2007 EAPS Lecture Series: Diamonds - From Science to Sparkle
Sang-Heon (Dan) Shim
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Diamonds are a common material with uncommon value. We traditionally explore the scientific aspects of an annual theme. This year we will take a different approach and explore a topic, Diamonds, more broadly, from the relevant science, to their place in modern culture. How are diamonds used in research? Can diamond form the deep interior of a planet? What is the geology of diamonds? How do you tell a natural diamond from one grown in a laboratory? Everyone is welcome.
Contact: Vicki McKenna, 54-910, x3-3380, vsm@mit.edu
Sponsor: Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Creating Artificial Diamonds
Dean VandenBiesen V.P. of Operations, LifeGem
This presentation will include an overview of the LifeGem Created Diamond process with high resolution photography and video clips that highlight the public’s reaction to something so new. This is the first ever diamond created from the carbon extracted from human remains. This session will also discuss the ways that this product has helped to change the way people view death.
Wed Jan 10, 12-01:00pm, 54-915
Identifying Gem Diamonds: Are They Real?
Dr. James Shigley Gemological Institute of America
A variety of treated and synthetic diamonds and diamond imitation materials are available in today's jewelry marketplace. This presentation will focus on how gemological researchers use a variety of non-destructive analytical techniques to study diamonds, and on some of the distinctive features of those that are treated or grown in the laboratory.
Wed Jan 17, 12-01:00pm, 54-915
Natural Diamonds: Scientific Time-Capsules from the Earth's Mantle
Lawrence A. Taylor Director, Planetary Geosciences Institute, U. of Tennessee
With precious few samples from the mantle, some 80% of the volume of the Earth, our evidences for the nature of the mantle are largely indirect (e.g., seismic). Diamonds, brought to the surface by kimberlitic volcanoes, sometimes contain mineral inclusions captured and trapped long-ago and from far-away (>3 Ga, 200 mi. depth), providing tangible mineralogical evidences of the complex nature of deep mantle of the Earth.
Mon Jan 22, 12-01:00pm, 54-915
Multiple Methods of Diamond Mining
Jeremy Wyeth Vice President, Victor Project; De Beers, Canada Inc.
Wed Jan 24, 12-01:00pm, 54-915
Diamonds and Kimberlite
Bruce Kjarsgaard Minerals Research Scientist, Natural Resources Canada
Mon Jan 29, 12-01:00pm, 54-910
Marketing Diamonds - Making Diamond Dreams Come True
Rosalind Kainyah Director, Public Affairs USA; De Beers Corp.
Wed Jan 31, 12-01:00pm, 54-915
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Climate Change 101: The Science and Potential Impacts
Masahiro Sugiyama, Daniel Enderton
Thu Jan 11, 02-04:00pm, E40-496
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Confused about global warming? Want to know the science behind the headlines? Led by graduate students studying climate science, this session will cover the basic science of climate change while highlighting what is certain and what is not. There will be an overview of active research areas including the recent peer-reviewed literature and scientific reports that have made headlines.
Contact: Therese Henderson, E40-428, x3-7492, tzh@mit.edu
Sponsor: Joint Program/Science and Policy of Global Change
Cosponsor: Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
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Climate Change: Boston Underwater Walking Tour
Matt Alvarado
Thu Jan 25, 12-04:00pm, E40-496
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Cold weather got you down? Join us for a tour of Boston’s potential future under climate change, where the winters are 10 °F warmer, the summers feel like those in South Carolina today, and the Red Sox are underwater (although the Green Monster is still high and dry). As we walk along the future coastline, we’ll discuss the science of climate change, the potential risks to Boston and the Northeast, the difficulties in predicting the future climate and what can be done to minimize the risks of catastrophic change. Stops will include the Boston Public Garden, the Haymarket, and the Freedom Trail. We will stop somewhere along the way for lunch.
Contact: Therese Henderson, E40-428, x3-7492, tzh@mit.edu
Sponsor: Joint Program/Science and Policy of Global Change
Cosponsor: Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
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Health and Safety Issues of Nanomaterials
Marilyn Hallock
Wed Jan 31, 11am-12:00pm, 1-150
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
The exciting field of nanotechnology is creating the next industrial revolution in engineering. It is also creating the new field of nanotoxicology. Are nanoparticles more toxic than dust particles we normally work with? Could carbon nanotubes possibly be the next asbestos? Come find out what we know and don't know and how to work safely in your laboratory with nanomaterials. Will include update of this year’s research findings on nanotoxicology.
No prerequisite.
Contact: Melissa Kavlakli, N52-496, x2-3233, mjpotter@mit.edu
Sponsor: Environment, Health and Safety Office
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How to Write a Successful Grant Application
Dr. Stephen Steadman
Fri Jan 19, 10-11:00am, 26-414, Kolker Room
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Many young researchers writing grant applications make serious errors despite having outstanding ideas that are well worth support by federal agencies. These include sending the proposal to the wrong program, missing deadlines for proposal submission, and incomplete or poorly written proposals. A description of the proposal process will be presented with information to help avoid these and other errors, with particular emphasis on funding in the physical sciences by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Dr. Steadman has been a Program Director/Manager in both agencies. Please contact Dr. Steadman by Thursday, Jan. 18 to reserve a copy of handout materials.
Contact: Dr. Stephen Steadman, 26-505, x8-8678, steadman@mit.edu
Sponsor: Lab for Nuclear Science
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Nanocrystallite Size Analysis Using XRD
Scott A Speakman
Thu Jan 18, 02-04:00pm, 13-2137
Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 25 participants.
Single session event
X-ray diffraction data can be used to estimate the crystallite size of nanophase materials. However, this analysis is often done incorrectly and with disregard for the limitations of current techniques. This lecture will review the common techniques used for nanocrystallite size analysis, such as the Scherrer, Hall-Williamson, and Warren-Averbach methods, with particular attention to their strengths, weaknesses, and underlying assumptions. The software and capabilities available in the X-ray SEF will be reviewed, as well as complementary techniques available at the CMSE and elsewhere. Discussion will then expand to new methods under development and ways that MIT might contribute to their maturation.
Contact: Scott A Speakman, 13-4009A, x3-6887, speakman@mit.edu
Sponsor: Center for Materials Science and Engineering
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: a Topic TBA
Leader: TBD
Mon Jan 8, 01:30-02:30pm, 32-123
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Contact: Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, ashoori@mit.edu
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: b Topic TBA
Leader: TBD
Wed Jan 10, 01:30-02:30pm, 32-123
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Contact: Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@mit.edu
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: c String Theory goes back to its Roots
Prof. Barton Zwiebach
Thu Jan 11, 01:30-02:30pm, 32-123
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
String theory began in the early 70's as a theory of nucleons.
Since the late 80's it has been our best candidate for a unified
theory of all interactions. In this talk I will discuss recent string
theory insights into nucleons. These include the description
of nuclear forces as theories of gravity and the analysis
of heavy nuclei collisions in Brookhaven.
Contact: Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@mit.edu
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: d Topic TBA
Leader: TBD
Tue Jan 16, 01:30-02:30pm, 32-123
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: e Confessions of a Lapsed Physicist
Michael Bos
Wed Jan 17, 01:30-02:30pm, 32-123
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Ever wonder what happens if you leave the Ivory Tower for the hustle and bustle of Wall Street? I will talk about how a quantitative finance department works at a major investment bank, the kinds of opportunities and challenges that await physicists (and other scientists or engineers) who take the plunge, and how life on the Street differs from life in Academia.
Contact: Elizabeth Chadis, NE25-4017, 452-2807, echadis@mit.edu
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: f Young's double slit experiment for one and two photons
Prof. Vladan Vuletic
Thu Jan 18, 01:30-02:30pm, 32-123
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
When light travels along different paths to the same observation point, interference can occur, even if the intensity is so low that only one photon is inside the apparatus at any given time. But what happens if photons enter the apparatus in pairs? I will also discuss how to make photon pairs, and how to store light in matter.
Contact: Prof. Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@mit.edu
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: g Topic TBA
Leader: TBD
Mon Jan 22, 01:30-02:30pm, 32-123
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Contact: Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@mit.edu
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: h "Energy, Security and Environment"
Prof. Ernest J. Moniz
Wed Jan 24, 02:30-03:30pm, 10-250
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
The principal energy challenges - meeting the needs of emerging economies, mitigating the security concerns associated with geologic and geopolitical realities of oil supply, and minimizing risks associated with climate change - will be discussed along with technology pathways for addressing them. A particular focus will be development of carbon-"free" options for electricity generation at large scale. The structure and status of the MIT Energy Initiative will be summarized.
Contact: Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@MIT.EDU
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: i Planets Around Other Stars
Prof. Josh Winn
Thu Jan 25, 01:30-02:30pm, 32-123
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Within the last few decades, over 200 planets have been
discovered around other stars. How were they found? What have we learned from these new planets about the process of planet formation? Are systems like our Solar system common, or rare? What are the prospects for finding other Earth-like planets, including possible signs of extraterrestrial life?
Contact: Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@MIT.EDU
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: j Big Science, Feynman Diagrams, Complexity, and Automating Physics
Prpf. Bruce Knuteson
Mon Jan 29, 01:30-02:30pm, 32-123
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
A fast-paced intellectual road trip is taken through billion dollar
science projects, the cartoon diagrams for which Feynman is famous,
the science of complex systems, and the possibility of automating the
scientific method itself.
Contact: Prof. Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@mit.edu
Sponsor: Physics
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Plasma Science and Fusion Center IAP Series
Jeffrey Freidberg, Peter Catto, Joseph Snipes
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
This series introduces plasma physics research and areas of related interest at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. See URL below.
Web: http://www.psfc.mit.edu/
Contact: Paul Rivenberg, NW16-284, x3-8101, rivenberg@psfc.mit.edu
Sponsor: Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Three Mile Island - Colossal Failure or Colossal Success?
Andrew Kadak
The Three Mile Island accident in 1979 was a significant turning point for the future of nuclear power in the United States. The seminar will discuss what happened and why, and will ask whether this was a colossal failure or a success. The seminar will be broken into two sessions - one just before lunch and one after lunch to ponder the points raised.
Mon Jan 22, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218
Three Mile Island Communications – Good, Bad or Ugly?
Andrew Kadak
What can you believe about how events are reported? Prof. Kadak will discuss the impact ofThree Mile Island as it relates to how the event was managed and described to the public. Videos from the period highlight the drama of the event and the critical communications issues that shaped the public’s opinion about nuclear energy then and now.
Mon Jan 22, 01:30-02:30pm, NW17-218
A Superconducting Path to Electric Power Efficiency
Joseph Minervini
Superconductivity and cryogenics technologies can be used to increase the cost effectiveness, efficiency, stability, power quality and capacity of the electrical power grid. Looking beyond their potential impact on our present portfolio of power sources, these technologies may also be needed for large scale implementation of renewable sources, such as wind and solar.
Tue Jan 23, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218
Carbon Free Electricity: Can Technology Beat Global Warming?
Brendan McNamara Leabrook Computing
An optimistic view of how Coal, Wind, and Nuclear Energy can stay within emissions limits to provide affordable electricity for thousands of years. It will be shown how technology developments can keep pace with the speed of climate change if society can agree on the requirements.
Tue Jan 23, 02-03:30pm, NW17-218
Magnetic Reconnection; A Celestial Phenomenon in the Laboratory
Jan Egedal
What do Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) from the Sun, the occurrence of Auroras (Northern light) and the VTF experiment at MIT have in common? VTF simulates the magnetic field explosions in the solar coronal and the Earth's magnetosphere, unlocking the secretes of the most violent phenomena in our solar system.
Mon Jan 29, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218
Living on the Edge: Materials & Fusion Plasmas
Dennnis Whyte
Life isn't easy for materials at the edge region of fusion experiments and reactors. The required exhaust of heat through the material is like placing it at the surface of the sun, while at the same time the plasma is bombarding the material with enormous quantities of damaging high-energy particles. Advances and challenges in edge plasma and materials research for fusion research will be described.
Mon Jan 29, 02-03:00pm, NW17-218
Alcator C-Mod: Tokamak Science for ITER and Beyond
Earl Marmar
Alcator C-Mod is a high field, high performance divertor tokamak, operating with ITER magnetic field and plasma pressure, at about 1/10 ITER size. Current experiments and plans will be described in the context of R&D needs for ITER and for fusion reactors
Tue Jan 30, 02-03:00pm, NW17-218
Tour of PSFC Fusion Experiments
Tour guide to be announced
The PSFC is exploring fusion through two different devices. The Alcator C-Mod tokamak is a well tested approach that has produced decades of progress towards achieving fusion energy. The Levitated Dipole Experiment is a brand new approach, inspired by observing space plasmas around planets. Come see what makes these experiments unique.
Tue Jan 30, 03-04:00pm, NW17-218
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The Feynman Films
Markos Hankin
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: None
This series of films by Richard Feynman is open to the MIT community.
Contact: Markos Hankin, 4-309, 253-4844, mhankin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Physics
The Law of Gravitation
Markos Hankin
Mon Jan 8, 12-01:30pm, 32-123
The Best Mind Since Einstein
Markos Hankin
Wed Jan 10, 12-01:30pm, 32-123
The Relation of Mathematics to Physics
Markos Hankin
Thu Jan 11, 12-01:30pm, 32-123
The Great Conservation Principles
Markos Hankin
Tue Jan 16, 12-01:30pm, 32-123
Symmetry in Physical Law
Markos Hankin
Wed Jan 17, 12-01:30pm, 32-123
The Last Journey of a Genius
Markos Hankin
Thu Jan 18, 12-01:30pm, 32-123
Take the World from Another Point of View
Markos Hankin
Mon Jan 22, 12-01:30pm, 32-123
The Distinction of Past and Future
Markos Hankin
Wed Jan 24, 12-01:30pm, 32-123
Probability and Uncertainty
Markos Hankin
Thu Jan 25, 12-01:30pm, 32-123
Seeking New Laws
Markos Hankin
Mon Jan 29, 12-01:30pm, 32-123
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The Science of Chocolate
Michael Cima, Allison Kunz
Thu Jan 18, 08-09:00pm, 34-101
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
A lecture on the science of chocolate, with demonstrations if we can arrange them. What exactly is in chocolate, anyway? Why is water so bad for chocolate? What exactly does it mean for chocolate to be tempered? Why are we all so addicted to it? What other chocolate-related questions can we come up with?
Web: http://web.mit.edu/~chocolatiers/www/iapcal2007.html
Contact: chocolatiers-officers@mit.ed
Sponsor: Laboratory for Chocolate Science
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The Wonders of X-Ray Diffraction
Scott A Speakman
Thu Jan 25, 02-04:00pm, 13-2137
Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 40 participants.
Single session event
X-ray diffraction is a versatile technique for measuring a number of characteristics of crystalline and semi-crystalline materials. This seminar will survey the information that might be learned from polycrystalline materials using XRD. Rather than discussing theory, examples will be used to illustrate the use of XRD to measure: quantitative phase composition, crystallite size, microstrain, residual stress, texture, rate constants and activation energies for reactions, crystallinity, etc. The capabilities and limitations of the instruments in the CMSE X-Ray SEF will also be discussed.
This lecture is designed to help those unfamiliar with X-ray diffraction decide if XRD could be useful for their research. Researchers using XRD for basic phase ID may also find benefit in exploring the more advanced analyses that are possible.
Contact: Scott A Speakman, 13-4009A, x3-6887, speakman@mit.edu
Sponsor: Center for Materials Science and Engineering
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Tour of the MIT-Bates Electron Linear Accelerator Center
Dr. Stephen Steadman, Prof. Robert Redwine
Thu Jan 25, 01-04:30pm, Bldg 26 Loading dock
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 24-Jan-2007
Limited to 25 participants.
Single session event
The MIT Bates Center, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science and located in Middleton, provides up to 1 GeV beams of electrons that has been used for basic research in nuclear physics. The facility is now being used in new ways as an interdisciplinary center for research and development in accelerator science and technology. A brief general description of the facility and its research will be followed by a tour of the facility. Transportation to Bates will be provided; signup needed to have ride available.
Web: http://mitbates.lns.mit.edu/bates/control/main
Contact: Dr. Stephen Steadman, 26-505, x8-8678, steadman@mit.edu
Sponsor: Lab for Nuclear Science
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