Educational Outreach
Guest Speakers
The Museum of Science and Industry is in a unique position to access the science resources available at the University of Chicago. One program our Materials Center has implemented is a guest speaker series for Museum staff. We regularly send scientists to give noontime lectures to communicate exciting aspects of our science to museum professionals at the MSI. The series was inaugurated in 1999 by Professor Heinrich Jaeger.
Recent Faculty and Post-doctoral Speakers
- Dr. Kenneth Nicholson (Chemistry in Outer Space: Designing a Better Satellite Coating)
- Dr. Irene Popova (Self-Assembled Monolayer Dynamics)
- Dr. Terry Bigioni (Gold Nanocrystals in 1-Dimensional and 2-Dimensional Arrays)
- Prof. Wendy Zhang (Dripping, Bubbling & Splashing: the Story of Fluids)
- Dr. Haim Diamant (Forces from nowhere: Fluctuation-Induced Interactions)
- Prof. Woowon Kang (A Physicist's Adventure in the Flatland)
- Prof. Sidney Nagel (Physics at the Breakfast Table)
- Prof. Thomas Witten (How Strong is a Crumpled Sheet?)
- Prof. Ka Yee Lee (The Physics of Breathing)
- Prof. Milan Mrksich (Recent Advances in Biophysical Chemistry)
We also make time to speak at special Museum events. For example, Professor Heinrich Jaeger gave a special presentation to 60-100 museum members and their families on Nanotechnology. This event was sponsored by the Museum's Department of Education.