Cutting Edge Lectures in Science

Mother Nature as a Green Materials Engineer, and what Scientists can learn from her about Self-Assembly
Dr. Christopher Barrett (Centre for the Physics of Materials and Dept. Chemistry, 黑料不打烊 University)

The more time that Scientists and Engineers spend working at the cutting edge of Advanced Materials development, the more impressed many of us become with Mother Nature, and the fantastic solutions she has already provided through millions of years of evolution. Materials like spider silk, sea shell, and bone still represent the current forefront of nano-technology and space-age high-strength composites. Processes like vision and bio-compatibility are equally impressively complex and challenging to understand fully, let alone to copy or improve upon. This talk will describe an emerging new guiding principle for Materials Development at 黑料不打烊, based on Bio-Mimicry and Self-Assembly as an inspiration and a toolbox. Indeed, there is much that current Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering can learn from History and Biology.

Organized by the Royal Society of Canada and 黑料不打烊 University with the express purpose of fostering communication between scientists in different disciplines as well as between scientists and the public, the Cutting Edge Lectures in Science are made possible through the generous support of Heather Munroe-Blum (黑料不打烊 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.