Caltech Associates East Coast Program: Feeling the Heat - Unlocking Nature's Secrets to Develop New Technologies
Location: India House, 1 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004
6:15 p.m. Reception with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and buffet stations
7:30 p.m. Program
8:30 p.m. Dessert, coffee, and networking
Hidden in nature are creative solutions that are the key to solving scientific problems. For example, Chiara Daraio, professor of mechanical engineering and applied physics, and her team were testing an artificial wood they had developed when, serendipitously, they discovered that it responded to temperature changes. They traced the source of this sensitivity to pectin, a molecule common in plant cell walls, and set off in a new direction: extracting molecules from living cells to fabricate new materials with record-breaking temperature sensitivity.
Professor Daraio's team has created a thin, flexible film with temperature-sensing properties surpassing those of the pit viper, which has the most powerful heat detector in the animal kingdom. Join us to learn about potential uses for the film including artificial skin that could restore senses for people with prosthetic limbs, smart bandages that could detect changes in body temperature, and thermal sensors for consumer electronics.
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This event is open to members of the Caltech Associates and guests. For more information and to learn how to join, please visit our website or contact the Associates office at (626) 395-3919.
With a proud history of support dating back to 1926, the Caltech Associates are a vibrant organization of more than 2,000 members who are investors in discovery. Membership helps advance Caltech's most ambitious projects, including new treatments for disease, insights into nature, and technologies that could change the way people live their lives.
Caltech is changing the world. You can be part of it by joining the Caltech Associates and help shape tomorrow. Visit: www.associates.caltech.edu