Stealing from nature to create the materials of the future
: Joanna Aizenberg, a materials chemist from Harvard University, will offer the annual Whidden Lectures at McMaster University on January 21 and 22.
Harvard University professor Joanna Aizenberg looks at the world a little differently from the rest of us.
She might look at a deep sea sponge and see a skyscraper that harvests energy from the wind, just for example. A professor of both materials science and of chemistry and chemical biology, Aizenberg is a pioneer in the field of biologically inspired engineering.
She is also the guest speaker for this year’s Whidden Lectures, to be held on campus January 21 and 22. The free lectures, which alternate each year between the humanities and the sciences, showcase world-leading scholars who offer the McMaster community both a scientific and a public talk.
“We are tremendously excited about Joanna’s visit, as she is at the forefront of her field,” says Kalaichelvi Saravanamuttu, associate professor in McMaster’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and this year’s Whidden Lecture chair. “Joanna’s work is so creative. It’s very accessible to anyone who is curious about nature and technology. She’s also a magnificent role model, particularly for young scientists thinking about careers in research.”
Aizenberg, whose work falls at the interface of biology, chemistry, physics and engineering, will also meet with McMaster graduate students during her visit. An informal seminar and poster session will take place in Celebration Hall on January 21 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Among her many roles at Harvard, Aizenberg is director of the Science Program at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, co-director of the Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology, and a founding core member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.
The Whidden Lectures were established 60 years ago by E. Carey Fox, who graduated from McMaster in 1906 with a mathematics degree. His lifelong relationship with his alma mater culminated with his appointment as chancellor in 1950. In 1954, he established the lectures in honour of another chancellor, the Reverend Howard P. Whidden, a beloved churchman, statesman and teacher, who was the architect of the University’s move from Toronto to Hamilton in 1930.
The Whidden lecturers have included speakers such as Northrop Frye, Noam Chomsky and Tom Stoppard.
2014 WHIDDEN SCIENTIFIC LECTURE:
TOPIC: “New Materials: When Chemistry Meets Optics and Surface Science”
TIME: Tuesday, January 21, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Convocation Hall
2014 WHIDDEN PUBLIC LECTURE:
TOPIC: “Stealing from Nature: Bioinspired Materials of the Future”
TIME: Wednesday, January 22, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
LOCATION: MDCL 1305
Both events are free. No pre-registration is required. It is recommended that you arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of the lectures.
For more information, visit: http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/Whidden/
