Arts Unplugged – Science of the Very, Very Small

The College of Arts & Sciences’ Arts Unplugged series brings research and creative works into the public sphere for discussion and inspiration. These outreach events invite a broad audience to explore the work of scholars and faculty from all disciplines, all backgrounds and all time periods and to celebrate the impact that work continues to have on our daily lives.

The “science of the very, very small” offers possible solutions for everything from the energy crisis to disease. Ideas that once existed only in science fiction are becoming reality and Cornell scientists are leading the way in nanoscale and quantum materials research. In this Arts Unplugged, we will explore some of these exciting innovations – and their ramifications for human society.

Watch online at eCornell or join us in Klarman or Clark atriums to watch together and build origami nanobirds!

Presentations:

• Welcome - Dean Ray Jayawardhana, Harold Tanner Dean of Arts and Sciences

• Introduction - Natalie Wolchover, Zubrow Distinguished Visiting Journalist Fellow

• Walking nanorobots with brains – Itai Cohen, professor of physics

• Manipulating genes with nanotech – Ailong Ke, professor of molecular biology and genetics, and Julia Markovits, associate professor of philosophy

• Discovering the particles that define us – Liam McAllister, professor of physics, and Peter Wittich, professor of physics and director of the Laboratory of Elementary Particle Physics and Julia Thom-Levy, professor of physics and director of the Cornell Laboratory of Accelerator-based Sciences and Education

• Intermission: Demonstration of how to create origami robots; announcement of “Envisioning the Future” contest winners

• The interplay of science and fiction – Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Laureate in chemistry and Frank H.T. Rhodes Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Biology; Liliana Colanzi, Romance studies and Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, literatures in English

• Designing worlds at the nanoscale – Eun-Ah Kim, professor of physics; Brad Ramshaw, The Dick and Dale Reis Johnson Assistant Professor of physics; and John Marohn, professor of chemistry and chemical biology

• Audience Q&A

Register now: https://ecornell.cornell.edu/keynotes/overview/K030922/

We'll also have two special activities to go along with this live event!

On-line activity: Envisioning the Future

Send us your written description (200-word limit) or a visual representation of how you think nanoscience will change our world. What advances will genetics bring us? How could microscopic robots change agriculture, disaster relief, medicine? Could tiny technology change the way we communicate, travel, live? The winning scenarios will be posted online and shared during the March 9 event; winners in the elementary, middle/high school and adult categories will also receive a gift certificate to a local business. Enter here!

Intermission activity: Making origami robots

The template for a sheet of origami that can be printed at home will be distributed before the event, and the link to the template will be shared during intermission. We will have a demonstration to go along with the template to show how to make an origami robot. Download an origami paper template now: https://cornell.box.com/s/nzyici7hleo003d8hkaezuae0h6zfgkd