Series of popular lectures on a variety of interdisciplinary scientific topics
The spring semester of the series of meetings on popular and current scientific topics is underway, at the Davidson Institute for Science Education, which brings together the educational activity of the Weizmann Institute of Science. The meetings, led by scientists and researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science, are intended for the general public, and allow everyone to learn and get to know topics from the front of science, participate, ask questions, and express an opinion.
The activity will resume on March 28 and will take place at the Davidson Institute for Science Education, on the Weizmann Institute of Science campus, in Rehovot. Registration will end on March 21, 2011.
In the coming semester, there will be four series:
"As a substance in the hands of the creator" - a special series on the occasion of the International Year of Chemistry. Almost every technology that affects our lives - from plasters to artificial organs, from a simple bicycle to a modern jet plane - is based on a deep understanding of the materials it uses. "Strange" phenomena observed in materials have often led to very significant breakthroughs in the understanding of fundamental principles in material science. In this series of lectures, scientists from the Faculty of Chemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science will tell how they study the properties of materials, how new materials are produced on demand, and what happens in the transition from "material" to "nanomaterial".
The series "No one understands quanta but everyone uses them" will focus on the various fields of physics that rely on quantum theory. The lectures will present the technological breakthroughs in the fields of lasers, materials, and submicron devices, which enabled the application of quantum phenomena in everyday life, in the fields of sensing, energy, computing, and communication.
An opportunity to perform practical experiments will be given as part of the "Laboratory Meetings" series, in which the participants will be presented with various fields of science through active experience in research experiments in the laboratories of the Davidson Institute for Science Education. The meetings will include a scientific lecture on a topic relevant to our lives - such as wine production, the music of science, cosmetics, ecosystems, DNA testing and crime scenes, after which the participants will experience practical experiments.
The immune system of the human body has developed over millions of years of evolution into a strong and sophisticated system that protects our bodies from external invaders - such as bacteria, and internal - such as cancer. The series "Journey into the Immune System" will deal with research and scientific breakthroughs that allow us today to deal with the many diseases that harm the normal functioning of the immune system.
The series, which include eight sessions, will be held simultaneously on Mondays, between the hours of 21:00 PM and 19:15 PM.
For details and registration
