Events Archive

Nov
04
2014
The Viruses They are a Changin: On The Eco-evolutionary Dynamics of Virus-Host Interactions
Viruses are ubiquitous in the environment, with densities often ten-fold higher than that of their microbial hosts. Viruses can function like microbial predators, regulating the amount and diversity of hosts present in a community. However, efforts to understand the dynamics of complex virus-microbe communities are still in their infancy. Here, I present examples of the interplay between evolutionary and ecological dynamics arising due to virus-microbe interactions. In the first example, I show how rapid changes in the frequency of...
Nov
03
2014
How Nature Harvests Sunlight: The Physics of Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is one of the great-impact inventions of biological evolution.  Indeed, life on Earth is fueled energy-wise mainly by sun light.  Many, so-called photosynthetic, life forms harvest sun light directly, for example, plants, algae and bacteria; other life forms use sun light indirectly, like herbivorous animals.  This lecture tells the story a particular simple, yet...
Nov
03
2014
The Search for Modulated Superconductivity
In the mid 60's, theoretical physicists came to the conclusion that a strong magnetic field could lead to a superconducting state where magnetism and superconductivity are interleaved on the nano-scale: tidal wave like domain walls spontaneously form in the superfluid order, trapping unpaired spins. Over the past 50 years, our theoretical understanding of this proposal has greatly advanced, yet we still have not found definitive experimental evidence of the modulated superconducting state (also known as the FFLO state, after the initials of the theorists who anticipated it). I will describe the current state of this search, with a particular focus on how...
Oct
31
2014
School of Physics Homecoming 2014
 
Oct
30
2014
Scientific Symposiums - France Atlanta: New materials development at the SOLEIL Synchrotron: an international collaboration
In this lecture, Georgia Tech Physics Professor Ed Conrad and Director of Research at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) Amina Taleb will give a feel for how modern research is conducted in the era of small materials and big machines, showing an example of an international materials research collaboration between Georgia Tech’s School of Physics and researchers at the Synchrotron SOLEIL near Paris.
Oct
28
2014
The Physics of Frankenstein
In this talk we will revisit the science known at the time that inspired Mary Shelly to write her novel. Hers is one of the best examples of rigorous science fiction writing as she based it on the most up to date scientific theories and experiments of her era. We will talk about some of Luigi Galvani’s experiments that inspired Mary Shelly and use several hands on demonstrations to explain them and describe how electricity is the driver of muscle activity. Furthermore we will show how electricity can either lead to death or actual resuscitation, and explain the...
Oct
28
2014
K-12 Teaching Information Session
 
Oct
27
2014
In Pursuit of Dark Matter: Recent Results from the SuperCDMS Experiment
The existence of dark matter was first postulated by Jan Oort in1932 to account for the orbital velocities of stars in the Milky Way. Since that time, astrophysicists and astronomers have produced compelling evidence for the existence of dark matter and determined that it constitutes the bulk of the matter in the Universe. Despite this fact, the composition of the dark matter remains unknown. One compelling candidate for particle dark matter is the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP). Working in a low-background...
Oct
23
2014
Scientific Symposiums - France Atlanta: Documenting Science
Freelance professional photographer Vincent Moncorge will share his experience on documenting science. Following a short historical exploration from the late 19th century and French photographer Etienne Jules Marey’s Chronophotograph, he will detail the new modern story-telling strategies the scientific community is facing today. Then, he will share about his own personal experiences with photographing synchrotron daily life to model organisms such as tiny Drosophila flies.
Oct
21
2014
The Astrophysics of Supermassive Black Holes
Black holes are perhaps the most mysterious and enigmatic objects that one can imagine. Their gravitational fields are so strong that light is unable to escape their grasp, and even fundamental quantities such as space and time are severely disrupted by their presence.  Yet, despite their fantastical nature, astronomers have compiled significant evidence that black holes are actually quite common and are lying at the centers of almost all massive galaxies....

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