The science behind cricket,
noise, ice sheets and ocean waves will be explored during a series of free talks
aimed at sixth form pupils in and around Newcastle.
Over the course of eight weeks,
Northumbria University will host the How Physics and Maths Make a Difference
in the World lecture
series, which aims to show why physics and maths matter and where they can lead
to.
The lecture series has been
organised as part of Northumbria University’s NUSTEM project, which aims to encourage and inspire the next
generation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics students through
a wide variety of educational events.
Featuring one-hour talks by
academics from Northumbria and Newcastle Universities, the event is open to
pupils from Year 11 upwards, as well as their parents and teachers.
The first lecture takes
place tomorrow (Thursday 5 October), with Northumbria’s Dr Sara Lombardo
discussing the mathematics of extreme ocean waves – part of maritime folklore
for centuries and now attracting the interest of scientists.
The theme for the second
lecture is Keeping the Lights on, during which Dr Sara Walker, of Newcastle
University, will explore how the UK (and the world) can generate electricity in
a cost effective and sustainable way, and the role physics plays.
The full lecture series is
as follows:
Week
1 – The Mathematics of Giant Oceanic Waves (5th October 2017)
Dr Sara Lombardo –
Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Northumbria
University
In this lecture Dr Sara Lombardo will focused on mathematical challenges coming
from extreme environments and environmental hazards, in particular it explores
the concepts of waves and extreme waves (also called rogue waves) and
Week
2 – Keeping the Lights On (12th October 2017)
Dr Sara Walker – Newcastle
University
How can the UK (and world)
generate electricity in a cost effective and sustainable way? What has physics
got to do with this? In this talk, Dr Sara Walker will talk about electricity
and renewables policy, and how she came to study these aspects following her
physics degree.
Week
3 – Cricket as life and death (19th October 2017)
Dr Pete Philipson –
Department of Mathematics, Physics and electrical Engineering, Northumbria
University
In July 2015, ahead of the
upcoming Ashes series against Australia, England’s Director of Cricket stated
“it’s not about life and death, it’s a game of cricket”. Viewed through the
prism of batting, however, cricket can be very much thought of as a battle for
survival. Going out to bat, a batsman is ‘born’ and they then ‘live’ until they
are dismissed and ‘die’.
In this talk will
demonstrate that, following this analogy, run scoring can be analysed using
techniques from survival analysis, thereby providing richer information than
the standard one-number summary.
Week
4 – You What? – Noise Management and bio acoustics (2nd November 2017)
Dr Peter Glaves – Department
of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University
We live in an increasingly
noisy world. If you’ve ever had a sleepless night due to your noisy neighbours
or busy traffic, you will understand how noise can impact on people. But what
is ‘noise’? How can it be understood? And how can noise be managed?
Peter’s session will address
some of the big questions in noise science and noise management:
Week
5 – The complex beauty of fractal geometry (9th November 2017)
Dr Matteo Sommacal,
Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Northumbria
University
In this lecture, Dr Matteo
Sommacal will explain, with the aid of some computer graphics, how Fractals –
the shapes that come out of Fractal Geometry – can be defined as geometrical
objects characterised by two properties: self-similarity, and non-integer
dimension. Differently from the ‘smooth’ figures of classical Geometry, such as
circles or triangles, Fractals turn out to be ‘rough’ and infinitely complex.
Week
6 – Body-surfing: wave dynamics in the human body (16th November 2017)
Dr Benoit Huard, Department
of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Northumbria University
Physiology is a vast medical
field which studies a wealth of mechanisms that make the body work healthily.
From brain-to-toe travelling impulses to the breath-heart beat coordination and
clocks regulating blood sugar levels and sleep, they all follow basic
principles which can be modelled using geometry, algebra and calculus. By
looking at different wave phenomena operating in the body, we will see how
various mathematical bifurcations ensure the proper tuning of our daily
anatomical functions.
Week
7 – Radar investigations of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (23rd November 2017)
Dr Kate Winter, Department
of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University
Glaciologists use ice
penetrating radar to investigate the subsurface properties of ice sheets, ice
caps and glaciers. Since the 1960’s airborne radio-echo sounding (RES)
techniques have been used to determine ice sheet thickness and map the
subglacial surface, identify subglacial lakes and volcanoes and record internal
layers in glacier ice, which reflect past and present mass balance, form and
flow. In this talk, Dr Kate Winter from Northumbria University will provide a
brief overview of the uses and capabilities of radio-echo sounding, before
focussing on how radar investigations have shaped our understanding of the
current state and future stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. With
reference to her recent visit to Antarctica, this talk promises lots of great
photos and an insight into life in the polar regions, as well as the
opportunity to appreciate the real-world application of physics in the coolest
place on Earth.
Week
8 – Physics of Soft and Biological Matter: sticky, squishy, bouncy (30th
November 2017)
Dr Rodrigo Lesdema Aguillar,
Department of Mathematics Physics and Electrical Engineering, Northumbria
University
Through natural selection,
many animal and plant species have developed clever solutions to problems linked
to survival in the natural world.
In this talk, we will
explore how the physics of these strategies are inspiring clever technologies
range from everyday materials to new energy harvesting devices for space
exploration.
All talks will be held from
5.30pm to 6.30pm in Northumbria University’s Ellison Building, room EBA102A.
For more information and to book a place at any of the lectures, please visit www.nustem.uk/eveninglectures/
