Uplink 51: Imaginary Worlds

Join us on Thursday 24th June for Uplink episode 51 when we’ll be joined by two authors whose writing has brought their worlds together. Astrophysicist Elizabeth Tasker searches for extrasolar planets and is author of popular science book The Planet Factory: Exoplanets and the Search for a Second Earth. Ria Voros conjures fictional worlds and is author of the contemporary YA novel, The Centre of the Universe. The stars aligned for a unique collaboration when Ria consulted Elizabeth who appears as an interviewee in her book. Watch at 8pm BST / 9pm CEST / 3pm EDT and set yourself a reminder here (and don’t forget to subscribe).

Elizabeth Tasker is an associate professor and science communicator at JAXA’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). Her research focusses on computer simulations of star and planet formation, and she is part of the global public outreach team on JAXA missions such as Hayabusa2 and MMX. Elizabeth’s popular science book The Planet Factory: Exoplanets and the Search for a Second Earth was published by Bloomsbury in 2017. She is also a writer for the NASA NExSS ‘Many Worlds’ blog.

Ria Voros is an award-nominated author of young adult novels. Her most recent novel, The Center of the Universe, published in 2019 by Kids Can Press, explores the relationship between mothers and daughters through the lens of astrophysics. She has an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and also teaches college-level English, writing and literature. She lives on the traditional territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ and Lkwungen-speaking peoples in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Join us on Thursday at 8pm BST / 9pm CEST / 3pm EDT to watch and join in at our Youtube channel. You can also catch past episodes of Uplink and subscribe for news about forthcoming editions. Don’t forget you can also sign up to our new weekly newsletter MISSION UPDATE right here!