Galileo Galilei, James Gregory and the importance of international scientific collaboration

The Development team is delighted to invite you to our online talk in collaboration with the University of Padua, ‘Galileo Galilei, James Gregory and the importance of international scientific collaboration'.

Galileo Galilei (1564 to 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer who is known as one of the founders of modern science. Galileo spent, in his own words, "eighteen happy years" at the University of Padua as Professor of Mathematics, during which time he made significant discoveries in pure and applied sciences.

James Gregory (1638 to 1675), the Scottish mathematician, astronomer and inventor of the Gregorian telescope, also spent time in Padua, working for four years with Stefano degli Angeli, Professor of Mathematics at the University at that time. Gregory later became the first Regius Professor of Mathematics at St Andrews.

This talk will explore the lives and legacies of these great scientists, and the importance of international scientific collaboration historically and in the present day. It will be chaired by Assistant Vice-Principal Professor Ineke De Moortel.

Alessandro De Angelis is Chair of Experimental Physics at the University of Padova. Mostly known for his role in the proposal, construction and data analysis of new telescopes for gamma-ray astrophysics, he also works on popularisation of science and on the history of physics, in particular in relation to cosmic rays and to the Galilei period.

Isobel Falconer is Reader in the History of Mathematics at St Andrews. She works mainly on the interactions between mathematics and natural philosophy (physics) from around 1650 to 1900, focusing especially on Scottish mathematicians.

The public talk is part of a special Joint International Staff Training Week celebrating University Anniversaries to which all are invited. You are welcome to attend the whole event or individual sessions.

The event will take place online via MS Teams. Please note, you do not need a Teams account to access the event. All times are BST.