University Encourages the Public to ‘Get into Physics’ with New Series of Talks

St Mary’s University, Twickenham will be hosting a series of free public talks in a new scheme to encourage more people into physics and technology. The new series of talks, called Physics Café, will begin on Monday 27th October 2014 at 6.30pm by St Mary’s Physics Lecturer Dr Elisabetta Canetta, who will present Nanotechnology: Our best friend or worst enemy?. Nanotechnology has been defined as the third industrial revolution, following the first and second revolutions which saw machinery and steam engines introduced to the manufacturing process. These three revolutions have achieved the same goal of increasing productivity, economic growth, higher life standards, and the development of new technologies. However the downsides of nanotechnology, such as the toxicity of some of the materials, also need to be considered. The series will also include speakers from the National Physical Laboratory, which partners with the University on its Applied Physics course. Dr Andrew Hanson will discuss liquid nitrogen during a talk on Monday 26th January 2015, while his colleague, Dr Gianluca Memoli, will explore how bubbles affect our daily lives in unexpected ways on Monday 20th April 2015. Dr Elisabetta Canetta said, “Physics Café is a new series of talks where scientists renowned in their field of research will talk about hot topics in physics and technology and have informal discussions with the audience. We wish to engage people from any background and of any age with physics and technology in a relaxed and friendly environment, where they can enjoy a nice cup of tea or coffee and exchange ideas and opinions about any aspect of science.” The Physics Café series is open to members of the public and admission is free. For more information, please contact Dr Elisabetta Canetta on elisabetta.canetta@stmarys.ac.uk. Forthcoming Lectures: 27th October 2014 – Dr Elisabetta Canetta (St Mary’s University – Physics Department); Nanotechnology: Our best friend or worst enemy? 26th January 2015 – Dr Andrew Hanson (National Physical Laboratory – NPL); How Cool is That?! 20th April 2015 – Dr Gianluca Memoli (National Physical Laboratory – NPL); The Sound of Bubbles 29th June 2015 – Dr Ali Mozaffari (St Mary’s University – Physics Department); Testing Gravity in the Solar system