Podcasts about Cavendish Laboratory

We're excited to welcome Russell Cowburn, professor or experimental physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, serial entrepreneur, and a man of faith, newly appointed Canon Scientist at St Albans Cathedral. Russel's journey to becoming a physicist started with a light bulb moment, quite literally. From his early interest in electronics to his education and career in Cambridge, with a couple of detours through engineering and France, his profile sits at the intersection between science and technology. With over 60 patents granted, Russell is a master at translating discoveries into technologies. The emergence of nanotechnology - the manipulation of matter on a tiny scale - in the late 90s shaped his research approach, recognising the need for collaboration across disciplines and the importance of technology transfer to solve real-world problems. In that spirit, he's founded three companies, including one focused on nanotechnology instrumentation and another aimed at speeding up drug discovery, reflecting his commitment to applying science to the needs of our modern societies. Together we talk about the oh-so important ability to pivot in science, standing on the shoulders of giants and his engagement in bridging science and faith. Useful linksLearn more about Russell's spin-out companies: Semarion and Durham Magneto Optics Watch one of Russell's TED talk: Nanotechnology, Creation and God. | Prof Russell Cowburn | TEDxSt To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.Share and join the conversationHelp us get better by taking our quick survey. Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you!If you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Charlie Walker and Vanessa BismuthRecording and editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Today on People Doing Physics, we're delighted to welcome Charlotte Simmonds, an astronomer with an incredible journey and a woman on a quest. Of all the guests we had the pleasure to welcome here, Charlotte stands out as one of the most determined, driven by an unshakable fascination for the universe, and our place within it. If astronomy was always her end goal, she first studied and started her career as a music teacher. But when the time was right, she finally embraced her first love and passion and navigated her way through the various challenges that academia invariably presents. Now a postdoc in the Galaxy Formation and Evolution Group at the Cavendish, it looks like she's found her rightful place in the universe and is already preparing for her next move. With Charlotte, we'll talk about taking chances, the importance of representations in science and her efforts to demonstrate that no matter who you are and how different you may be, there's a place for you in science if you want it…Useful linksDetails on Charlotte's research are on the Galaxy Formation and Evolution Group website.Watch one of Charlotte's talk: "Unveiling the Mysteries of the Early Universe with JWST", part of the Cambridge Physics Centre lecture seriesTo learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.Share and join the conversationHelp us get better by taking our quick survey. Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you!If you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Charlie Walker and Vanessa BismuthRecording and editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This episode was first published in May 2024 This month on People Doing Physics, we have a voice very familiar to listeners; Simone Eizagirre Barker, PhD student in the Quantum Optical Materials and Systems group at the Cavendish.Following a winding path into Optical Physics, Simone previously dipped her toes into Nanotechnology in the Cavendish' NanoDTC, and Chemical Physics at the University of Edinburgh. Her interdisciplinary background builds on her fascination for figuring out how the world works, whether looking at quantum systems or how to structure the perfect argument. Outside of science, Simone has been involved in student magazines, debating clubs, improv theatre, and podcasts, most notably (in our opinion) as one of the founding members of this very podcast. She also produces a fortnightly segment for Basque public broadcast radio's Faktoria Magazina.In this episode, Simone talks about finding her way through a multi-disciplinary career in science, the importance of communication, and how to publish your first academic paper at the age of 16...Useful linksSimone's group and research are on the Quantum Cambridge website.To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.Share and join the conversationHelp us get better by taking our quick survey. Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you!If you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Jacob Butler and Vanessa BismuthRecording and editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Welcome back to a world of People Doing Physics! For this first episode of 2024, let us introduce you to Richard King, the Undergraduate Lab Manager at the Cavendish Laboratory. Richard oversees the practical side of the undergraduate physics course, managing the team that designs, develops, and deploys lecture demos and undergraduate experiments. A former electronic engineer, his background was in circuit design and computing before he joined the Cavendish in 2008.With Richard, we talk about how Cambridge has changed over the years, what it's like going from fast-paced industry to the sedate world of the university, the processes involved in setting up practical work for hundreds of undergraduates, and what exactly he was doing wandering around Costa Rica with photographs of old airfields last year.Useful linksTo learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.Share and join the conversationHelp us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you.If you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHost: Jacob ButlerRecording and Editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

There is a wonderful photo in the Castle of the physicists working at Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory in August 1920.  Taking his position amongst historical greats such as Prof. Chadwick and Ernest Rutherford is Fr C. Power S.J.  The script underneath describes the former as being famous for his discovery of the neutron while Rutherford discovered the alpha particle and was famous for his experiments on the same; while In true Jesuit understatement the same script says that Cyril Power “taught maths in C.W.C and managed the farm.”In this podcast Eoin O'Reilly OC'74 (who devised the discussion) shares memories of ‘Sickle' with MIchael Sheil SJ IC 56 and Harman Murtagh OC'62, along with CWC Archivist, John Bird. *photograph courtesy The ClongownianEoin O'Reilly with Cyril Power outside the Castle

Silicon photonics is not just a buzzword—it's the future of the semiconductor industry, and we're here to uncover its secrets with Dr. Lee Chee Wai. Dr. Lee Chee Wei is a distinguished expert in silicon photonics integration, boasting an extensive career spanning over 18 years. Holding a PhD in Photonics Integration from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, Dr. Lee has honed his skills both in academia and the industry. His academic journey was supported by prestigious awards, including the ASEAN Scholarship, ASTAR Graduate Scholarship, and ASTAR Overseas Postdoctoral Fellowship.Currently, Dr. Lee is pivotal in advancing the commercialization of data center silicon photonics. His technical acumen extends to the design of photonic integrating circuits, and the development and design of advanced fabrication and packaging technologies. Dr. Lee's contributions to the field are highlighted by his extensive portfolio of more than 30 internationally filed patents and over 50 peer-reviewed journal publications. His work bridges the gap between east and west, showcasing a global impact in Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) Technology.Discover how the convergence of light and silicon is about to shatter the limitations of traditional CMOS technology, unlocking unparalleled data speeds and efficiency, crucial for the demands of Gen AI and modern data centers. Dr. Lee guides us through the transformative potential of merging photonic and electronic components on a single chip with EPIC Electronics.Our conversation takes a serious look at the nuts and bolts of integrating silicon photonics with CMOS. We confront the challenges head-on—material incompatibilities, efficient signal conversion, and heat dissipation—and discuss cutting-edge solutions like co-packaged optics and heterogeneous integration that are setting the stage for future advancements. With a focus on scaling these innovations for commercial viability since 2017, we discuss how these developments could redefine the semiconductor landscape. Tune in to grasp how silicon photonics stands as a beacon of promise, ready to reshape data centers and elevate the semiconductor industry with unprecedented speed and efficiency.Thanks for tuning in to "Advantest Talks Semi"! If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love to hear from you! Please take a moment to leave a rating on Apple Podcast. Your feedback helps us improve and reach new listeners. Don't forget to subscribe and share with your friends. We appreciate your support!

This month, we are joined by Oliwia Zawadzka, a Research Laboratory Technician at the Cavendish Laboratory. Oliwia grew up in Poland before moving to the UK aged 9. Dropped in at the deep end, she spent the next few years learning English just in time to sit her exams. Despite doing well, she decided the typical path through university wasn't for her and set about finding an apprenticeship that suited. This brought her to the Cavendish, where she started as a laboratory technician apprentice, helping the technicians in their work supporting the research of the department. Today, we'll talk about where her time as an apprentice has taken her, what it's like telling Cambridge academics what to do, her work around the university to bring awareness to the programmes available, and her advice to anyone thinking about following a similar path… Useful linksLearn more about the apprenticeship scheme at the Cavendish and about the National Apprenticeships Scheme. Explore the Cavendish Outreach projects and events.Listen to the People Doing Physics episode with Lisa Jardine on outreach, Isaac Physics and the STEMSMART programme.Share and join the conversationHelp us get better by taking our quick survey. Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you!If you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Jacob Butler and Charlie WalkerRecording and Editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Today we are joined by Professor Sam Stranks, Professor of Optoelectronics and Royal Society University Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, and a Joint Member here at the Cavendish Laboratory. Growing up in Australia, Sam graduated from the University of Adelaide with a BA in German and Applied Mathematics, alongside a BSc in Physics and Physical Chemistry, before completing a PhD at Oxford University. His research focuses on developing novel materials for low-cost electronics applications, such as solar cells and LEDs, and he is co-founder of Swift Solar, a company taking this technology to market by developing lightweight perovskite solar panels. If working in business and academia wasn't enough, Sam teaches at the university, setting up several new PhD programmes, and is one the co-founders of Sustain/Education, a national charity developing content for Primary Schools looking at climate change solutions. In this episode, we talk about his multidisciplinary route through science, how he manages to keep a foot in both research and industry, and just how many times he came close to dropping physics entirely... Learn more about Sam Stranks' research by visiting his group website.Sam's spin-out company: Swift Solar - Next generation lightweight and efficient solar technologyThe new PhD programme PhDin Sustainable Energy Materials Innovations is now open for applications!Visit the Sustain/Education website to learn more about their actions in primary school classes across the country. Listen back to Stuart Macpherson, co-founder of Sustain/Education, talking about his own journey into physics on this podcast.And finally, explore the Cavendish Laboratory, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2024Share and join the conversationHelp us get better by taking our quick survey. Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you!If you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Jacob Butler and Vanessa BismuthRecording and Editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Join us at the AC Conference in California, October 20-25, 2024! We're excited to announce that John Patrick will be one of the keynote speakers at this year's AC Conference, held at the breathtaking Pepperdine University. With stunning sunsets over the ocean and beautiful mountain hikes, it's the perfect venue to explore new ideas and engage with thought-provoking discussions. Featured Presentation: Title: The Intellectual Roots of Medicine: Whose Evidence? Which Medicine? Beyond Evidence-Based Medicine Speaker: John Patrick Don't miss this opportunity to delve into the complexities of modern medicine and challenge the prevailing paradigms with one of the leading voices in the field. Accommodations: Interested in sharing an Airbnb? Contact Cory Wilson for details. For more information, recommended readings, and further details, visit cmda.org/events/augustine-college-west or reach out directly to Cory at cmcj.ca@gmail.com.   In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. John Patrick explores the troubling state of modern universities, delving into how postmodernism and deconstructionism have compromised academic standards. Beginning with a reflection on the revered Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge, Dr. Patrick contrasts the joy of learning with today's politicized academia. He examines the infamous Sokal hoax, which exposed the absurdities of postmodern academic jargon, and discusses the unsettling parallels between the decline of medieval monasteries and contemporary universities.   // LINKS // Website: https://www.johnpatrick.ca/ Podcast: https://doctorjohnpatrick.podbean.com/ Biblical Literate Quiz: https://www.johnpatrick.ca/meaning-metaphor-and-allusion/ Recommended Reading list: https://www.johnpatrick.ca/book-list/ Ask Doctor John: https://www.johnpatrick.ca/ask/ LINKS: https://beacons.ai/doctorjohnpatrick

The team is taking a short break this summer and will be back in September with a plethora of new guests. To help you wait, we've selected a couple of previous episodes we wanted to share again with you. This month, we go back to the Ray Dolby Centre for a tour of what was, at the time of recording in January 2023, still very much a building site. A year and a bit later, the newest home of the Cavendish Laboratory is now completed and we're gearing up for the migration of 1,100 staff and students, along with research and teaching labs, scientific equipment, and technical instruments.Let's jump back in with our guest Andy Parker, who was the Head of the Cavendish at the time, for a wander around the new building and a fantastic chat about inventions, reinventions, and the future of physics. We hope you'll like it and if you do, don't forget to rate the episode or to leave us a review on your favourite podcast app! Episode 13: A tour of the Cavendish's new home with Andy ParkerThis is episode 13 of People Doing Physics, the podcast from the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. This month marks our first birthday! One year, 12 guests, each one looking into their very own journey and connection with Physics. For this special anniversary episode, we've asked the head of the Cavendish Laboratory, Professor Andy Parker to take us to a building site. Not any building site though. The one, just across the road from the department's current location, where the newest home for the Cavendish Laboratory will open in 2024. A Professor of High Energy Physics, Andy joined the Cavendish as a lecturer in 1989. He served as Deputy Head of Department for 3 years before becoming Head of Department in 2013. Who better than Andy then, who has overseen this immense project for the best part of the past 10 years, to show us around and talk about what the new building means for the future of physics in Cambridge and nationally? With him we wandered and we roamed and we talked: about particle physics, ever bigger underground tunnels, and a lost spring on the carpet. Useful linksLearn more about the Ray Dolby Centre and about the relationship between Ray Dolby at the Cavendish.Explore the world of CERN, the Large Hadron Collider and the ATLAS inner detector.To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to www.phy.cam.ac.uk Share and join the conversationIf you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Jacob Butler and Vanessa BismuthRecording and

Hello dear listeners. The team of People doing Physics is taking a short break this summer and will be back in September with new guests and more physics chats. To help you wait, we've selected a couple of previous episodes we wanted to share again with you. We start with our panel episode with three Undergraduate students, which comes out just as we are about to welcome once again hundreds of potential new students for the University of Cambridge Open Days. This episode was recorded in June 2023, with Misha de Fockert and Armaan Shaikh, who were just finishing their 2nd year, and Ming-Shau Liu, who had just graduated from Cambridge after his 4th year.We'll leave you with them and their very open and unfiltered views on their time and experience of studying physics at Cambridge.We hope you enjoy it, and if you do, don't forget to rate it or leave a review on your favourite podcast app! Episode 18: An open conversation with physics students, Misha de Fockert, Ming-Shau Liu and Armaan ShaikhThis is July and the streets of Cambridge burst with sun and excitement as students let a communal sigh of relief now that the academic year is over. This is July, and the time for future students to think about what subject they might be studying when choosing to go to university. As we are welcoming hundreds of potential new students today and tomorrow for the University of Cambridge Open Days, we have invited three of our current undergraduate students to join us in the studio and talk to us, honestly and without filters, about their experience at Cambridge. Hearing directly from them may help young people thinking about studying physics in Cambridge or anywhere else, to take the leap. Misha de Fockert and Armaan Shaikh have just finished their 2nd year – here in Cambridge we call it Part IB, and Ming-Shau Liu is graduating from Cambridge after his 4th year, which, not confusingly at all, is called Part 3! All three of them, and this is just a coincidence, are students at Homerton College. With them today we talk about taking the time to reflect, imposter syndrome, building bridges and making friends for life. Useful linksIf you are thinking about applying to Cambridge, visit the Undergraduate Study website.Isaac Physics offer free support and activities in physics problem solving to teachers and students transitioning from GCSE (Y11), through to Sixth Form (Y12 & 13), to university. For direct support, you can also sign up to the Isaac Physics mentoring scheme.To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.Share and join the conversationIf you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on X/Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Vanessa Bismuth and Jacob ButlerRecording and Editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for...

We are joined by Dr Lisa Jardine-Wright, OBE; Director of Isaac Physics, Director of Studies for Physics at Churchill College, and Vice-President for Education and Skills at the Institute of Physics. An astrophysicist by training, Lisa studied Natural Sciences and for a Master's Degree in Physics at Trinity College in Cambridge, before completing her PhD at the Institute of Astronomy just over the road from the Cavendish. While there, she became involved in the Institute's outreach activities, contributing to the first Cambridge Festivals and the regular Public Open Evenings, before moving on to a postdoc that was split evenly between simulating the formation of spiral galaxies and outreach.Since then, she has been a media fellow at the Financial Times, Astronomy Consultant for the Royal Observatory, Outreach Officer at the Cavendish, and co-founder of the internationally-used Isaac Physics project. Her work to support outreach and education has been widely recognised; Lisa has won numerous awards, culminating in an OBE for services to education in 2022.In this episode, we talk to her about her route through science, the valuable perspective that comes from seeing your work through non-specialist eyes, and the importance of making her teachers work late…Useful linksIsaac Physics is the free platform headed by Lisa, for students and teachers to master physics by solving problems. STEM SMART (Subject Mastery and Attainment Raising Tuition) is a widening participation initiative from the University of Cambridge in association with Isaac Physics, to provide free, complementary teaching and support to UK (non-fee paying) students.The research relating to A-level physics numbers that Lisa refers to is in this paper by Alan Smithers (Centre for Education and Employment Research University of Buckingham, 2014)For more inspiration on the different roles you can have in a Physics environment, listen to some of the previous episodes in the People Doing Physics' back catalogue, for example: Melanie Tribble, Emily Roe, Tom Sharp or Richard King To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.Share and join the conversationHelp us get better by taking our quick survey. Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you!If you like this episode don't...

Psalms 111 and 112 are connected in their subject matter and vocabulary. “Both are acrostic containing twenty-two lines, each succeeding line beginning with the following letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 111 describes God as reflected in His works, and Psalm 112 the man who fears God and properly responds to Him. Some of the phraseology used in Psalm 111 to describe God is repeated in Psalm 112 to describe the God-fearing man” Miller, 370. “Psalm 111 focuses primarily on God's work, Psalm 112 focuses on human response and consists of a description of the happiness of those who fear the Lord” McCann, 1133.  “Each half line or verset begins with a different letter of the alphabet in sequence. Most of the lines begin with either a noun or an adjective exhibiting the appropriate alphabetic character in the initial letter.” There are eight (8) acrostic Psalms in the Psalms- Alter, 399.111:1 Praise the LORD!!- 112:1; 113:1 will begin the same way. Only Ps. 111 and 112 begin with Praise the LORD but do not end with it- VanGemeren, 702. “The initial Hallelujah stands outside this acrostic schemes” Laymen's, 681. The Psalm begins and ends with praise .111:2 “This verse was well-chosen to grace the entrance of the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, the scene of some fundamental physical discoveries. But while this verse is God's charter for the scientist and artist, verse 10 must be it partner, lest ‘professing to be wise' we become fools, like the men of Romans 1:18-23” Kidner, 397. 111:3 Splendid and majestic is His work- Ps. 21:5; Job 40:10 work is singular. And His righteousness endures forever- “The next psalm boldly reproduces part of this verse and of the next two in its portrait of a godly man (see on 112:3, 9)111:4 The LORD is gracious and compassionate- Exodus 34:6-7; Num. 14:18; Ps. 86:5, 15; 103:8; 145:8 111:5 He has given food to those who fear Him- Ps. 132:15; 136:25; 145:15; 146:7; Matt. 6:31-33. 111:6 In giving them the heritage of the nations- This seems like a specific reference to God giving Israel the land of Canaan. 111:7 The ‘precepts' also reveal the nature of the covenant God. The word of God was not a burden. It was to give order to God's people, that they might reflect the nature of their King in their national existence” VanGemeren, 704. 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom- Prov. 1:7; 9:10; Ecc. 12:13; Job 28:28. “True reverence is in fact the starting point for an ability to cope with life's meaning and problems” Laymen's, 681. 

This month on People Doing Physics, we have a voice very familiar to listeners; Simone Eizagirre Barker, PhD student in the Quantum Optical Materials and Systems group at the Cavendish. Following a winding path into Optical Physics, Simone previously dipped her toes into Nanotechnology in the Cavendish' NanoDTC, and Chemical Physics at the University of Edinburgh. Her interdisciplinary background builds on her fascination for figuring out how the world works, whether looking at quantum systems or how to structure the perfect argument. Outside of science, Simone has been involved in student magazines, debating clubs, improv theatre, and podcasts, most notably (in our opinion) as one of the founding members of this very podcast. She also produces a fortnightly segment for Basque public broadcast radio's Faktoria Magazina. In this episode, Simone talks about finding her way through a multi-disciplinary career in science, the importance of communication, and how to publish your first academic paper at the age of 16... Useful linksSimone's group and research are on the Quantum Cambridge website. To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.Share and join the conversationHelp us get better by taking our quick survey. Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you!If you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Jacob Butler and Vanessa BismuthRecording and editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

My latest Quantum Tech Pod with Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, Founder and CEO of quantum company Nu Quantum, is live!  Carmen grew up in Spain and received an MSc in Physics from Imperial College London and a PhD from the University of Cambridge.  Nu Quantum was a spin-out of the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory in 2018. They are building the entanglement fabric required to enable large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers.  Their approach is to interconnect many smaller cores using a Quantum Networking Unit (QNU) capable of scaling discrete Quantum Processing Units (QPU) to form a larger and more useful quantum computer. Earlier this year, the U.K. Government awarded Nu Quantum a $2.9 million contract to deliver a first-of-a-kind rack-mounted, scalable quantum data center prototype working with networking supplier Cisco as the prospective end user. Nu Quantum also recently announced a collaboration with SoftwareQ as part of Project Quarrefour. This initiative will use hardware-software codesign techniques to integrate SoftwareQ's compiler technology into the real-time firmware of Nu Quantum's control system.  Carmen believes in diversity of thought and background and has led several pro-equality and LGBTQIA+ visibility groups, initiatives, and direct actions in STEM and beyond. Check out my wide-ranging conversation with Carmen! The “Quantum Tech Pod” podcast, hosted by Christopher Bishop from Inside Quantum Technology, offers a deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of quantum technology. Christopher, an industry expert, engages with leading figures in the field, discussing the latest developments, breakthroughs, and challenges in quantum computing, communication, sensing, and cryptography. The podcast is an informative platform for experts and enthusiasts, providing insights into how quantum technology shapes the future and its implications across various industries. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about quantum technology, “Quantum Tech Pod” delivers engaging conversations illuminating this cutting-edge field.

This month we are delighted to welcome Oleg Brandt, a Professor of Experimental Physics in the High Energy Physics group of the Cavendish. Oleg's journey into the world of particle physics is both captivating and enlightening. From his early days inspired by a remarkable physics teacher directly followed by a rocky start at University, to a transformative experience abroad and a few more pivotal moments along the way, Oleg's insatiable curiosity for the fundamental mysteries of nature and his passion for teaching has led him to Cambridge where he now teaches the next generations of physicists while searching for dark matter, long-lived particles and other exciting new phenomena at CERN's Large Hadron Collider and beyond.In this episode, Oleg offers a glimpse into the intricate world of particle physics through his unique perspective. Together we talk about the fulfilment and frustrations of a life in research, the importance of feeding one's curiosity, navigating setbacks, and advice for aspiring physicists. Useful linksLearn more about Oleg Brandt's research on dark matter long-lived particles and other exciting new phenomena here. Are you curious about those particle accelerators and detectors discussed in the episode? Explore CERN's Large Hadron Collider and Fermilab's science.The Arithmeum in Bonn (Germany) is the museum housing the most comprehensive collection worldwide of historical calculating machines. Chek it out!To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.Share and join the conversationHelp us get better by taking our quick survey. Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you!If you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Jacob Butler and Vanessa BismuthRecording and editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

This episode is also available in video format on our YouTube channel - check it out! Today's format is a little different to our usual episodes, as we've invited four Cavendish alumni for a panel discussion about all things physics and career development. They'll tell us about what they learnt at the Cavendish, their natural sciences and physics background, as well as how their doctoral research in physics shaped their careers and brought them to where they are today. We're joined by Aswathy Girija, commissioning editor at the Institute of Physics, Professor Kerstin Göpfrich, group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Joanne Baker, author of four popular science books and Chief Opinion Editor at Nature, and Emma Williams, professional development coach and careers expert who has a wealth of insight into not just her own journey, but those she mentors. We hope that this conversation will give you valuable insights into the many paths and opportunities for people doing physics.Useful linksLearn more about Kerstin Göpfrich's research at the Max Plank Institute for Medical ResearchYou might also want to check out IOP Publishing and its portfolio of scientific journalsJoanne Baker's is the author of '50 physics ideas you really need to know', and many more. If you are interested in getting some training yourself, Emma William's website is full of resources. If you are a postdoc you should also explore Hello postdocs - The Nerd Coach To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested injoining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish websiteAnd finally, if you are a Cavendish Alumnus and you would like to share your journey with our listeners, please get in touch! Share and join the conversationHelp us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you.If you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others tofind us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHost: Simone Eizagirre BarkerRecording and Editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Have you ever looked at the sky at night and wondered about the mysteries of the universe? When most of us are just looking at those bright stars in awe, our guest today would be searching for tiny, minuscule signals that would help unlock the mysteries of the so-called Cosmic Dawn, when the universe went from dark to bright. Eloy de Lera Acedo is an Associate Professor of Radio Cosmology and the head of the Radio Astronomy and Cosmology research group. His background in engineering and thirst of learning about the big science questions have led him to the Cavendish where he is involved in multiple international projects for new radio telescopes exploring a very, very infant universe. So, with Eloy, we talk about the universe of course and how it went from darkness to radiant, but also about childhood curiosity, choosing between technical and theoretical knowledge, and about convincing people. Useful linksExplore the REACH and SKA projects that Eloy presents in the episode.To learn more about his research work on the early epochs of the Universe, visit Eloy's research group website.Curious about the history of radio astronomy in Cambridge? Read this article.To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested injoining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish websiteShare and join the conversationHelp us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you.If you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others tofind us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Shelly Liu and Vanessa BismuthRecording and Editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Welcome back to a world of People Doing Physics! For this first episode of 2024, let us introduce you to Richard King, the Undergraduate Lab Manager at the Cavendish Laboratory. Richard oversees the practical side of the undergraduate physics course, managing the team that designs, develops, and deploys lecture demos and undergraduate experiments. A former electronic engineer, his background was in circuit design and computing before he joined the Cavendish in 2008.With Richard, we talk about how Cambridge has changed over the years, what it's like going from fast-paced industry to the sedate world of the university, the processes involved in setting up practical work for hundreds of undergraduates, and what exactly he was doing wandering around Costa Rica with photographs of old airfields last year.Useful linksTo learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.Share and join the conversationHelp us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you.If you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHost: Jacob ButlerRecording and Editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Our guest today is Emily Roe, who has recently joined us from industry to start a new role as Senior Research Laboratory Technician. Contrary to many of our previous guests, Physics is actually not her first love. What Emily was really interested in as a young mind, was geology. But it turns out field trips were not her thing, so after a degree in geology, she shifted to a lab role at the University of Durham. And shifting, she has continued to do throughout her career, jumping from one city to the next, and between University and Industry, showing off her versatility and adaptability skills in the process. She is known for her curiosity and willingness to take on new challenges, which made her accept this invitation on the podcast, but also landed her the title of “only female forklift operator” in her previous role. After nine years doing R&D in industry, she's made yet another jump to join the Cavendish Laboratory where she now supports and assist cryostat users with their experiments and equipment. Together with Emily we talk about bridging the knowledge gap, pretty gems, culture shifts and a bit about forklifting, of course.Useful linksExplore research at Hexcel and Emily's work on the ITER project, the way to new energyTo learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.Share and join the conversationHelp us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you.If you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Shelly Liu and Vanessa BismuthRecording and Editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Today we're joined by Dr Gareth Conduit. Gareth is a lecturer at Gonville and Caius College and Royal Society Research Fellow here at the cavendish Laboratory. He leads a research group focused on developing machine learning methods for understanding and designing new materials and chemicals. In 2017, he co-founded the startup Intellegens, through which he's worked with companies such as Rolls Royce to apply software developed in the lab to the kinds of materials questions faced by industry.Today, we talk about how the joy of physics can come from breaking things down to understand how they work, Gareth's journey through Cambridge life as an undergraduate, postgraduate and now independent researcher, and the exciting opportunities and advances that arise when you bring physics and computers together to solve real-world challenges. Useful linksYou can find out more about Gareth's research at quantum.cam.ac.uk Learn more about Intellegens, the spin-out company founded in 2017Interested in the Physics Olympiad? Visit the International Physics Olympiad website or start with the British one. Watch David MacKay's TED talk and check the book mentioned in this episode: Sustainable Energy - without the hot airTo learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.Share and join the conversationIf you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Jacob ButlerRecording and Editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In this episode I'm revisiting the topic of cold fusion with an MIT-affiliated researcher who is looking into the case for cold fusion. As you may recall, my review found that there are many anomalous results in the field that point to the potential for new physical phenomena. Pons and Fleischman's premature announcement of cold fusion led to a fury of failed replication attempts and a lot of damaged egos. The way it was handled in the news and in scientific circles left a lingering stigma preventing further investigations through normal academic means. Only now, decades after the initial event has it become possible for career scientists to re-examine the evidence and retain their positions, albeit with the sanitized name of Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR). Jonah Messinger is an interdisciplinary physicist, technologist, clean energy enthusiast, and ecomodernist. He is a doctoral candidate at the Cavendish Laboratory of Physics at the University of Cambridge and a researcher at MIT working on quantum coherent nuclear science in the U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E low-energy nuclear reaction research program. Jonah's research seeks to leverage quantum condensed matter physics to develop novel technologies that harness the energy of the nucleus. He is a non-resident Senior Energy Analyst at the Breakthrough Institute, a consultant with the Anthropocene Institute, and a One Young World Ambassador. A Udall Scholar, Jonah earned his Master's in Energy and Bachelor's in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He published a review of Cold Fusion here: https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/fusion-runs-hot-and-cold Support the podcast at Patron.podbean.com/TheRationalView Join the Facebook discussion @TheRationalView Twix @AlScottRational Insta @The_Rational_Vew #TheRationalView #podcast #coldfusion #LENR #quantummechanics #evidence #science #stigma 

Long silver hair in a ponytail, a pair of Converse All Star and a Grateful Dead t-shirt… The guest sitting opposite us today in the studio is not your average Cambridge academic. But don't be fooled by his relaxed demeanour; Professor Mete Atatüre is a serious trailblazer in his field. Co-founder of the Atomic, Mesoscopic and Optical Physics Group of the Cavendish Laboratory, his ground-breaking work in quantum optics and solid-state physics has earned him accolades and respect worldwide. His experimental research group investigates light-based quantum science to enable future quantum information networks and communication, as well as new applications in sensing and magnetometry.He is an elected Fellow of the Optical Society of America, the Turkish National Science Academy, the Institute of Physics… and one of Turkish GQ Magazine's Men of the Year 2015, amongst international actors and footballers and in recognition of his pioneering research in quantum physics! In 2018, he co-founded the successful quantum startup Nu-Quantum, and now he is looking forward to being Head of Department here at the Cavendish…His research is driven by an insatiable curiosity and motivated by a desire to see what has never been seen before, which, in the world of quantum optics, is no mean feat!Together with Mete, we talk about striking luck and grasping every opportunity, doing things outside of the clichés and the power of enthusiasm and curiosity to persevere through the times of pressure and failure. Useful linksExplore Mete's research on quantum optics on the Quantum Cambridge website. Learn more about his startup Nu-Quantum, Pioneering Quantum NetworksFollow Mete on Instagram or Twitter/XTo learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.Share and join the conversationIf you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Vanessa BismuthRecording and Editing: Chris BrockThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time.Here's a question for you dear listener. What's the link between music and physics? What is the sound of physics? Today we're diving into a fascinating world where art, science, and music intersect. Joining us in our studio are two incredible individuals who have embarked on a journey that brings together the realms of sound, physics, and human emotion. Ain Bailey is a composer and the second Cavendish Arts Science Fellow. Cavendish Arts Science creates collective encounters between art and science that explore the world, our humanity and our place in the world. Ain's practice explores sonic autobiographies and the constellation of sounds that form individual and community identities. Her compositions are often inspired by reflections on silence and absence, feminist activism and architectural acoustics. Dr Gemma Bale is an assistant professor of Medical Therapeutics at the University of Cambridge, and the head of the Neuro Optics Lab. Sitting at the junction of engineering and physics, her team develops new, non-invasive optical devices to monitor brain metabolism in areas which traditional brain monitoring can't. Lately, she's been exploring the relationship between music and dementia, and it was only a matter of time before she and Ain's worlds collided, and a conversation sparked. With Ain and Gemma, we talk about music of course, and how our brains react to it, exploring the unknown and bridging the gap between art and science. Useful linksAin's performance ‘The Cavendish: A Tone Poem' at Girton College (Cambridge) is on Saturday 23rd September at 3pm– Book ahead! She will also perform at Café Oto (London) in November, look out for the date on their website.The annual Cavendish Arts Science Fellowship is delivered in partnership with Girton College, thanks to the vision and generous support of Una Ryan. Cavendish Arts Science will soon announce their new Fellow for 2023/24, stay tuned! Explore Gemma's research on her Neuro Optics Lab websiteSee and hear more of Ain's work on AIN BAILEY (tumblr.com)To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website. Share and join the conversationIf you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Vanessa Bismuth Recording and Editing: Chris...

War has returned to the European continent, putting many previous divisions into perspective. This has caused European leaders to think afresh about their politics – and raised the question of the United Kingdom's role in European foreign policy. Seven years after the Brexit referendum, the EU and the UK have finally resolved some of their differences through the Windsor Framework. The possibility of a reset between the UK and the EU on foreign policy could be on the horizon. In this year's mini-series, Mark Leonard and Susi Dennison examine what a reimagined EU-UK relationship might look like. In this fourth episode, Mark and Susi welcome Nick Butler, energy policy adviser at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, and the Faraday Institution, and previously senior policy advisor to former prime minister Gordon Brown and co-founder of the Centre for European Reform think tank. How does the EU-UK relationship sit in the context of global energy challenges and climate change? What areas of common interest exist between the UK and the EU in terms of energy storage, renewable energy development, and technological advancements? How can cooperation be strengthened on creating a more integrated and resilient energy market? This podcast was recorded on 19 July 2023. Bookshelf: The Long Journey of English: A Geographical History of the Language, Peter Trudgill

Support me by becoming wiser and more knowledgeable – check out James Chadwick's books for sale on Amazon: Radioactivity and Radioactive Substances: https://amzn.to/4a7mk2y Radiations from Radioactive Substances: https://amzn.to/3PHAa3o Collected Papers of Lord Rutherford of Nelson: https://amzn.to/3PCe1nh If you purchase a book through any of these links, I will earn a 4.5% commission and be extremely delighted. But if you just want to read and aren't ready to add a new book to your collection yet, I'd recommend checking out the ⁠⁠⁠Internet Archive⁠⁠⁠, the largest free digital library in the world. If you're really feeling benevolent you can buy me a coffee or donate over at ⁠https://ko-fi.com/theunadulteratedintellect⁠⁠. I would seriously appreciate it! __________________________________________________ Sir James Chadwick (20 October 1891 – 24 July 1974) was a British physicist who was awarded the 1935 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the neutron in 1932. In 1941, he wrote the final draft of the MAUD Report, which inspired the U.S. government to begin serious atom bomb research efforts. He was the head of the British team that worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II. He was knighted in Britain in 1945 for his achievements in physics. Chadwick graduated from the Victoria University of Manchester in 1911, where he studied under Ernest Rutherford (known as the "father of nuclear physics"). At Manchester, he continued to study under Rutherford until he was awarded his MSc in 1913. The same year, Chadwick was awarded an 1851 Research Fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. He elected to study beta radiation under Hans Geiger in Berlin. Using Geiger's recently developed Geiger counter, Chadwick was able to demonstrate that beta radiation produced a continuous spectrum, and not discrete lines as had been thought. Still in Germany when World War I broke out in Europe, he spent the next four years in the Ruhleben internment camp. After the war, Chadwick followed Rutherford to the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, where Chadwick earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree under Rutherford's supervision from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, in June 1921. He was Rutherford's assistant director of research at the Cavendish Laboratory for over a decade at a time when it was one of the world's foremost centres for the study of physics, attracting students like John Cockcroft, Norman Feather, and Mark Oliphant. Chadwick followed his discovery of the neutron by measuring its mass. He anticipated that neutrons would become a major weapon in the fight against cancer. Chadwick left the Cavendish Laboratory in 1935 to become a professor of physics at the University of Liverpool, where he overhauled an antiquated laboratory and, by installing a cyclotron, made it an important centre for the study of nuclear physics. During the Second World War, Chadwick carried out research as part of the Tube Alloys project to build an atom bomb, while his Manchester lab and environs were harassed by Luftwaffe bombing. When the Quebec Agreement merged his project with the American Manhattan Project, he became part of the British Mission, and worked at the Los Alamos Laboratory and in Washington, D.C. He surprised everyone by earning the almost-complete trust of project director Leslie R. Groves, Jr. For his efforts, Chadwick received a knighthood in the New Year Honours on 1 January 1945. In July 1945, he viewed the Trinity nuclear test. After this, he served as the British scientific advisor to the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission. Uncomfortable with the trend toward Big Science, he became the Master of Gonville and Caius College in 1948. He retired in 1959. Original video ⁠here⁠⁠ Full Wikipedia entry ⁠here⁠ James Chadwick's books ⁠here --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theunadulteratedintellect/support

The team is taking a short break and will be back in September with new guests and more physics chats. Stay tuned!While you wait, why not taking 2 minutes to answer a few questions about the podcast and help us get better?People Doing Physics is a podcast produced by the Cavendish Laboratory, the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge. Visit the Cavendish website and learn more abour our research and teaching, and how you could get involved!Share and join the conversationIf you like this podcast, don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In this episode we talk to problem solver, Ben Pellegrini, CEO at #MachineLearning company Intellegens. Intellegens' objective is to use algorithms to get the most out of data, and they do this with a machine leading model and a complimentary enterprise SW platform that enables the tech to be deployed and the results accessible. Ben talks about the journey that he and co-founder Dr Gareth Conduit took - spinning out from The Cavendish Laboratory, supported by Cambridge Enterprise, Innovate UK - and the path to demonstrating value as quickly as possible.For more info about Intellegens here are a couple of links https://intellegens.com/materials-chemicals-companies-innovate-with-ai/https://intellegens.com/five-ways-machine-learning-can-power-life-science-data-analysis/Produced by Carl Homer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you.This is July and the streets of Cambridge burst with sun and excitement as students let a communal sigh of relief now that the academic year is over. This is July, and the time for future students to think about what subject they might be studying when choosing to go to university. As we are welcoming hundreds of potential new students today and tomorrow for the University of Cambridge Open Days, we have invited three of our current undergraduate students to join us in the studio and talk to us, honestly and without filters, about their experience at Cambridge. Hearing directly from them may help young people thinking about studying physics in Cambridge or anywhere else, to take the leap. Misha de Fockert and Armaan Shaikh have just finished their 2nd year – here in Cambridge we call it Part IB, and Ming-Shau Liu is graduating from Cambridge after his 4th year, which, not confusingly at all, is called Part 3! All three of them, and this is just a coincidence, are students at Homerton College. With them today we talk about taking the time to reflect, imposter syndrome, building bridges and making friends for life. Useful linksif you are thinking about applying to Cambridge, visit the Undergraduate Study website. Isaac Physics offer free support and activities in physics problem solving to teachers and students transitioning from GCSE (Y11), through to Sixth Form (Y12 & 13), to university. For direct support, you can also sign up to the Isaac Physics mentoring scheme. To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website. Share and join the conversationIf you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Vanessa Bismuth and Jacob ButlerRecording and Editing: Chris Brock

On 16th June, the Cavendish Laboratory will be celebrating its 149th anniversary! To mark this occasion, we wanted to replay one of our previous episodes with one of our longest standing member of staff, Malcolm Longair. Malcolm is the memory of the Department, and his stories are fascinating, so let's jump back in with Simone, Jacob and our guest. We hope you enjoy!If you like this episode, don't forget to rate it or leave a review on your favourite podcast app.Episode 9:With us this month is Prof. Malcolm Longair, CBE, FRS, FRSE (and Munroist). Born in Dundee, in 1941, Malcolm studied Electronic Physics at what is now the University of Dundee, but was then part of St Andrews. After this, he came down south to the Cavendish, where he completed his PhD as part of the Radio Astronomy Group, supervised by Martin Ryle. Specialising in high energy astrophysics and astrophysical cosmology, Malcolm has since been a Royal Society Exchange Visitor to the USSR; held visiting professorships at prestigious institutions around the world; been the Astronomy Royal for Scotland; Cambridge's Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy; Deputy Head and Head of the Cavendish Laboratory. He has contributed to international scientific bodies, such as NASA and ESA, and found the time to publish 22 books, over 300 scientific papers, and give hundreds of public lectures.Most recently, he has been Director of Development for the Cavendish Laboratory. In this role, he has helped modernise the Cavendish Laboratory, with the building of the Physics of Medicine building and Maxwell Centre, and the soon-to-be completed Ray Dolby Centre which will house most of the upcoming National Facility for Physics.Today, we will be talking about Malcolm's path into Physics, what over half a century of working at the cutting edge of science has taught him, and where he sees the Cavendish laboratory going in the future. [00:36] – Guest's intro[02:39] – Starting out in Physics [05:08] – Time at Cambridge doing PhD[06:00] – 1960's, the revolutionary decade of Astronomy[08:00] – Time in Moscow 1968/1969 and change of attitude towards understanding science[10:35] – Joining back at Cambridge as an Assistant Professor[11:12] – Understanding in Physics continues to develop[11:37] – Involvement with various organisations and evolving from research focused role to managing the big picture[12:06] – Experience with SRC and becoming Astronomer Royal for Scotland[13:55] – Interdisciplinary Scientist for Hubble Space Telescope (1977) and learning how to get big projects operating[15:40] – Guidance to scientists looking at working in policy and related fields[17:00] – Important things for scientists to think about for fundings and funding proposals[20:49] – In the news this month we focus on how artificial intelligence is helping to speed up the discovery of new materials. Atoms are the basic building blocks of every material. Combining different types of atoms naturally leads to different materials. However, it is not just the types of atoms that determine material properties, but also their arrangement.[24:37] – Moving back to Cavendish as Professor and Head of the Department, and rebuilding Cavendish Laboratory[27:50] – Sequence of new Cavendish buildings and facilities to support different research areas (such as Physics of Medicine, Astrophysics and more)[31:58] – Future vision essential for Cavendish [33:02] – Key takeaways, suggestions for early science researchers /...

Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time.Today we're joined by two physicists who have not only distinguished themselves in the sciences but risen to the top of their sporting fields as well. Louise Shanahan is a PhD student in the Atomic Mesoscopic and Optical Physics group, as part of the Winton programme for the physics of sustainability here at the Cavendish. Siting at the borders of physics and biochemistry, her work looks at nano diamonds and there use in measuring cells properties. Alongside this, she has found time to excel in middle distance running, becoming European youth Champion, Irish champion and representing Ireland in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Noam Mouelle is a PhD student with the high Energy Physics Group, part of the National Atom Interferometry Observatory and Network, using Ultra Cold Atom Technologies to investigate dark matter. In his sporting life, he's won several French national junior titles in rowing, competed in the Junior World Championships, and was one of the rowers in the 2023 Cambridge men's team who won the famous Oxford Cambridge Boat Race last March. They talk to us today about balancing training and study, the benefits and downsides their lifestyle brings and what they get up to when they're not out on the track or river. [00:40] Guests intro[01:40] What brought you to physics? [03:08] Working at a similar scale but looking at very different things[06:50] A PhD as a natural progression from undergraduate studies[09:07] A typical day balancing studies and sports[12:23] To say or not to say, a different approach to disclosing a sporting carreer to their supervisors[16:44] Why running, why rowing? And how it helps in physics (and vice versa)[23:36] Qualifying for the Olympics - a long term ambition [26:30] Coming to Cambridge to study AND win the boat race[29:22] So, what's next? [34:30] OutroUseful linksLearn more about Louise's AMOP group and Noam's AOIN workTo learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to www.phy.cam.ac.ukShare and join the conversationIf you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode creditsHosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Jacob ButlerRecording and Editing: Chris Brock

Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time.We are very excited to present a very special episode this month. The podcast has been recorded with a live audience in the Pippard lecture theatre during the Cavendish Festival. For this special episode, we're joined by Professor Athene Donald, Emeritus of Experimental Physics at the Cavendish and Master of Churchill College Cambridge. Athene has had an illustrious research career in soft matter physics for which she has received numerous accolades, including the Royal Society Bakerian Medal, the L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award, the Institute of Physics' Faraday Medal, and ten honorary doctorates. She is also a strong advocate for women in science and has chaired numerous diversity and gender equality initiatives that seek to improve the representation and career progression of women in STEM.[00:48] – Guest's intro[03:29] – Inspiration to do science and physics [06:41] – Experience of studying natural sciences at Girton College and overcoming initial difficulties in studying physics[14:15] – Keeping motivated during the research[16:48] – Moving to Cornell for post doc and culture shock [18:18] – Coming back to Cambridge and work in soft matter physics [19:50] – Studying Mechanical properties of snack foods and using techniques like small angle X-ray scattering[23:00] – Inspiration behind advocacy of women in science and the book release - Not just for the Boys[26:33] – Diversity is good for science [28:05] – Decision on joining Churchill College as Master [30:32] – Blogging and the book – Not just for the boys [31:35] – Outreach and policy work [34:00] – Tackling generalised statements about women and girls in science[37:02] – Advocacy work and hope for future [38:05] – OutroUseful linksLearn more about Professor Dame Athene Donald and her research group Biological and Soft Systems. During the episode Athene discusses her Blog and forthcoming book - Not Just for the Boys. To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to www.phy.cam.ac.uk Share and join the conversationIf you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.Episode...

James Dewey Watson (born April 6, 1928) is an American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist. In 1953, he co-authored with Francis Crick the academic paper proposing the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. Watson, Crick and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material". Watson earned degrees at the University of Chicago (BS, 1947) and Indiana University (PhD, 1950). Following a post-doctoral year at the University of Copenhagen with Herman Kalckar and Ole Maaløe, Watson worked at the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory in England, where he first met his future collaborator Francis Crick. From 1956 to 1976, Watson was on the faculty of the Harvard University Biology Department, promoting research in molecular biology. From 1968, Watson served as director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), greatly expanding its level of funding and research. At CSHL, he shifted his research emphasis to the study of cancer, along with making it a world-leading research center in molecular biology. In 1994, he started as president and served for 10 years. He was then appointed chancellor, serving until he resigned in 2007 after making comments claiming that there is a genetic link between intelligence and race. In 2019, following the broadcast of a documentary in which Watson reiterated these views on race and genetics, CSHL revoked his honorary titles and severed all ties with him. Watson has written many science books, including the textbook Molecular Biology of the Gene (1965) and his bestselling book The Double Helix (1968). Between 1988 and 1992, Watson was associated with the National Institutes of Health, helping to establish the Human Genome Project, which completed the task of mapping the human genome in 2003. ___________________________________________________________ Francis Harry Compton Crick (8 June 1916 – 28 July 2004) was an English molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist. He, James Watson, Rosalind Franklin, and Maurice Wilkins played crucial roles in deciphering the helical structure of the DNA molecule. Crick and Watson's paper in Nature in 1953 laid the groundwork for understanding DNA structure and functions. Together with Maurice Wilkins, they were jointly awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material". Crick was an important theoretical molecular biologist and played a crucial role in research related to revealing the helical structure of DNA. He is widely known for the use of the term "central dogma" to summarise the idea that once information is transferred from nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) to proteins, it cannot flow back to nucleic acids. In other words, the final step in the flow of information from nucleic acids to proteins is irreversible. During the remainder of his career, he held the post of J.W. Kieckhefer Distinguished Research Professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. His later research centered on theoretical neurobiology and attempts to advance the scientific study of human consciousness. He remained in this post until his death; "he was editing a manuscript on his death bed, a scientist until the bitter end" according to Christof Koch. Original video ⁠here⁠⁠ Full Wikipedia entry ⁠for James Watson here⁠ | James Watson's books here Full Wikipedia entry ⁠for Francis Crick here⁠ | Francis Crick's books here --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theunadulteratedintellect/support

Looking for a podcast that's both informative and entertaining? Then you'll love this episode of Another Great Day! What happens when you mix atomic physics with a mishap involving mysterious equipment? Join host Chris at Cavendish Laboratory and find out! Do you know what happened 91 years ago today? We'll celebrate the anniversary of the discovery of the neutron by Sir James Chadwick. Are you a big fish in a small pond, or a small fish in a big pond? It's time for the Question of the Day! Need a good laugh? Our Dad Joke Correspondent Wes has got you covered. What can we learn from the proverb "strike a scoffer?" We'll explore it in our Word of Wisdom segment. But the conversation doesn't have to end there! Keep the creativity and discussion going after the show. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anothergreatday/message

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the discovery made in 1911 by the Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1853-1926). He came to call it Superconductivity and it is a set of physical properties that nobody predicted and that none, since, have fully explained. When he lowered the temperature of mercury close to absolute zero and ran an electrical current through it, Kamerlingh Onnes found not that it had low resistance but that it had no resistance. Later, in addition, it was noticed that a superconductor expels its magnetic field. In the century or more that has followed, superconductors have already been used to make MRI scanners and to speed particles through the Large Hadron Collider and they may perhaps bring nuclear fusion a little closer (a step that could be world changing). The image above is from a photograph taken by Stephen Blundell of a piece of superconductor levitating above a magnet. With Nigel Hussey Professor of Experimental Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Bristol and Radbout University Suchitra Sebastian Professor of Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge And Stephen Blundell Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Mansfield College Producer: Simon Tillotson

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the discovery made in 1911 by the Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1853-1926). He came to call it Superconductivity and it is a set of physical properties that nobody predicted and that none, since, have fully explained. When he lowered the temperature of mercury close to absolute zero and ran an electrical current through it, Kamerlingh Onnes found not that it had low resistance but that it had no resistance. Later, in addition, it was noticed that a superconductor expels its magnetic field. In the century or more that has followed, superconductors have already been used to make MRI scanners and to speed particles through the Large Hadron Collider and they may perhaps bring nuclear fusion a little closer (a step that could be world changing). The image above is from a photograph taken by Stephen Blundell of a piece of superconductor levitating above a magnet. With Nigel Hussey Professor of Experimental Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Bristol and Radbout University Suchitra Sebastian Professor of Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge And Stephen Blundell Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Mansfield College Producer: Simon Tillotson

Psalm 111:1-2 It is, of course, possible to praise God anywhere. But there is something incredibly precious about getting together with others to worship him, and it is wonderful to think of God's people doing that for thousands of years. Whether it is in a small remote village church, a vast cathedral or a tent, the experience of worshipping God with other people is inspiring, encouraging and unifying. The psalmist encourages worshippers to think about what God has done. That is to say, when we worship God, we need time to reflect carefully on what he has done in creation and throughout history. This isn't something that can be done in a moment. We need to take time to stand back and mull over what God has done. I was interested to learn that this verse was placed over the entrance to the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, where some of the world's most important scientific discoveries have been made. Researching and pondering are important activities. We need to find space to explore, see things in new ways and allow God to open up new truths to us. These Bible notes have been written to help us all to ponder. It is so easy for us to hurtle into our days without much reflection. We can get into a predictable rhythm of life, and become so focused on the tasks in front of us that we have no time to reflect at all. I believe it's often good to set aside a definite time in the day when we can listen to God and reflect on him. That might be while walking the dog, travelling to work or in the peace of our homes. It really doesn't matter where it happens, but we all need to carve out time when we can stand back from life and allow God to speak with us. Pondering is probably the most important thing we can do in the whole day. QUESTION Where do you find time and space to ponder? PRAYER God our Father, I worship you for you are so great. Help me to find time to worship you and reflect on all that you have done. Amen

Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time.This is episode 13 of People Doing Physics, the podcast from the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. This month marks our first birthday! One year, 12 guests, each one looking into their very own journey and connection with Physics. For this special anniversary episode, we've asked the head of the Cavendish Laboratory, Professor Andy Parker to take us to a building site. Not any building site though. The one, just across the road from the department's current location, where the newest home for the Cavendish Laboratory will open in 2024. A Professor of High Energy Physics, Andy joined the Cavendish as a lecturer in 1989. He served as Deputy Head of Department for 3 years before becoming Head of Department in 2013. Who better than Andy then, who has overseen this immense project for the best part of the past 10 years, to show us around and talk about what the new building means for the future of physics in Cambridge and nationally? With him we wandered and we roamed and we talked: about particle physics, ever bigger underground tunnels, and a lost spring on the carpet. [00:36] – Guest's intro[01:38] – A walk through the Ray Dolby Centre – part 1[07:07] – Back in the studio: how dismantling things as a kid lead to a career in physics[08:38] – The world of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research [11:35] – 300 Neutrino collisions [12:40] – Young and foolish scientists solving the R&D issues related to construction of the Large Hadron Collider, and its ATLAS inner detector.[15:40] – Developing the next 100 km long accelerator[20:25] - A walk through the Ray Dolby Centre – part 2[25:15] – Rebuilding a new laboratory and attracting the crème de la crème in physics[29:25] - Raising millions towards developing new physics and pushing towards the unknown[33:16] – The great relief[34:59] – What's coming and exciting in Physics in the Ray Dolby Centre and elsewhere? [37:40] – Outro Useful linksLearn more about the Ray Dolby Centre and about the relationship between Ray Dolby at the Cavendish.Explore the world of CERN, the Large Hadron Collider and the ATLAS inner detector.To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to www.phy.cam.ac.uk Share and join the conversationIf you like this episode don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us. Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation

Intro We're joined today by Prof. Sarah Bohndiek, Professor of Biomedical Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, and Fellow of Corpus Christi College. Born in Greenwich, Sarah found an early enthusiasm for science and went on to study Natural Sciences as an undergraduate student at Cambridge University. Drawn to interdisciplinary research, she completed a PhD in Radiation Physics at UCL's Department of Medical Physics, looking at x-ray imaging techniques for cancer detection and working alongside biologists and chemists. Following this, Sarah moved towards optics, in order to become involved in clinical trials and took up postdoctoral positions in Cambridge and Stanford.Currently, her research group, the Vision Lab, looks to understand tumours using new medical imaging techniques, and Sarah is also particularly interested in the incredibly important process of standardising complex methods and datasets between laboratories. Alongside her research, she has championed public engagement and interdisciplinary research training, and pushes for open access, practical solutions to serious medical issues. Stay with us… Please help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time.[00:34] – Guest's intro[02:03] – Growing up in Greenwich, fascination with Astrophysics and interest in physics[03:36] – Interest in using physics for medical application [08:35] – X-ray tomography techniques and working as part of the UK-wide consortium during PhD [12:05] – Inter-disciplinary aspect of work[13:27] – Importance of Physics of medicine building and holistic medical research approach [20:01] – In the news this month we talk about how reshaping RNA to an origami identifier opens new avenues for understanding and advancing disease diagnostics. RNA or ribonucleic acid is one of the key biological molecules that bridges our genetic information (DNA) and molecular factories (proteins). RNA has a single strand in comparison to double-stranded DNA helix. Labour-intensive approach of RNA sequencing suffers enzyme biases that causes the loss of native RNA information including RNA identity and quantity. Up until now, we could not detect RNA ‘makeup', including its chemical modifications and overall shape. The mere order of bases in RNA could not tell us how that RNA looked. Researchers have recently developed a new method - Amplification-free RNA TargEt Multiplex Isoform Sensing (ARTEMIS) that has made possible the identification of multiple RNAs in parallel.[25:15] – Shift from imaging to NMR[29:16] – Current Research while leading the Vision Lab at the Cavendish[31:00] – Making improvement in the existing medical technologies(devices)[32:47] – Working with humongous datasets, open access and standardisation [36:12] – Future exciting development in medical imaging [38:59] – OutroUseful linksKnow more about Physics of Medicine research here. Read the article on this month's news - Reshaping RNA to an origami identifier opens new avenues for understanding and advancing disease diagnosticsLink of the Research Paper for this month's news release -

Intro Joining us this month is Dr Tiffany Harte, senior research associate in the group of Prof. Ulrich Schneider here at the Cavendish Laboratory. Tiffany is an experimental physicist who works with ultracold atomic systems. These are gases of neutral elements like Rubidium or Lithium which are cooled down to incredibly low temperatures and used to probe with extreme precision fundamental properties of quantum matter which would otherwise be inaccessible in other kinds of experiments, for instance in material science. She has done research at St. Andrews, Oxford, and now Cambridge, working on all the aspects of ultracold experiments, from devising optical traps, to performing quantum simulation of exotic lattices, to engineering the next generation of cooling and transport instruments. Her latest project is very ambitious: in a consortium of 7 UK universities, she is trying to build a new type of interferometer with the ultimate goal of detecting dark matter and gravitational waves.Tiffany is also a very passionate outreach communicator. She is interested in finding new and creative ways of presenting her research, for instance by combining it with dance or devising board games inspired by the physics she sees in the lab. Her goal is to make science fun and understandable for a range of different audiences, from children to adults. In today's episode, we'll talk to her about the challenges of devising experiments at the limits of zero temperature, on how to find motivation when experiments break down, and how to navigate postdoc life in and out of the pandemic.Stay with us…Please help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time.[00:36] – Guest's intro[02:16] – Early Background and inspiration to do physics [05:34] – Experience at St. Andrews [07:22] – First encounter with cold atoms, summer project involving laser beam shaping for traps[09:52] – Part of regular journal club where presented a paper on vortex nucleation in Bose-Einstein condensates [11:17] – PhD experience and challenges with the experiment(setup)[13:50] – Building back the experiment stronger and better[14:30] – Advice to a student dealing with similar issues (failed experiments, struggling with PhD)[18:33] – Post Doc at Cavendish Lab[21:02] – First project on quantum simulation of Kagome lattice for flat band physics and frustrated magnetism[25:28] – In the news this month we talk about a new technique to look inside Lithium-ion batteries. Clean and efficient energy storage technologies are essential to establishing a renewable energy infrastructure. Lithium-ion batteries are already dominant in personal electronic devices and are promising candidates for reliable grid-level storage and electric vehicles. It is very important to improve their charging rates and usable lifetimes. To do so scientist need to understand the changes occurring inside an operating battery. Researchers at the Cavendish have now developed a low-cost lab-based optical microscopy technique to study lithium-ion batteries. The key advantages of the methodology will enable further exploration of what happens when batteries fail and how to prevent it. The technique can be applied to study almost any type of battery material, making it an important piece of the puzzle in the development of next-generation batteries.[28:12] – Most recent experiment on AION project[37:31] – Outreach, Public Engagement and sharing the love for science [42:37] – Research Staff Committee role [46:25] – Outro--- Useful links: Visit Atom Interferometry webpage to understand...

Intro With us this month is Prof. Malcolm Longair, CBE, FRS, FRSE (and Munroist). Born in Dundee, in 1941, Malcolm studied Electronic Physics at what is now the University of Dundee, but was then part of St Andrews.  After this, he came down south to the Cavendish, where he completed his PhD as part of the Radio Astronomy Group, supervised by Martin Ryle.  Specialising in high energy astrophysics and astrophysical cosmology, Malcolm has since been a Royal Society Exchange Visitor to the USSR; held visiting professorships at prestigious institutions around the world; been the Astronomy Royal for Scotland; Cambridge's Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy; Deputy Head and Head of the Cavendish Laboratory.  He has contributed to international scientific bodies, such as NASA and ESA, and found the time to publish 22 books, over 300 scientific papers, and give hundreds of public lectures. Most recently, he has been Director of Development for the Cavendish Laboratory.  In this role, he has helped modernise the Cavendish Laboratory, with the building of the Physics of Medicine building and Maxwell Centre, and the soon-to-be completed Ray Dolby Centre which will house most of the upcoming National Facility for Physics. Today, we will be talking about Malcolm's path into Physics, what over half a century of working at the cutting edge of science has taught him, and where he sees the Cavendish laboratory going in the future.  Stay with us… Please help us get better by taking https://forms.gle/GKiDPV2pmLjpmKHy9 (our quick survey)! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. [00:36] – Guest's intro [02:39] – Starting out in Physics   [05:08] – Time at Cambridge doing PhD [06:00] – 1960's, the revolutionary decade of Astronomy [08:00] – Time in Moscow 1968/1969 and change of attitude towards understanding science [10:35] – Joining back at Cambridge as an Assistant Professor [11:12] – Understanding in Physics continues to develop [11:37] – Involvement with various organisations and evolving from research focused role to managing the big picture [12:06] – Experience with SRC and becoming Astronomer Royal for Scotland [13:55] – Interdisciplinary Scientist for Hubble Space Telescope (1977) and learning how to get big projects operating [15:40] – Guidance to scientists looking at working in policy and related fields [17:00] – Important things for scientists to think about for fundings and funding proposals [20:49] – In the news this month we focus on how artificial intelligence is helping to speed up the discovery of new materials. Atoms are the basic building blocks of every material. Combining different types of atoms naturally leads to different materials. However, it is not just the types of atoms that determine material properties, but also their arrangement. [24:37] – Moving back to Cavendish as Professor and Head of the Department, and rebuilding Cavendish Laboratory [27:50] – Sequence of new Cavendish buildings and facilities to support different research areas (such as Physics of Medicine, Astrophysics and more) [31:58] – Future vision essential for Cavendish   [33:02] – Key takeaways, suggestions for early science researchers / physicists   [36:35] – Outro --- Useful links: Visit  https://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/research/biological ( Cavendish Astrophysics) to understand more about their research. Read more about Cavendish Laboratory's new home and facility - https://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/rdc (Ray Dolby Centre) Read the article on this month's news - https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/ai-tackles-the-challenge-of-materials-structure-prediction (AI tackles the challenge of materials structure prediction | University of Cambridge) Research Paper link for this month's news release - https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abn4117 (Rapid discovery of stable materials by coordinate-free coarse...

Intro Joining us this month is Dr Diana Fusco, lecturer in biological physics here at the Cavendish Laboratory. Diana is an amazing example of what it means to have an interdisciplinary and curiosity-driven career. Her scientific journey started at the University of Milan, where as an undergraduate, she focused mainly on theoretical and statistical physics. For her doctoral studies at Duke University, she took her first big jump and pivoted to computational work in soft matter physics and proteins. After that, she switched gears yet again and embarked on a postdoc in experimental microbiology at Berkeley. Diana then joined the Department of Physics here at the Cavendish in 2018, where her growing research group now focuses on understanding bacterial biofilms and the coevolution between bacteria and viruses, employing a wide range of tools from microscopy, to theoretical modelling, to computational simulations. In today's episode, we'll ask her about her unusual and adventurous journey through the disciplines, the differences and intersections between theoretical and experimental sciences, and what it's like to not just find your path, but create it. Stay with us… Please help us get better by taking https://forms.gle/GKiDPV2pmLjpmKHy9 (our quick survey)! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. [00:35] – Guest's intro [01:45] – Background and early interest in science [03:04] – Interest and journey in Biological Physics [03:49] – Moving to United States for PhD in Computational Biology and academic environment [08:12] – Motivation behind switching to experimental research and finding post doc opportunity [11:30] – Different approach towards doing science [13:21] – Examples of other people who may have followed a similar science research journey [13:56] – Shift and acceptance towards interdisciplinary science [15:18] – Experiments during Postdoc – theory of bacterial evolution [17:47] – In the news this month is the Cosmology experiment based in South Africa – HERA, Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array and its impact upon local development. The University of Cambridge is one of the seven international institutions, outside of South Africa, that collaborated on the international project – HERA, Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array. HERA is an international astronomy infrastructure, a radio telescope dedicated to observing how the first structures formed in the very early stages of the universe, as the first stars and galaxies lit up space. As per an impact study from SARAO, the University of Cambridge has been involved with the project in multiple ways. This involvement with the project, along with that by other institutions, has made a difference to the local community as well as nationally in South Africa. [22:08] – Post-doc at Berkley and experience of applying to other senior positions [24:16] – Decision to take up the Cavendish Opportunity [26:36] – Moving to Cavendish and starting the research group during the pandemic [28:11] – About the current group research (two projects) – • Bio-films and bacteria communities • Evolution of bacteriophages [30:40] – Kind of experiments – Evolutionary experiments [32:45] – Discrepancies in the experiments [34:30] – More on Bio-films [36:00] – Research Approach (bottom-up approach ) [37:55] – How is the bottoms-up research approach different from other research approaches? [39:15] – Future of the research [41:18] – Outro --- Useful links: • Visit https://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/research/biological (Biological and Biomedical Physics ) to understand more about their research. • Read the article on this month's news -...

Intro Joining us this month is Melanie Tribble, the Cleanroom Manager for the Cavendish Laboratory.  For the last three decades, she has kept the cleanrooms of the Cavendish up and running, going from working with one research group to providing support for the entire laboratory and external companies – ensuring that the ultra-clean environment needed for the creation of modern semiconductors is maintained, despite the aging hardware and a constant influx of new users. Growing up in Birmingham, Melanie found an enthusiasm for Physics at an early age; despite having to travel to the local boys' school to actually find a Physics teacher.  She later went on to study at Oxford, where she picked up a husband as well as a degree in Physics.  After a brief stint work in atomic energy and selling store credit cards in Canada, she found herself job-hunting in Cambridge just as a position in the cleanrooms became available and she has been here ever since. From starting off with nearly no knowledge of cleanroom equipment, Melanie has overseen two extensions to the cleanrooms and an explosion in the types of devices created in them.  When she's not fixing aging apparatus or making devices for undergraduates, she's training users or helping researchers turn their plans into reality. Today, we'll chat with her about what it takes to keep a cleanroom running, her path into science, and the changes she's seen during her time in the lab.  Stay with us… Please help us get better by taking https://forms.gle/GKiDPV2pmLjpmKHy9 (our quick survey)! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. [00:33] - Guests intro [02:26] – What is a cleanroom? [03:00] – Typical Day as a Cleanroom Manager [05:49] – Choosing and starting Science and Physics [9:20] – Reasons behind choosing Physics at Oxford   [13:05] – Story behind meeting her husband at Oxford [14:30] – In the news this month: A team of researchers led by the NanoPhotonics Centre in the Cavendish Laboratory has shown a way to monitor the chemistry of liquid electrolytes during battery cycling by Raman spectroscopy. Similar to a blood test, Raman spectra of battery electrolytes provide unique information on their chemical state-of-health. The research team's spectroscopic measurements reveal significant changes in the carbonate solvents and electrolyte additives during charging and discharging, allowing them to track how lithium-ions repeatably move across the battery. The new methodology contributes to understanding better the limitations of Li-ion batteries and paves the way for studies of degradation mechanisms in different electrochemical energy storage systems. [15:54] – Interesting career path – experience in Atomic energy [17:43] – Canada Experience [19:33] – Coming back to UK and starting work in the cleanroom [21:12] – Experience of working in the cleanroom [23:44] – Measures in the cleanrooms to avoid cross contamination [26:24] – Evolution of cleanrooms over the years and current scenario [28:53] – Physics department changes over the years [30:23] – Work during the pandemic [38:15] – Outro --- Useful links:     Read the article on this month's news - https://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/news/seeing-recharging-lithium-ion-batteries-fibre-raman-spectroscopy (Seeing recharging of lithium-ion batteries with fibre Raman spectroscopy) Journal Article link of the news release - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29330-4 (Hollow-core optical fibre sensors for operando Raman spectroscopy investigation of Li-ion battery liquid electrolytes) To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/ (www.phy.cam.ac.uk)  Share and join the conversationIf you like this episode, don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast. Any comment about the podcast or

Electromagnetic explosions on the Sun's surface have sparked what's described as a “canyon of fire” that's due to blast Earth with three days of solar storms.Climate crisis: Architects design future buildings to beat extreme heat - interview with David Liddicoat, a partner at award-winning London architecture and interior design studio Liddicoat & Goldhill. Facebook revamp to tempt Gen Z users from TikTok. Snapchat's cash disappears as profits plunge 25 per cent. Stars (don't) go out as invention sees through space fog - interview with Dr Eloy de Lera Acedo, from Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory. The electric car that slurps up toxic air on every trip. ‘Mindful' sky animation and mood music pop-up helps London commuters relax. Plans to re-introduce endangered pine martens to England. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Intro Our guest this month is Joanna Piotrowska, a PhD student looking at galaxy formation and evolution in the group of Prof. Roberto Maiolino. By using a mix of observational cosmology and numerical simulations, Joanna is studying how supermassive black holes – the giant black holes thought to reside at the center of every galaxy – can influence star formation, and in particular the mystery of why certain galaxies cease to generate any new stars.   Joanna was born and raised in Warsaw, Poland. During her high school years, she quickly discovered her two great passions: artistic expression and the universe. At first, she contemplated going to art school, and even prepared a portfolio for her application, but in the end, she chose to move to Cambridge to pursue a degree in natural sciences. To this day, though, she tries to combine her artistic side with her scientific one. On the one hand, her studies of black holes and star formation inspire her artistic work with water-based paint on silk. On the other hand, she uses her knowledge about color theory and form to make the visual aids in her publications more accessible and meaningful. However, her long-term goal is not just to study space; she wants to become an astronaut and actually visit it. We will chat with her about walking the fine line between observational cosmology and numerical methods, the importance of outreach communication in science, and the skills required to become an astronaut and how she is preparing for it.  Stay with us… Please help us get better by taking https://forms.gle/GKiDPV2pmLjpmKHy9 (our quick survey)! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. [00:33] - Guests intro [02:10] – Astrophysics most fascinating field of physics [03:00] – Early background and fascination of observing the sky attracted her to astrophysics [04:50] – Experience of meeting a Polish astronaut   [05:55] – Making a choice between Arts and Physics [08:20] – Motivation behind studying physics in Cambridge, UK [10:38] – Experience in UK studying physics and choosing Astrophysics [12:38] – Experience with untold side of physics with the coding/simulation side of physics [13:55] – Astrophysics melting pot of all the different fields in physics [15:45] – Inspiration behind looking at the influence of supermassive black holes on star formation in galaxies during PhD [16:46] – Steep learning curve [19:02] – Walking the thin line between observational astrophysics and simulations [20:20] – Using publicly available data for the research extremely important [22:54] – Postdoctoral position at Caltech and research related to physics of accretion disks around black holes [25:10] – In the news this month: Researchers have discovered a new effect in two-dimensional conductive systems that promises improved performance of terahertz detectors. A team of scientists at the Cavendish Laboratory, together with colleagues at the Universities of Augsburg (Germany) and Lancaster, has found a new physical effect when two-dimensional electron systems are exposed to terahertz waves. [27:22] – Finding ways of combining arts with science [28:51] – Suggestions on improving scientific communication   [31:42] – Dream of becoming an astronaut and preparation [32:55] – Path to be followed towards becoming an astronaut [34:18] – Choosing the public vs private sector for space travel [35:33] – Future of space life is tourism [36:51] – Outro Useful links: Visit the https://www.astro.phy.cam.ac.uk/ (Cavendish Astrophysics) to learn more about their research. Read the article on this month's news - https://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/news/one-step-closer-making-terahertz-technology-usable-real-world ( One step closer to making terahertz technology usable in the real world  ) Journal Article link of the news release- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abi8398 (An in-plane photoelectric...

Parish: Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, Mayfair, London The speakers at the event were Fr Philip Miller and Miss Maria Findlay-Wilson. Fr Philip grew up in Kent, and then in St Albans, Herts, where he attended Nicholas Breakspear Catholic Secondary School. He studied Natural Sciences (Physics) at Cambridge as an undergraduate, and then for a PhD in radio-astronomy at the Cavendish Laboratory. He attended the Venerable English College, Rome, for his seminary formation, and was ordained in St Albans in September 1999. Since then, he has served in parishes and hospital ministry in Westminster diocese, most recently as Parish Priest of St Augustine's, Hoddesdon. Maria is the Head of Physics from Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School. We thank ECLAS for their generosity to make our tour to parishes possible. If you would like to get in touch, email: scienceandfaith@radiomariaengland.uk Facebook/Instagram: @radiomariaengland #RMESCIENCEANDFAITH https://radiomariaengland.uk/science-and-faith-on-tour-season-3-faith-journeys-in-science-ep2/

In this episode, we are donning our lab coats and gaining access to the secrets of particle physics. We visit 1932, an astonishing year in the history of science across the world, from Carl Anderson's rooftop cloud chamber in California, to Marietta Blau's mountaintop experiments in Austria, via the Cavendish Lab at the University of Cambridge. Our guest is Dr Suzie Sheehy. Dr Sheehy is unusual for Travels Through Time – she is a scientist rather than a historian – but she is also quite unusual within her own field of accelerator physics. Firstly, because she is a woman, and secondly because she is a brilliant communicator, able to beautifully articulate the wonder and complexity of Physics. In her new book, The Matter of Everything, Twelve Experiments that Changed Our World she tells the major discovery stories of the past century: the cathode ray tube that brought us television, splitting the atom, finding new particles and, of course, the Large Hadron Collider and Higgs Boson. Behind each of these breakthroughs are the brilliant scientists whose curiosity and persistence made them possible.  This episode is sponsored by ACE Cultural Tours, the oldest and most experienced provider of study tours and cultural travel in the United Kingdom. Find out more via their website at www.aceculturaltours.co.uk or speak to their friendly team on 01223 841055. Show Notes Scene One: 2nd August 1932. The discovery of the positron, Carl Anderson, at Caltech in America. Scene Two: 14th April 1932. Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, the splitting of the atom Ernest Rutherford (at almost the same time James Chadwick discovers the neutron in the same lab!). Scene Three: 1932. Hafelekar observatory, Marietta Blau and her assistant Hertha Wambacher place 'emulsion plates' 7,500 feet above sea level, near Innsbruck, Austria. They would go on to have a huge impact scientifically, but as women their work was undervalued and overlooked at the time. Momento: Marietta Blau's diaries so Dr Sheehy could write about her and fully reveal her genius and achievements to the world. People/Social Presenter: Violet Moller Guest: Dr Suzie Sheehy Production: Maria Nolan Podcast partner: Ace Cultural Tours Follow us on Twitter: @tttpodcast_ Or on Facebook See where 1932 fits on our Timeline   

This month our guest is Tom Sharp, group technician for the Optoelectronics research group here at the Department of Physics, where his day to day involves working closely with scientists to maintain and troubleshoot equipment and ensure a smooth running of the laboratories and facilities. Tom was always drawn to mechanical work growing up, and joined the Cavendish through an apprenticeship 10 years ago. In that time his role has changed, evolving from working in the mechanical workshop to being in charge of producing and maintaining a whole group's equipment. As someone who has to solve problems on a daily basis, Tom works with the mindset that you can't get brought down with failures - sometimes your first solution won't work as you hoped, but it's all about learning, improving and adapting to new situations and challenges.  But how does one learn to work in such a fast-paced and unpredictable environment? And what's it like to work so closely with researchers and play a crucial part in setting up the experiments that lead to ground-breaking discoveries? Stay tuned as we ask Tom all about this and more…  A bit of jargon busting: OE: Optoelectronics SP: Semiconductor Physics ME: Microelectronics Please help us get better by taking our https://forms.gle/GKiDPV2pmLjpmKHy9 (quick survey)! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future.Thank you for your time. Jump into the conversation: [00:33] - Guests intro [12:18] – In the news this month: Meet June Broomhead (Lindsey), the woman who contributed to the discovery of DNA's double-helix [38:58] - Outro Useful links: Visit the https://www.oe.phy.cam.ac.uk/ (Optoelectronics research group website) to learn more about their research. Read the https://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/blog/unsung-heroes-june-broomhead-lindsey-and-structure-dna (original article about June Broomhead (Lindsey)) this month's news are based on (including the black & white photograph of the 1947 Researchers and Students group) Tom Sharp talked about his apprenticeship at the Cavendish https://youtu.be/2845VMgPfuY (in this video). To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us of studying with us, go to http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/ (www.phy.cam.ac.uk)  Share and join the conversation:If you like this episode, don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast. Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation https://twitter.com/DeptofPhysics (on Twitter) using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics. Episode credits: Hosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Jacob Butler News presenters: Vanessa Bismuth and Paolo Molignini Producer: Chris Brock

We're doing things a bit differently this month, welcoming not one but two guests in this episode. Suchitra Sebastian is a professor of Physics at the Cavendish, but like cats, she had more than a few lives before becoming a world-class scientist. And like cats, she moves gracefully between very different worlds. It took time and a few twists and turns before a career in research became a conscious choice and ever since, she's been finding ways to keep it interesting, fresh and fun for her. Since 2016, she's the director of https://www.cavendish-artscience.org.uk/ (Cavendish Arts Science), a programme that seeks to question and explore material and immaterial universes through a dialogue between the arts and sciences. Last autumn, the programme appointed the artist Logan Dandridge, our second guest today, as the First Cavendish Arts Science Fellow. Logan grew up in Richmond, Virginia in the 90s to become a filmmaker whose work explores race, memory, and time through sound and the moving image. Last January, Logan traveled all the way from Syracuse University in the State of New York (USA), where he teaches films, to spend six months in Cambridge. Here, he's creating encounters with Cavendish physicists to create new work that grapples with questions of memory, and re-imagined futures. With Logan and Suchitra, we talk about personal awakenings, messing around and finding out things by chance, and seeking out intersections between worlds that don't necessarily collide. Jump into the conversation: [00:30] - Guests intro [02:10] – When Physics is not an obvious choice, one takes detours          [05:20] – A fringe physicist venturing into the borderlands of condensed matters [09:18] – Physics alone will not do – exploring different forms of expression to know the world and be in it [13:40] – Pushing the boundaries of arts and science to create a dialogue and provocation between the two   [17:15] – Crossing the line between Arts and Science and vice versa. [21:05] – In the news this month: Two-dimensional material could store quantum information at room temperature [25:05] – Who are you, Logan Dandridge? [26:50] – The beauty of the moving images, “sculpture and painting happening at the same time” [28:35] – Why engaging with scientists now? [29:40] – Expectations v. reality [30:40] – ‘Oh, I'm looking!' [32:20] – What to expect from Cavendish Arts Science [37:07] – How many black futures will end before they begin… [38:48] - Outro --- Useful links: For more information about Cavendish Arts Science, visit http://www.cavendish-artscience.org.uk/ (cavendish-artscience.org.uk) If you would like to explore some of Logan Dandridge's previous works: https://vimeo.com/504560807?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=44105449 (BlackContinuum 01) https://vimeo.com/530448300?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=44105449 (Here,yesterday (136)) https://vimeo.com/654569940?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=44105449 (Untitled(Foremothers)) Logan and Suchitra will be at the https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events?search_api_views_fulltext=cavendish+laboratory (Cambridge Festival 2022) for an Artist's film screening and Q&A on Saturday 9th April at 3.30pm. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cavendish-festival-2022-logan-dandridge-artists-film-screening-and-qa-tickets-287938300207 (Book your free ticket in advance.) Read the full news story about the two-dimensional material that could store quantum information at room temperature https://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/news/two-dimensional-material-could-store-quantum-information-room-temperature (on our website). To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us of studying with us, go to http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/ (www.phy.cam.ac.uk)  Share and join the conversation:If you like this episode, don't forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite

Babs Horton takes us to Tredegar, a small town in the Welsh Valleys, ravaged by coal and politics. Brian Clegg re-haunts the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, where the ghosts of modern physics collect. Tamar Yellin explains the influence of the moorland landscape of Bronte Country on her life and work.

People Doing Physics is a new podcast from the Cavendish Laboratory (at the University of Cambridge) exploring the personal side of physics. Our first episode launches on 3rd February 2022. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Follow and connect with the show https://twitter.com/DeptofPhysics (on Twitter) using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics. For more details and episodes notes, visit https://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/podcast (phy.cam.ac.uk/podcast)

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 230, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Oxford, Cambridge Or Harvard 1: It's the oldest. Oxford. 2: One of its clubs gives out the Hasty Pudding Award. Harvard. 3: The current Prince of Wales earned his bachelor's degree there. Cambridge. 4: Its main library is the Bodleian. Oxford. 5: Its department of physics is the Cavendish Laboratory. Cambridge. Round 2. Category: Classic Disney Films 1: The title fawn in Disney's 1942 film is this deer. Bambi. 2: Mowgli finds out it's a jungle out there in this film based on Kipling's classic. The Jungle Book. 3: The Mickey Mouse version of this Dickens classic features Goofy as the ghost of Jacob Marley. A Christmas Carol. 4: Much of the music for this 1959 film, including the song "Once Upon A Dream" was adapted from an 1890 ballet. Sleeping Beauty. 5: Among the babes in "Babes in Toyland" are Ann Jillian as Bo Peep and this Mouseketeer as Mary Contrary. Annette Funicello. Round 3. Category: Auto Racing 1: Designating you as the winner, it's the flag each driver wants to see first at the end of an auto race. checkered flag. 2: It's the "aquatic" term for the rapid side to side movement a car's rear end can make while racing. fishing. 3: As the lead qualifier for an auto racing event, you'll occupy this "position" in the front row at the start of the race. pole position. 4: This type of auto racing start bears the name of a French town famous for a 24-hour race. Le Mans. 5: Also a term for architectural drawing, it's the fuel-saving practice of one car closely following another. drafting. Round 4. Category: Numbers In Song 1: Biggest hit for The Crests was about a birthday cake with this many candles. 16. 2: Neil Sedaka said, "You've turned into the prettiest girl I've ever seen" when she'd reached this age. sweet 16. 3: Title of the song that begins, "Some people say a man is made out of mud". "Sixteen Tons". 4: Lacy J. Dalton sang "God bless the boys who make the noise on" this Nashville street. 16th Avenue. 5: It's the specific distance mentioned in folk song "The Erie Canal". 15 miles. Round 5. Category: Geographer's Dictionary 1: From an old Norse word, it's a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea. Fjord. 2: The main administrative municipality in a U.S. county. a county seat. 3: It's an old name for a Chinese seaport, or what the Swiss call their states. Canton. 4: "Oceanic" term for the coastal states between New England and the South, like Delaware and Maryland. Mid-Atlantic. 5: "Oceanic" term for the coastal states between New England and the South, like Delaware and Maryland. Mid-Atlantic. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!

Back by popular demand another What we are Reading for June.On this episode we talk about.Mirrorland Published April 20th 2021 by Scribnerby Carole Johnstone With the startling twists of Gone Girl and the haunting emotional power of Room, Mirrorland is a thrilling work of psychological suspense about twin sisters, the man they both love, and the dark childhood they can't leave behind.Cat lives in Los Angeles, far away from 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing gothic house in Edinburgh where she and her estranged twin sister, El, grew up. As girls, they invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns. These days Cat rarely thinks about their childhood home, or the fact that El now lives there with her husband Ross.But when El mysteriously disappears after going out on her sailboat, Cat is forced to return to 36 Westeryk Road, which has scarcely changed in twenty years. The grand old house is still full of shadowy corners, and at every turn Cat finds herself stumbling on long-held secrets and terrifying ghosts from the past. Because someone—El?—has left Cat clues in almost every room: a treasure hunt that leads right back to Mirrorland, where she knows the truth lies crouched and waiting...A twisty, dark, and brilliantly crafted thriller about love and betrayal, redemption and revenge, Mirrorland is a propulsive, page-turning debut about the power of imagination and the price of freedom. Bone Canyon (Eve Ronin #2) Published January 5th 2021 by Thomas & Mercerby Lee Goldberg A cold case heats up, revealing a deadly conspiracy in a twisty thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.A catastrophic wildfire scorches the Santa Monica Mountains, exposing the charred remains of a woman who disappeared years ago. The investigation is assigned to Eve Ronin, the youngest homicide detective in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, a position that forces her to prove herself again and again. This time, though, she has much more to prove.Bones don't lie, and these have a horrific story to tell. Eve tirelessly digs into the past, unearthing dark secrets that reveal nothing about the case is as it seems. With almost no one she can trust, her relentless pursuit of justice for the forgotten dead could put Eve's own life in peril. The Three Locks (Sherlock Holmes Adventure #4) Published April 13th 2021 by Collins Crime Clubby Bonnie MacBird A heatwave melts London as Holmes and Watson are called to action in this new Sherlock Holmes adventure by Bonnie MacBird, author of "one of the best Sherlock Holmes novels of recent memory." In the West End, a renowned Italian escape artist dies spectacularly on stage during a performance – immolated in a gleaming copper cauldron of his wife's design. In Cambridge, the runaway daughter of a famous don is found drowned, her long blonde hair tangled in the Jesus Lock on the River Cam. And in Baker Street, a mysterious locksmith exacts an unusual price to open a small silver box sent to Watson. From the glow of London's theatre district to the buzzing Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge where physicists explore the edges of the new science of electricity, Holmes and Watson race between the two cities to solve the murders, encountering prevaricating prestidigitators, philandering physicists and murderous mentalists, all the while unlocking secrets which may be best left undisclosed. And one, in particular, is very close to home. The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda Published May 1st 2021 by Thomas & Mercer There is no limit to the lies, suspicion, and secrets that can poison the perfect marriage in this twisting novel of suspense by USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda.Kate Nelson had it all. A flourishing company founded with her husband, John; a happy marriage; and a daughter, Ashlyn. The picture-perfect family. Until John left for another woman. Tish is half his age. Ambitious. She's cultivated a friendship with Ashlyn. Tish believes she's won.She's wrong.Tish Nelson has it all. Youth, influence, a life of luxury, and a new husband. But the truth is, there's a lot of baggage. Namely, his first wife—and suspicions of his infidelity. After all, that's how she got John. Maybe it's time for a romantic getaway, far from his vindictive ex. If Kate plans on getting John back, Tish is one step ahead of her.She thinks.But what happens next is something neither Kate nor Tish saw coming. As best-laid plans come undone, there's no telling what a woman will do in the name of love—and revenge.

In this episode, Itai and Martin talk to Sarah Teichman, Head of Cellular Genetics at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Director of Research in the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, England. In her creative research, Sarah's thoughts constantly switch between her native languages – bioinformatics and genomics – and foreign languages, such as chemistry and physics. Sarah talks about storytelling vs. modeling when interpreting data, and discusses hard vs. soft hypotheses.Sarah is interested in global principles of protein interactions and gene expression, focusing her research on genomics and immunity. She is an EMBO member and a fellow of the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences. Sarah received numerous prizes, including the Lister Prize, Biochemical Society Colworth Medal, Royal Society Crick Lecture, and EMBO Gold Medal.For more information on Night Science, visit www.night-science.org .

This week, Michael Liebreich is joined by Professor Jim Skea from Imperial College London’s Centre for Environmental Policy and the co-author of the seminal IPCC 2018 Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C. Bio Jim Skea is a Professor of Sustainable Energy at Imperial College London and the co-author of the IPCC 2018 Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C. He’s still involved in the works of the IPCC, currently co-chairing the Working Group III (focused on climate change mitigation) contribution to AR6. Between 2012 and 2017 Professor Skea was an Energy Strategy Fellow at the Research Councils UK. Meanwhile, he was also the President of the Energy Institute between 2015 and 2017. He led the UK Energy Research Centre and worked on UK’s energy transition scenarios from 2004-2012. Born in Scotland, Jim Skea read Mathematical Physics at Edinburgh University, followed by a PhD in Physics at Cambridge University’s Cavendish Laboratory. After completing his PhD, Jim Skea stayed on at the Cavendish Laboratory where he worked as a research assistant. In 1981, he moved to Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he worked as a research associate and moved through the ranks, all the way to becoming a professorial fellow in 1994. He was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 2004 and CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 2013 for his work on sustainability. Links Official bio https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/j.skea IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 ºC https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/ EEA COVID Debate No. 7 - COVID-19 and climate change (December 2020) https://www.youtube.com/watchv=SuXQdmjlmGA&list=PL1_QSyumTz7Am38J5tXamPEWUhb5szB3Z&index=7 Jim interviewed by BBC for ‘Climate change: Technology no silver bullet, experts tell PM’ (October 2020) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54662615 IPCC Working Group 3 https://www.ipcc.ch/working-group/wg3/ Centre for Environmental Policy https://www.imperial.ac.uk/environmental-policy/research/ About Cleaning Up Once a week Michael Liebreich has a conversation (and a drink) with a leader in clean energy, mobility, climate finance or sustainable development. Each episode covers the technical ground on some aspect of the low-carbon transition – but it also delves into the nature of leadership in the climate transition: whether to be optimistic or pessimistic; how to communicate in order to inspire change; personal credos; and so on. And it should be fun – most of the guests are Michael’s friends. Follow Cleaning Up on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MLCleaningUp Follow Cleaning Up on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cleaning-up-with-michael-liebreich Follow Cleaning Up on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLCleaningUp Links to other Podcast Platforms: https://www.cleaningup.live/

This week we speak to Dr Elizabeth Tennyson, postdoctoral researcher and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Fellow at the Cavendish Laboratory. Earlier this year, she was named one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering by the Women's Engineering Society for her work on sustainability. She works on a new class of materials called perovskites, which in the last decade or so have become incredibly exciting for applications in solar cells. She tell us about her research using optical microscopy techniques to understand these materials, how she ended up working in renewable energy, and what it's like working in such a fast-paced and hyped-up field. She also shares her experiences translating research from the lab to real-world applications, specifically from her role in the Affordable Perovskite Solar Irrigations Systems project for small-holder farmers in Ethiopia. You can find Beth at @beth_tennyson on Twitter. The BlueSci Podcast is run by the Cambridge University Science Magazine, currently hosted by Ruby Coates and Simone Eizagirre and sponsored by Greiner Bio-One. Visit www.bluesci.co.uk to access our free magazine, and find out how to get involved. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe! We welcome your feedback and suggestions via email: podcast(at)bluesci.co.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter on @bluescipod.

Welcome back to the BlueSci Podcast! We are fresh from our summer break and have a lot of new exciting science to share! This week our guest is Dr Jerelle Joseph, a post-doc in the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. Jerelle completed her PhD in atomistic protein modelling and is now doing post-doc studying intracellular liquid-liquid phase separation. She talks to us about how understanding protein biochemistry at a single protein level as well as a multi-protein level is crucial for biomedical research. Jerelle also talks to us about the CariScholar organisation, a mentorship initiative she founded in order to link Caribbean students to academics and professionals worldwide. Details on CariScholar can be found here: https://www.carischolar.com/ The BlueSci Podcast is run by the Cambridge University Science Magazine, currently hosted by Ruby Coates and Simone Eizagirre and sponsored by Greiner Bio-One. Visit www.bluesci.co.uk to access our free magazine, and find out how to get involved. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe! We welcome your feedback and suggestions via email: podcast(at)bluesci.co.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter on @bluescipod.

A Nobel Prize. Some would say it represents the pinnacle of scientific achievement in any given field. In this episode, we're lucky enough to be joined by Joachim Frank, one of a very small number of scientists that can say they have won the prestigious award. Joachim was born and educated in Germany, before completing postdoctoral research in the United States and at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, U.K., where he worked on problems of electron optics and image processing. His current position at Columbia University as a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and of Biological Sciences, is one that he has held since 2008. In 2017, Joachim recieved the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, alongside his colleagues Jacques Dubochet and Richard Henderson, for the development of cryo-electron microscopy, which both simplifies and improves the imaging of biomolecules. This method moved biochemistry into a new era. Timestamps 00:15 - Who is Joachim Frank? 01:05 - Initial interested in science? 04:34 - A degree in Physics? 06:25 - How do you stumble upon Nobel Prize winning research? 07:30 - The seeds & The process. 16:48 - What are the implications of the work? 21:55 - Receiving a Nobel Prize. 22:48 - Does the prize open doors? 27:35 - Advice for PhD students? 29:50 - What is your favourite book?

Surprise! This week we have an BONUS episode to celebrate International Women's Day! In this special episode, we highlight the work being done by academics, student-led groups, and other voluntary organisations who advocate for equal opportunities, inclusion and diversity in science. Our guests include Professor Rachel Oliver (04:48), leader of The Inclusion Group for Equity in Research (TIGER) in STEMM, Hope Bretscher (32:46), co-President of the student-led Cavendish Inspiring Women (CiW) group in the Cavendish Laboratory, and Raheela Rehman (53:20), chair of the Cambridge Association for Women in Science and Engineering (CamAWiSE). Learn more about the organisations featured on the podcast: TIGER in STEMM - www.tigerinstemm.org, CiW - www.cavendishinspiringwomxn.co.uk and CamAWISE - www.camawise.org.uk. The BlueSci Podcast is run by the Cambridge University Science Magazine, currently hosted by Ruby Coates and Simone Eizagirre. Visit www.bluesci.co.uk to access our free magazine, and find out how to get involved. If you enjoyed this episode, why not subscribe? We welcome your feedback and suggestions via email: bluescipodcast (at) gmail (dot) com.

Science writer Graham Farmelo in conversation with Val Gibson. Val Gibson is a leading experimental particle physicist and is head of the high energy physics research group at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University Cambridge. She is a prominent member of one of the teams of experimenters at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, where the Higgs boson was discovered in 2012.Read more in Graham Farmelo's book The Universe Speaks in Numbers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While completing his undergraduate degree in Fine Art at Bath Spa University, Nicolas Strappini collaborated with a researcher at Bath University for an outreach event to do with visualizing physics. He recently helped organise a round table discussion on the intersection of arts and science co-organised by CSM Art & Science at Central Saint Martins and Art at CMS at CERN. The panel was composed of theoretical and experimental particle physicists, art students and educators. He also gave a presentation at CERN about my work. He exhibited his work at the Museo Marca 'Asemic Writing' exhibition in Calabria. He also has recently shown his physics and science work at Imperial College, London and been involved with the Royal Society's 'Museum of Extraordinary Objects' exhibition. He gave a talk and showed work for the first art exhibition at the Department of Physics (the Cavendish Laboratory) at Cambridge University where audiences were invited to interact with His machines and works. He is currently collaborating with scientists at CERN to visually analyse particle tracks in cloud chambers. He graduated from the MA Art and Science course at Central Saint Martins, London. He has worked with Gustav Metzger, Andy Goldsworthy and Robert Whitman. Courtesy of JRC Summer School 2018 documentation

IFE Grand Challenge Lecture, recorded 25 May 2018 at QUT. Through the 20th century, research laboratories at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge embodied two leading models of research, based on competing philosophies of how research is conducted and research teams are assembled and supported.The Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge, under the guidance of J.J. Thomson and his acolytes, focused on recruitment and environment, producing a stunning succession of discoveries that underpin modern physics and chemistry. Several decades later, Howard Florey's team at Oxford took a problem-based approach, carefully assembling the team best equipped to solve the antibiotic challenge, resulting in the discovery that has arguably saved more lives than any other. Towards the end of the 20th century and on the other side of the world, policymakers and research administrators came together to develop a blended system that harnessed the best of each of these models. For more than a decade and supported by successive Australian governments, Backing Australia's Ability provided a coherent, overarching structure to nurture a research ecosystem in which each element could thrive in collaboration with the others. Professor Sheil will argue that examples of breakthrough innovation – such as the cervical cancer vaccine or CSIRO's invention of Wi-Fi – must be read in the context of this ecosystem approach, which underpinned a research model that is at once engaged yet open; problem-oriented yet curiosity-driven. This Grand Challenge Lecture is a call to arms for a revival and modernisation of such a systems approach, in which government, the universities, industry and the publicly funded research agencies each understand (and are funded for) their respective roles, yet find benefit in working collaboratively and generatively, within the most productive open-source template for adaptive innovation in the world of today and tomorrow.

IFE Grand Challenge Lecture, recorded 25 May 2018 at QUT.Through the 20th century, research laboratories at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge embodied two leading models of research, based on competing philosophies of how research is conducted and research teams are assembled and supported.The Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge, under the guidance of J.J. Thomson and his acolytes, focused on recruitment and environment, producing a stunning succession of discoveries that underpin modern physics and chemistry. Several decades later, Howard Florey’s team at Oxford took a problem-based approach, carefully assembling the team best equipped to solve the antibiotic challenge, resulting in the discovery that has arguably saved more lives than any other.Towards the end of the 20th century and on the other side of the world, policymakers and research administrators came together to develop a blended system that harnessed the best of each of these models. For more than a decade and supported by successive Australian governments, Backing Australia’s Ability provided a coherent, overarching structure to nurture a research ecosystem in which each element could thrive in collaboration with the others.Professor Sheil will argue that examples of breakthrough innovation – such as the cervical cancer vaccine or CSIRO’s invention of Wi-Fi – must be read in the context of this ecosystem approach, which underpinned a research model that is at once engaged yet open; problem-oriented yet curiosity-driven.This Grand Challenge Lecture is a call to arms for a revival and modernisation of such a systems approach, in which government, the universities, industry and the publicly funded research agencies each understand (and are funded for) their respective roles, yet find benefit in working collaboratively and generatively, within the most productive open-source template for adaptive innovation in the world of today and tomorrow.

Sean from Austin joins John and Myself(Chris) for a discussion about- DNA, Gregory Bateson, X-ray Crystallography, G-Factor, Cavendish Laboratory,Julius Robert Oppenheimer, Edward Kelley, Cold Spring Harbor, 23 and Me, Kurt Godel, Bertrand Russel, Cybernetics, Phi Beta Kappa Society, The English Language, Bruce Lee, Francis Galton, The Kennedys, John Frankenheimer, Rockets in Space, Sunset Boulevard, RKO Pictures, Rock Oil, LaBrea Tar Pits, Jack Horner, Dinosaurs, Wernher von Braun, Space, The Moon Landing Hoax, Nukes, Wolfgang Pauly, The World Set Free Book by HG Wells. Note: Seans connection drops at the end. Commute Music: Crystal Clear by Wilbert Longmire hoaxbusterscall.com

We are Base Pairs, the podcast about "the power of genetic information." But why did we choose this name? In this bonus episode, we explain the molecules and the metaphor. Pictured: Tin model of Adenine as first constructed by James Watson and Francis Crick whilst working at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge in 1953. (Science Museum London / Science and Society Picture Library)

In Smart Villages Podcast 1, host Sir Brian Heap interviews Dr Nalin Patel, Programme Manager of the Winton Porgramme for the Physics of Sustainabililty at the world famous Cavendish Laboratory... [...] The post Smart Villages Podcast 1 – Cambridge graduates pursue smart villages projects – Interview with Dr Nalin Patel appeared first on Smart Villages.

J. (Julius) Robert Oppenheimer was born in New York City on April 22, 1904. His parents, Julius S. Oppenheimer, a wealthy German textile merchant, and Ella Friedman, an artist, were of Jewish descent but did not observe the religious traditions. He studied at the Ethical Culture Society School, whose physics laboratory has since been named for him, and entered Harvard in 1922, intending to become a chemist, but soon switching to physics. He graduated summa cum laude in 1925 and went to England to conduct research at Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory, working under J.J. Thomson. In 1926, Oppenheimer went to the University of Göttingen to study under Max Born, obtaining his Ph.D. at the age of 22. There, he published many important contributions to the then newly developed quantum theory, most notably a famous paper on the so-called Born-Oppenheimer approximation, which separates nuclear motion from electronic motion in the mathematical treatment of molecules. In 1927, he returned to Harvard to study mathematical physics and as a National Research Council Fellow, and in early 1928, he studied at the California Institute of Technology. He accepted an assistant professorship in physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and maintained a joint appointment with California Institute of Technology. In the ensuing 13 years, he "commuted" between the two universities, and many of his associates and students commuted with him. Oppenheimer became credited with being a founding father of the American school of theoretical physics. He did important research in astrophysics, nuclear physics, spectroscopy and quantum field theory. He made important contributions to the theory of cosmic ray showers, and did work that eventually led toward descriptions of quantum tunneling. In the 1930s, he was the first to write papers suggesting the existence of what we today call black holes. In November 1940, Oppenheimer married Katherine Peuning Harrison, a radical Berkeley student, and by May 1941 they had their first child, Peter. When World War II began, Oppenheimer eagerly became involved in the efforts to develop an atomic bomb, which were already taking up much of the time and facilities of Lawrence's Radiation Laboratory at Berkeley. He was invited to take over work on neutron calculations, and in June 1942 General Leslie Groves appointed Oppenheimer as the scientific director of the Manhattan Project. Source Link https://archive.org/details/InterviewJRobertOppenheimer Information Source http://www.atomicarchive.com/Bios/Oppenheimer.shtml Edited into podcast form by Jarcodes Productions

This is Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. Here is the news. China has launched a campaign to tackle school bullying. The State Council, the country's Cabinet, has sent a notice to local education bureaus. The campaign aims to curb bullying in primary and middle schools, including physical and verbal. Cyberspace bullying will also be targeted. The campaign targets all primary and middle schools across the country, including middle vocational schools. Campus bullying is a serious issue in China. Last year, a student was stabbed to death by three of his classmates in Guangdong Province. In another incident last year, a video clip showing schoolgirls slapping and kicking another girl in Jiangxi Province went viral online. The event triggered a widespread discussion of campus bullying. According to the notice, the inspector will be responsible for monitoring all schools in his or her school district. The inspector is required to report any bullying to the school and to the local education inspection department. Schools are required to invite public security and justice departments to provide anti-bullying education. The notice is urging schools to create procedures to prevent and handle campus bullying as well as to clarify responsibilities of school staff members regarding the issue. This is Special English. Aiming to improve students' overall fitness, the education authority is calling for greater emphasis on physical education in school admissions and assessment of officials. To encourage students to exercise more, the Ministry of Education is urging high schools and colleges to give more consideration in admissions to students' PE class attendance, fitness level and on-campus athletic performance. It also asks that the work evaluation of local education and school officials be partially based on students' results. The call is in response to a regulation issued recently by the State Council, the country's Cabinet, aimed at highlighting physical education's role in China's education system. Under the ministry's monitoring, if students' overall fitness is found to have declined for three consecutive years, the school leaders and local officials in charge will be punished, and will not be eligible for promotion. PE tests are currently included in China's high school entrance exams. However, students' PE performance is not part of the scoring system of the national higher learning entrance exam, or gaokao. That has led students in senior grades to focus more on academics than sports, and schools to replace PE classes with extra tutoring. A lack of physical exercise was partially blamed for students' fitness decline in the National Fitness Survey released last year. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. The support ship of a new deep-sea submarine has been delivered to its owner, the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. The 94-meter-long vessel has a full-load displacement of almost 6,300 tonnes, with a range of 10,000 nautical miles. It is equipped with 10 permanent research labs and two removable labs. The ship will serve as the support ship for a new submarine currently under development and for future expeditions of sea floor trenches. The vessel is scheduled to sail from Guangzhou to a port in Hainan Province for off-shore tests. If all goes well, the ship will sail to the Mariana Trench for a research mission in the near future. The new manned submarine can reach a depth of 4,500 meters under water and is likely to go through off-shore testing in the first half of next year. China's current manned submarine, the "Jiaolong", reached a depth of 7,000 meters in the Mariana Trench in June 2012. This is Special English. A robot has been developed aiming to get enrolled in first-class Chinese universities next year. The robot will then try to get into prestigious and comparatively more difficult Peking University or Tsinghua in 2020, after beating 12th graders. The robot will sit three exams, namely math, the Chinese language, and a comprehensive test of liberal arts including history and geography. A company in Chengdu in southwest China won the bid for the artificial intelligence program on the robot's math test held by the Ministry of Science and Technology last year. Like the other examinees, the robot will have to finish the tests in designated time. It will take its exams in a closed room without anyone else present, except for proctors and a notary. The robot will be linked to a printer before each exam, and the electronic examination paper will be fed into the robot's program at the start of the examination. The robot will be totally disconnected from the internet and will solve the problems with its artificial intelligence program. Finally the answers will be outputted through the printer. Experts say the robot is just one example of the boom in artificial intelligence after Google's AlphaGo beat a world-class player in the ancient board game Go in March. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. British scientists have discovered three earth-sized planets orbiting a dim and cool star 40 light years from Earth. The discovery was made by the University of Cambridge. It is believed to be the best place to start searching for extra-terrestrial life. Didier Queloz is a professor from the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory. He says the discovery of a planetary system around such a small star opens up a brand new avenue for research. Scientists used a telescope at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile, to view the star. Known as TRAPPIST-1, it is in the Aquarius constellation. The scientists found that the dim and cool star faded slightly at regular intervals, indicating that several objects were transiting, or passing between the star and the Earth. Detailed analysis showed that there were three planets of a similar size to the Earth. TRAPPIST-1 is an ultra-cool dwarf star, and as such is much cooler and redder than the Sun and is barely larger than Jupiter. Such stars are very common in the Milky Way and very long-lived, but this is the first time that planets have been found around one of them. This is Special English. British researchers have developed the world's tiniest engine, just a few billionths of a meter in size. The engine uses light to power itself. The researchers say the nanoscale engine can form the basis of future nano-machines that can navigate in water, sense the environment around them, and even enter living cells to fight disease. The researchers at the University of Cambridge published their study results in the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The prototype device is made of tiny charged particles of gold, bound together with temperature-responsive polymers in the form of a gel. When the nano-engine is heated to a certain temperature with a laser, it stores large amounts of elastic energy in a fraction of a second. As the polymer coatings expel all the water from the gel and collapse, it forces the gold nanoparticles to bind together into tight clusters. But when the device is cooled down, the polymers take on water and expand again, and the gold nanoparticles are strongly and quickly pushed apart, like a spring. The research suggests how to turn Van de Waals energy into elastic energy of polymers and release it very quickly. Van de Waals energy refers to the attraction between atoms and molecules. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That's mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues. China's TV singing contest "Super Girls" will return to screens after a ten-year break. The show is to be re-launched by Hunan Satellite TV, in Changsha, the capital of central China's Hunan Province. "Super Girls" is similar to "American Idol", offering ordinary people a chance at stardom. Around 610,000 people have registered to enter the contest. Women above the age of 18 can apply to be a contestants. They will be scored by the judging panel and public votes. Twenty finalists will be announced in June. "Super Girls" was first produced in 2004, and at its height, 200 million people tuned in to watch the live, three-hour finale of "Super Girls 2005" show. Now a celebrity, Li Yuchun was then a student with Sichuan Conservatory of Music. She won the contest in 2005. Li later appeared on the cover of Time Asia Magazine as one of the 25 Asian Heroes of the year. A set of stamps were issued featuring the singer. Since the run-away success of the format, Chinese TV producers have competed to make similar shows, including the popular "Voice of China" series. However, there are concerns that the new "Super Girls" show may not be able to achieve its past glory. This is Special English. （全文见周六微信。）

Malcolm Longair is Emeritus Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy, Emeritus Professorial Fellow and former Head of the Cavendish Laboratory.

Dr. Irving R. Epstein is the Henry F. Fischbach Professor of Chemistry and a member of the Volen Center for Complex Systems at Brandeis University, as well as a Professor of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He received his Masters degree in Chemistry and his PhD in Chemical Physics from Harvard University. Irving then completed a NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University before joining the faculty at Brandeis. Irving has received a number of honors and awards during his career, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Grass Fellowship of the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University. Irving is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

As Comet ISON draws near to its close approach with the Sun in November, much uncertainty remains over how brilliant it will be. Dominic Ford speaks to Matthew Bishop at the Lowell Observatory to find out more. He also talks to Apostolos Christou from the Armagh Observatory about a group of asteroids which closely follow the orbit and Mars, and appear to fragments of a much larger pair of asteroids which collided. Tamela Maciel from the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge reports on the lonely exoplanet which doesn't seem to have a parent star, and Kirsten Gottschalk from the International... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

As Comet ISON draws near to its close approach with the Sun in November, much uncertainty remains over how brilliant it will be. Dominic Ford speaks to Matthew Bishop at the Lowell Observatory to find out more. He also talks to Apostolos Christou from the Armagh Observatory about a group of asteroids which closely follow the orbit and Mars, and appear to fragments of a much larger pair of asteroids which collided. Tamela Maciel from the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge reports on the lonely exoplanet which doesn't seem to have a parent star, and Kirsten Gottschalk from the International... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Lisa Jardine explores how scientists became separated from wider society. Until the end of the 18th century, most scientific endeavour took place in private houses or workshops, often done on a part-time basis by passionate enthusiasts. It was the poet Samuel Coleridge who suggested, in 1833, that men who were neither literary nor philosophers might be called "scientists"; but still there were no public laboratories and certainly no white coats. The idea that people could be trained in laboratories was pioneered in Germany and it was decades before Britain caught on. In 1858, an expensive project to lay a telegraph cable under the Atlantic failed; and an inquiry into the failure recommended that Britain needed more men who understood how telegraphy actually worked. Today, the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge is famous for a string of Nobel Prize winning discoveries into the nature of the atom and the structure of molecules including, famously, DNA. But it was set up to train more telegraph engineers. As more purpose-built laboratories were established, complete with petri dishes, test tubes, and bunsen burners, scientists started to be perceived as somehow different from the rest of us. Trained in specialist techniques, they followed their own methods and rules. They became a separate tribe.

When she started her career, physicist Dame Athene Donald took a decision that shocked her colleagues. She wanted to apply the strict rules of physics to the messy, complicated world of biology. Since then, she has taken the field of biological physics out of an unfashionable rut in the 1980s, and helped to turn into one of the most exciting and promising areas in science today. As Professor of Experimental Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge University, she studies the microscopic structure of everyday stuff, from plants to plastics. Jim Al-Khalili talks to Athene about her life and her passionate campaign to get more women working in science. Producer: Michelle Martin

Melvyn Bragg considers the 150-year history of the Two Cultures debate. In 1959 the novelist C.P. Snow delivered a lecture in Cambridge suggesting that intellectual life had become divided into two separate cultures: the sciences and the humanities. The lecture is still celebrated for the furore it provoked - but Snow was returning to a battleground almost a century old. Melvyn Bragg visits the old Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, scene of many of modern science's greatest triumphs, to put the Two Cultures debate in its historical context - and Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, reveals the influence the Two Cultures debate had on his development as a scientist. Producer: Thomas Morris.

Transcript: The man who did a decisive set of experiments in the early 20th century to demonstrate the atomic structure of matter was Ernest Rutherford. Rutherford was born in New Zealand to a poor family and passed through his entire education dependent on scholarships. By the end of his life, however, he would have won a Nobel Prize, been head of the famed Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, and he was made a lord by the British government. From his humble beginnings, Rutherford was relentless in his search for the fundamental nature of matter. He established a laboratory at the Cavendish where he did a beautiful series of experiments to understand the nature of normal matter. Rutherford was a bear of a man with a booming voice and an intense manner. He could be a tough boss, sometimes sweeping the lab at the end of the day to send people home not to be with their families or wives but to think more deeply about the experiments that they had just been conducting. Students however loved him, and they flocked to him large numbers. Rutherford thought a good theory had to be explained simply, and this was a great benefit to him in his science.

From the 1600s to the 1800s, scientific research in Britain was not yet a professional, publicly-funded career.So the wealth, status and freedom enjoyed by British aristocrats gave them the opportunity to play an important role in pushing science forwards - whether as patrons or practitioners.The Cavendish family produced a whole succession of such figures.In the 1600s, the mathematician Sir Charles Cavendish and his brother William collected telescopes and mathematical treatises, and promoted dialogue between British and Continental thinkers. They brought Margaret Cavendish, William's second wife, into their discussions and researches, and she went on to become a visionary, if eccentric, science writer, unafraid to take on towering figures of the day like Robert Hooke.In the 1700s, the brothers' cousin's great-grandson, Lord Charles Cavendish, emerged as a leading light of the Royal Society.Underpinned by his rich inheritance, Charles' son Henry became one of the great experimental scientists of the English Enlightenment.And in the 1800s, William Cavendish, Henry's cousin's grandson, personally funded the establishment of Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory. In subsequent decades, the Lab become the site of more great breakthroughs.With:Jim BennettDirector of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of OxfordPatricia FaraSenior Tutor of Clare College, University of CambridgeSimon SchafferProfessor of History of Science at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Darwin College, CambridgeProducer - Phil Tinline.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 30 year search to solve all the biggest questions in physics. At the end of the last century, brave voices were predicting that all the big questions of physics were on the verge of being answered by a Theory of Everything. The disparity between the physics of the very small would finally be reconciled with the very large, and the four forces of nature would finally be united with a single set of equations. It was suggested that with such a theory we might solve the riddle of black holes, unlock the secrets of the Big Bang, probe other universes and even uncover the mystery of travelling through time. But Stephen Hawking, who once said that with a Theory of Everything “we would know the mind of God”, has changed his mind and now says that it may not be possible after all. So what are the prospects for a Theory of Everything? Why do we need one? How do we get one? And what would it mean if we did? With Brian Greene, Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University and author of The Fabric of the Cosmos; John Barrow, Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge and author of The Constants of Nature; Dr Val Gibson, particle physicist from the Cavendish Laboratory and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 30 year search to solve all the biggest questions in physics. At the end of the last century, brave voices were predicting that all the big questions of physics were on the verge of being answered by a Theory of Everything. The disparity between the physics of the very small would finally be reconciled with the very large, and the four forces of nature would finally be united with a single set of equations. It was suggested that with such a theory we might solve the riddle of black holes, unlock the secrets of the Big Bang, probe other universes and even uncover the mystery of travelling through time. But Stephen Hawking, who once said that with a Theory of Everything “we would know the mind of God”, has changed his mind and now says that it may not be possible after all. So what are the prospects for a Theory of Everything? Why do we need one? How do we get one? And what would it mean if we did? With Brian Greene, Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University and author of The Fabric of the Cosmos; John Barrow, Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge and author of The Constants of Nature; Dr Val Gibson, particle physicist from the Cavendish Laboratory and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.

Sir Aaron Klug grew up in Durban, South Africa on the edge of the Bush, which provided him with enough snakes and monkeys to satisfy his curiosity. A bright child, he read anything that was available and enjoyed an idyllic childhood. He started studying medicine at university level in Johannesburg at the age of fifteen, but soon switched to chemistry, physics and mathematics, which provided more stimulus for his enquiring mind.He began to research at Cape Town University and later Cambridge, where he joined the world-famous Cavendish Laboratory and later the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. His work led to him winning the Nobel prize for Chemistry in 1982 for his work on cell structure. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]Favourite track: The Ode to Joy (Symphony No 9) by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: A set of books on Roman Republican and Imperial coinage Luxury: A set of mixed Greek and Roman coinage

Sir Aaron Klug grew up in Durban, South Africa on the edge of the Bush, which provided him with enough snakes and monkeys to satisfy his curiosity. A bright child, he read anything that was available and enjoyed an idyllic childhood. He started studying medicine at university level in Johannesburg at the age of fifteen, but soon switched to chemistry, physics and mathematics, which provided more stimulus for his enquiring mind. He began to research at Cape Town University and later Cambridge, where he joined the world-famous Cavendish Laboratory and later the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. His work led to him winning the Nobel prize for Chemistry in 1982 for his work on cell structure. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Ode to Joy (Symphony No 9) by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: A set of books on Roman Republican and Imperial coinage Luxury: A set of mixed Greek and Roman coinage