Grounds for Science: Materials for Future Technology

Join Cal scientists at this month's Grounds for Science series for two exciting talks about some very different futuristic materials. Enjoy refreshing beverages at the Scarlet City Espresso Bar while these scientists tell you about sturdy, environmentally sustainable structures and current work in invisibility cloak technology!

In the tradition of the Cafe Scientifique, Grounds for Science is committed to promoting public engagement and exchange with science. Each talk will be accompanied by a  question-answer session, and informal discussion between the audience and speakers before and after the talks is encouraged!

Sonia Travaglini - Magnificent Mushroom Materials

Join Sonia Travaglini, the world's first mycology materials researcher, for an introduction to mycology materials; a bio-composite grown from mushrooms. These materials offer reduced environmental impact, are compostable, and are more pleasing to work with than their synthetic alternatives. Along with describing mycology materials' unusual closed-loop life-cycle, Sonia will introduce their creation, composition and future development.

Zi Jing - Realizing invisibility cloaks with metamaterials

Is invisibility just a fantasy? Or can be it real? In 2006, scientists finally found a way to build invisibility cloaks. It's based on a new type of artificially-engineered materials called metamaterials. In this talk, Zi will introduce the concept of metamaterials and highlight the key experimental progress, including some of our efforts here at UC Berkeley.