Close
Water, water, everywhere at Royal Society show
27 October 2009
Links:
london-nano.com/" target="_self">London Centre for Nanotechnology
The mysteries of water will be the subject of a UCL-inspired exhibit at next year's Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.
The exhibition, which showcases cutting-edge research, will form the centrepiece of a festival of science to celebrate the Royal Society's 350th anniversary.
UCL's contribution is the brainchild of Professor Angelos Michaelides (London Centre for Nanotechnology), Professor Chris Pickard (UCL Physics & Astronomy) and Dr Ben Slater (UCL Chemistry).
Professor Michaelides and his colleagues are creating an exhibit called 'A Molecule's Eye View Of Water', which examines this most everyday but extraordinary of substances at the nanoscale.
Their research uses supercomputers to simulate how ice crystals grow, how clouds form, and how water freezes - unravelling mysteries that have intrigued scientists for centuries.
The exhibit will demonstrate some specific properties of water with a series of simple experiments, videos, and interactive quizzes. Participants will also have the opportunity to watch these processes unfold on the nanoscale with real-time computer simulations.
Professor Michaelides said: "Water is essential for life. It is the one chemical that everyone can relate to, yet many are unaware of its mysterious or scientifically anomalous properties. Water research is a truly interdisciplinary field, attracting the attention of scientists from all backgrounds (chemistry, physics, biology, materials science, engineering, etc).
"As a result our exhibit, which will explain some of water's interesting properties, will be of widespread appeal, not least when the connection of our research to contemporary issues such as weather modification and climate change is explained. This is also a chance for budding scientists to see supercomputers in action."
Professor Michaelides, Professor Pickard and Dr Slater are all members of the newly established Thomas Young Centre, an intercollegiate centre involving UCL, King's College London and Imperial College London.
Image: The structure of ice on the nanoscale - a one dimensional chain of water pentagons nucleated on a copper surface.
UCL context
The London Centre for Nanotechnology brings together two world leaders in nanotechnology, UCL and Imperial College London, in a multidisciplinary research centre forming the bridge between the physical and biomedical sciences.
Related stories:
'Magnetricity' observed and measured for the first time
Nanoscale research uses spin to revolutionise how computers work
Follow us
