Tag: Research
One of the paybacks of being a scientist is that if you create some new thing or discover a new phenomenon, you get to name it. Biologists can name a new species after friends or family, experimenters enjoy finding clever acronyms to call their equipment, and astronomers have the opportunity to etch their choices into … Continue reading What’s in a name?
There is an old adage in the performing arts that you should never work with animals or children, though as a rule of thumb it seems to apply equally well to just about any profession. As an experimental physicist, I thought I had managed to steer clear of the troubles that working with animals and … Continue reading Natural anomalies: when animals get in the way of science
Units are important. Units are how we measure things. They are how we know whether a cop is going to write us a speeding ticket, whether we need to try harder at that diet we’ve supposedly been on since New Year, or whether the bloke who owns the petrol station has pulled a fast one … Continue reading More Favourite Units
Doing a PhD is a long, challenging but rewarding journey. Earlier this year, astrophysics PhD student Fiona and I teamed up to pass on what we had learned and give our advice for new and prospective PhD students. The advice was compiled into two videos on my YouTube channel, and two accompanying blog posts on … Continue reading How to Handle Your PhD
Last week I was interviewed for the always interesting and entertaining Astrophiz podcast. I had a great time talking about my work, astrophysics, and science in general. Check it out: Astrophiz 51: Dr David Gozzard ~ Telescope pilot taking the pulse of the Universe
This post was originally published by Australia's Science Channel on 29th July 2016 but was removed when the website was updated. David Gozzard is a PhD student who has found himself on an interesting journey to remote Australia. In this blog, he shares some of the fun work he's been up to! When I started my PhD in … Continue reading Radio Telescope on Track
This post is a modified version of a World Metrology Day article I wrote for Australia's Science Channel. Saturday 20th May is World Metrology Day. I’m not surprised if you hadn’t heard of it. I was three years in to a PhD in metrology before I found out we had a day for it. Metrology … Continue reading Measuring Up for World Metrology Day
This list was originally published as a humorous article in the UWA Postgraduate Student Association's year book Postscript. It was inspired by the famous (infamous?) Skippy List. I have only done some of the things on the list, I'm not going to say which ones though... 50 things today's postgrad is no longer allowed to do at university … Continue reading 50 Rules for Postgrads
Last year’s ground breaking gravitational wave detections generated some of the widest media coverage of a scientific discovery to date. Many articles and reports described the detection as the “ultimate” test of general relativity, the “final” test of general relativity, or confirmation of Einstein’s “last” prediction. For a theory that is 100 years old, that … Continue reading Gravitational Waves are Not the Ultimate Test of General Relativity
David Gozzard 