Norman Mannella, associate professor of physics and astronomy, will talk about the “Marvels of Matter All Around Us” at this week’s Pregame Showcase at the University of Tennessee.
The showcase will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 6, in the Carolyn P. Brown University Center Ballroom (Room 213), before the Vols take on Arkansas State University.
Now in its twenty-fifth season, the Pregame Showcase gives fans the chance to hear from accomplished faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences prior to each gridiron matchup.
Free and open to the public, each showcase features a thirty-minute presentation followed by a fifteen-minute question-and-answer session. A brief reception will follow each program. Door prizes will be awarded.
Mannella will talk about condensed matter physics (CMP), one of the fastest-growing research areas in physics. It is the science behind transistors, microchips, and nanotechnology. While it is a foundation of advanced materials research, CMP also has a deeper intellectual beauty that often goes unnoticed.
In this rich territory, physicists are discovering a growing number of complex electron systems. In high-temperature superconductors, for example, electrons organize collectivelyin a fashion different from the well-known fundamental laws that govern their interactions. Understanding the origins of these behaviors is one of the ultimate goals of science.
Mannella’s presentation will showcase complex behaviors found both in nature and artificial systems in CMP, demonstrating how these marvelous collective phenomena are all around us.
Here’s the lineup for the rest of the season:
October 4—”Methodism and Eighteenth-Century Theater.” Misty G. Anderson, professor of English, will discuss the denomination’s connection to theater through field preaching, singing, and tearful sermons.
October 11—”Bashing and Building: Financing Urban Redevelopment in Seventeenth-Century Rome.” Dorothy Habel, professor of art, will look to the past to share insight into real estate financing, the bond market, and urban ownership.
October 25—”Play Throughout the Animal World.” Gordon M. Burghardt, Alumni Distinguished Service Professor of psychology and ecology and evolutionary biology, will explore the importance of play to humans and animals.
November 15—”Expanding the Synthetic Toolbox for Pharmaceuticals.” David M. Jenkins, associate professor of chemistry, will look at how man-made chemicals can be used to make medicine.
November 22—”Let’s Play! Shakespeare for Civilians.” Kathleen S. Buckley, associate professor of theatre, will host a Shakespeare workshop with audience participation.
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C O N T A C T :
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)