Physics beyond physics: from liquid crystal-enabled design to microbes in a changing climate
(Code : D2-b-45)
Zielsetzung / Objectifs
Knowledge
The participants will know:
- the interdisciplinarity of physical science
- the actual research status in the field of (1) liquid crystals and (2) adaptation of microorganisms to environmental changes.
Capabilities
The participants will be able to:
- listen to scientific talks
- Discuss actual research with outstanding scientists.
Attitude
The participants will be encouraged to include current research results in the classroom lessons.
Inhalt / Contenu
During this teacher training the interested teachers will listen to two talks of researchers of the Physics unit of the University of Luxembourg showing two amazing and interdisciplinary fields of physical science.
Jan Lagerwall will talk about the history and future of liquid crystals: from demonstrating an incompleteness of physics to revolutionizing society.
Still in the 21st century, school children are often taught that there exist three states of matter: crystal, liquid and gas. So the concept of "liquid crystal" appears to be a misnomer that disrupts our fundamental definitions of physics. Today nobody doubts the existence of liquid crystals, although it is still often overlooked in teaching curricula. Perhaps it is time to change this, considering that life would not be possible without lipids in water self-organizing into a lamellar liquid crystal phase, the natural state of the membranes in our cells as well as in bacteria. Likewise, the information revolution would not have been possible without the liquid crystal displays that convey information from all kinds of electronic devices to their users. Jan Lagerwall will show with examples from the research undertaken in his group that the use of liquid crystals in society goes very far beyond displays, e.g. they explore the use of liquid crystals in responsive textiles for wearable technology.
The second talk by Anupam Sengupta has the title “A Bug's Life: Lessons from the tiny marvels in a changing world” and shows us the interdisciplinarity of natural science in an impressive way. Microorganisms such as bacteria, archaea, fungi and algae are indispensable in holding our ecosystem in balance, more so during the rapidly shifting patterns we encounter in our environment today. Understanding how microorganisms respond to environmental changes is a challenge, one that has long intrigued biologists and physicists alike. During his talk, Anupam Sengupta will present any vignettes of cross-disciplinary approaches that his lab uses to analyze the impact of environmental changes on microbes like photosynthetic algae or bacterial. Importantly, in both instances, the underlying interplay between physics, biology and chemistry elicit important eco-physiological functions. He will conclude the talk with a perspective on the exciting cross-disciplinary opportunities that lay ahead of us, where researchers, educators, and crucially, the future generation of scientists, can come together to help unravel the mysteries of these tiny marvels.
Arbeitsformen / Approche méthodologique
Scientific lectures with a following discussion.
Referent, Referentin / Formateur, formatrice
Anupam Sengupta, professor, FNR-Attract fellow, head of the Physics of Living Matter Group, Faculty of Science, University of Luxembourg
Jan Lagerwall, professor, head of the Experimental Polymer Physics group, Faculty of Science, University of Luxembourg
Termin / Date et horaire
Groupe A
Modalité : | Présentiel |
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Date : | le lundi 6 mai 2019 de 16 à 19 heures |
Lieu : | Université du Luxembourg - Campus Limpertsberg - BS 007 |
Nombre max. de participants : | 30 |
Places disponibles : | 20 |
Statut de la formation : | Formation attestée |
Délai d'inscription : | - |
Public cible
Contexte professionnel : | [ES] Enseignement secondaire |
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Catégorie de fonction : | Personnel enseignant |
Informations complémentaires : | enseignant/e/s de sciences naturelles (physique, biologie, chimie) |
Praktische Hinweise / Informations pratiques
Langue(s) : | anglais |
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Informations : | Maren Krüger - maren.krueger@uni.lu; David Kieffer - david.kieffer@uni.lu |