Elizabeth Laird Lecture - Thurs. 1st Dec. - DR. LEONARD C. FELDMAN, Rutgers & Vanderbilt U
The University of Western Ontario
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY
ELIZABETH LAIRD MEMORIAL LECTURE
Thursday, 1st December 2011
3:30 p.m. in the McKellar Room (UCC290)
Dr. Leonard C. Feldman
Professor of Physics and Materials Science and Engineering
Rutgers the State University and Vanderbilt University
“The Materials Revolution”
Abstract: Modern materials research includes engineering with atoms, the molecule-by-molecule attack of a cancer growth, collecting the sun’s energy with nanocrystals, exploiting the quantum world for computing, defining a stem cell by mechanical deformation and bringing the quantum world to the human experience in an ultra-small solid!
Materials science is the prime example of interdisciplinary research at its best. Extraordinary accomplishments range from Nobel prizes in chemistry and physics to society-changing applications. These accomplishments are underpinned by the technology revolution that brought us to this point in time, and will drive societal changes for the foreseeable future. Currently, the forefront of materials science is at the nano-scale. The nanometer, about four atoms long, exploits the progress of the last century in understanding the atom, and the collection of atoms that constitute a solid. Advances in nano-scale materials are envisioned as the solution to some of the dominant technological problems facing our world¾conservation of energy and environment, water purification and propagating the information revolution. This talk highlights research directed to these advances, including new results in organic electronics, nano-scale desalination and the sophisticated control of materials interfaces for efficient energy use. But, as in all research, it is the future serendipitous discoveries of creative young scientists at well-prepared institutions that will extend the revolution to new ways of thinking and breath-taking new technologies.
