Public lectures on the occasion of Amaldi-9 and NRDA-2011 Conferences July 11-13, 2011, 6.30 pm Julian Hodge Lecture Theatre, Colum Drive Cardiff University July 11, 6.30 pm What does a sociologist see when he looks at science Professor Harry Collins School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University Professor Collins research interests are in the nature of scientific knowledge and knowledge in general; the public understanding of science; the nature of skill and expertise; artificial Intelligence and the relationship between humans and machines; medical knowledge and skills; science education. He is the author of numerous books on the sociology of science and the nature of knowledge, including co-author of the controversial The Golem: what you should know about science. July 12, 6.30 pm The Herschel and Planck missions: Exploring the History of the Universe Professor Matt Griffin School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University Professor Griffin works on infrared and sub-millimetre astronomy and instrumentation, especially developing instruments for both ground-based and satellite-borne observatories. He is the Principal Investigator for the SPIRE instrument on the Hershel Space Observatory and a Co-Investigator in the Planck HFI instrument team. He also chairs the UK Herschel Outreach Group which organises a UK-wide programme of outreach activities associated with the Herschel mission. July 13, 6.30 pm Gravitational Waves: Listening to the True Music of the Spheres! Professor Bernard Schutz Director, Max Planck Inst. for Grav. Phys. & Cardiff University Professor Schutz’s research is principally in the study of the physics and astrophysics of gravitational wave sources including black holes and neutron stars, and in methods of analyzing data from gravitational wave detectors to discover and study gravitational waves. He is the author of a number of textbooks and popular books in relativity and astrophysics.