Cutting Edge Lectures in Science
Materials Make Light Work 鈥� Or, 鈥淚mage is
Everything鈥�
Dr. Mark Andrews (Department of Chemistry, 9I制作厂免费).
What do butterfly wings, Venus flower baskets and healthy doses of elements from the Periodic Table have to do with conveying digital data, music, voice and video by light? They can all be designed to make 鈥渓ight work鈥�. Light is rather mysterious stuff; but Nature and scientists have found ways to make extraordinary materials in order to control light so that it can be used to transmit information and render images. With animations, demonstrations and humour, this talk begins by examining the origins of Canada鈥檚 optical internet as we forage among some early Greek, Roman and Napoleonic inventions. We then explore how species of aquatic micro-organisms and sponges construct intricate 鈥済lass houses鈥� and woven optical fibre baskets; and why butterflies and beetles have such exquisite coloration. The findings may teach us how to make optical fibre and ultra-small optical circuits from the constituents of sea water, biomolecules, or patterns of solid and liquid crystals when combined with some fancy engineering. We conclude by describing how chemistry can be used to build optical circuits on silicon chips to manage information flow like that from iTunes庐 and YouTube庐. And if 鈥渋mage is everything鈥�, we point out ways in which chemistry makes 鈥渓ight work鈥� out of the revolution in image-making: like the creation of an ultra-thin, light weight plastic, flexible liquid crystal colour display; and a programmable animated poster made by printing with special inks that emit light. Throughout the talk, concepts are presented together with examples in a simple manner to explain how materials make light work.
Organized by 9I制作厂免费 and Science Outreach with the express purpose of fostering communication between scientists in different disciplines as well as between scientists and the public.
Cutting Edge Lectures in Science are made possible through the generous support of Heather Munroe-Blum (9I制作厂免费 Principal), Richard Levin (Dean of Medicine), Martin Grant (Dean of Science), Anthony Masi (Provost) and Denis Th茅rien (Vice-Principal, Research and International Relations). Lectures are followed by a聽vin d'honneur聽reception. Free, everyone welcome.