World famous astronomers meet in Seychelles |30 May 2014

Some of the most distinguished astronomers from around the world were in Seychelles for an international astronomy conference.
 
Never in the history of Seychelles have so many eminent astronomers gathered here for such a meeting, which was hosted by the Constance Ephelia Resort at Port Launay.

The conference, ‘Lessons from the Local Group’, started on Monday May 19 and ended on May 23 with more than 40 delegates.

Among the numerous scholars and speakers at the conference was Dr Nirmal Jivan Shah, chief executive of Nature Seychelles, who did an after dinner talk on marine life and conservation.

“The reason Seychelles was selected is due to the fact that it is one of the foremost scenic destinations on our planet and Ephelia Hotel was selected on the basis of first-class facilities as well as its exceptional cuisine,” said Professor David Block, organiser of the conference.
 
The theme of the conference – Lessons From The Local Group – honours the careers and 60th birthdays of two astronomers – Dr Bruce Elmegreen from New York and Mr Block himself.

The scientific content of the conference was spearheaded by Professor KC Freeman, one of the Earth's greatest astronomers.  

Among the other famous delegates at the gathering was Giovanni Fazio from Harvard, who designed the camera on-board the Spitzer Space Telescope.

“The Constance Ephelia Seychelles is proud and happy that we were chosen for this high level conference. More and more conferences and seminar organisers seek us now for their venue for their high-level events. By working actively in partnership with organisations and businesses we aim to arrange the best possible event, but it is our level of service that sets us apart. We aim to make them become ambassadors for Seychelles as a conference venue,” said Philippe Guitton, regional general manager - Seychelles Area for Constance Hotels and Resorts.

Mr Block is an astronomer and highly sought after motivational speaker, who has devoted over 30 years to encouraging audiences around the globe to always Look Up – and never give up. In 2013, Professor Block was acclaimed by BHP Billiton and the National Science and Technology Forum as South Africa’s foremost Communicator of Science. Professor Block was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society of London at age of 19. His first research paper, on relativistic astrophysics, was published in London, by the Royal Astronomical Society, at age 20.

Professor Block has been a visiting research scientist at the Australian National University, the European Southern Observatory in Germany, Harvard University, the California Institute of Technology and the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii, among others. Mr Block serves as a Professor in the School of Computational and Applied Mathematics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. In 2006, Professor Block received the University of the Witwatersrand's highest research accolade: the Vice-Chancellor’s Research Award.