VIRTUAL MEETING |The Circle of Flight: from ‘The Aeronauts’ to forecasts for today’s balloon pilots.
LOCATION
UPDATE: Registration has now closed.
SPEAKER: Ann Webb, Professor of Atmospheric Radiation
ABSTRACT: The airborne exploits of the British meteorologist James Glaisher are told (albeit with a dose of artistic licence) in the film ‘The Aeronauts’. Glaisher’s achievements in exploring the atmosphere away from the surface are considerable, and contributed to advancements in understanding and forecasting the weather. The balloon in the film is real, as are many of the aerial sequences, and the film balloon is fundamentally the same as the gas balloons still used today for adventure and sport. Glaisher would recognise a modern gas balloon, but would be astounded, and thrilled, at the weather forecasting skill that is now incorporated into the preparation for balloon flights, be they afternoon sport or international races lasting for days.
BIOGRAPHY: Ann graduated from Reading University with a BSc in Physics and Meteorology, then gained a PhD in Environmental Physics from Nottingham University and, later, a DSc from UMIST. She spent 3 years as a researcher in a medical environment in USA, applying her knowledge of sunlight to understanding its effects on human health. She returned to the UK, Reading University and work with a more atmospheric focus before joining UMIST as a lecturer in Physics, and then moving into the School of Earth Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (now Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences) at University of Manchester where she is a Professor in the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences. From 2011-2018 she served as Associate Dean for Graduate Education in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The multidisciplinarity of Ann’s work is also apparent in the external positions she held. In addition to several roles at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), she was President of CIE (Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage, or International Commission for Illumination), 2011-15. She is currently UV Working Group lead for the International Radiation Commission and member of the Editorial Board for the WMO Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation (CIMO) Guide.
Aside from academia Ann is a keen and very accomplished balloonist, breaking the world record, with her co-pilot Dr Janet Folkes, for the longest all-female hydrogen gas balloon flight in the 2009 Gordon Bennett race, staying airborne for more than 69 hours.
This was a 45 minute presentation with a 15 minute Q&A session to follow.
UPDATE: Registration has now closed.
SPEAKER: Ann Webb, Professor of Atmospheric Radiation
ABSTRACT: The airborne exploits of the British meteorologist James Glaisher are told (albeit with a dose of artistic licence) in the film ‘The Aeronauts’. Glaisher’s achievements in exploring the atmosphere away from the surface are considerable, and contributed to advancements in understanding and forecasting the weather. The balloon in the film is real, as are many of the aerial sequences, and the film balloon is fundamentally the same as the gas balloons still used today for adventure and sport. Glaisher would recognise a modern gas balloon, but would be astounded, and thrilled, at the weather forecasting skill that is now incorporated into the preparation for balloon flights, be they afternoon sport or international races lasting for days.
BIOGRAPHY: Ann graduated from Reading University with a BSc in Physics and Meteorology, then gained a PhD in Environmental Physics from Nottingham University and, later, a DSc from UMIST. She spent 3 years as a researcher in a medical environment in USA, applying her knowledge of sunlight to understanding its effects on human health. She returned to the UK, Reading University and work with a more atmospheric focus before joining UMIST as a lecturer in Physics, and then moving into the School of Earth Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (now Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences) at University of Manchester where she is a Professor in the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences. From 2011-2018 she served as Associate Dean for Graduate Education in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The multidisciplinarity of Ann’s work is also apparent in the external positions she held. In addition to several roles at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), she was President of CIE (Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage, or International Commission for Illumination), 2011-15. She is currently UV Working Group lead for the International Radiation Commission and member of the Editorial Board for the WMO Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation (CIMO) Guide.
Aside from academia Ann is a keen and very accomplished balloonist, breaking the world record, with her co-pilot Dr Janet Folkes, for the longest all-female hydrogen gas balloon flight in the 2009 Gordon Bennett race, staying airborne for more than 69 hours.
This was a 45 minute presentation with a 15 minute Q&A session to follow.
