Dr. Barry Pointon
Profile Type: 
Pro-Am Presenter
Speaking Topics: 
supernova neutrino detection and the SNEWS alert
Centre Affiliation: 
Vancouver
Other Astronomical Organizations: 
SNEWS collaboration
Email: 
barry_pointon@bcit.ca
Telephone: 
778-839-7443
Alternate Phone(s): 
604-412-7442
Can deliver other talks similar to the above: 
Yes
Willing to consider creating a custom presentation: 
Yes
Starting Airport: 
YVR
Regional Availability: 
Lower Mainland
Victoria and Sunshine Coast
Target Audiences: 
All ages including children
General audiences (adults)
Astronomy enthusiasts
Languages: 
English only
I am a physics instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, BCIT, mainly teaching nuclear medicine physics. I also do neutrino physics research, specializing in supernova neutrinos as a member of the Super-Kamiokande, Hyper-Kamiokande and the HALO-1kT collaborations. I also periodically teach an undergraduate general astronomy course at Trinity Western University, TWU. I am also an amateur astronomer and member of the RASC. I am the convenor of the "Outreach" task-group for the SuperNova Early Warning System, "SNEWS" collaboration. https://snews.bnl.gov/. We are scientists from many international neutrino observatories working to provide an automated alert system to notify professional and amateur astronomers of a galactic core-collapse supernova, minutes to hours before it becomes visible. We are able to do this by detecting the neutrino burst from the collapsing stellar core in multiple neutrino observatories world-wide. Since neutrinos are emitted before the signature light emission the SNEWS alert give advance warning to allow astronomers to prepare for a "once in a lifetime" stellar event. The next galactic supernova (whether Betelgeuse or another ageing star) will present all astronomers the opportunity to observe and contribute to the scientific understanding of this awesome stellar explosion.