Science Pub Eugene

Learn about cutting-edge topics in science and technology from leading researchers and scientists, all while enjoying food and drinks. Don't expect a remote speaker behind a distant podium. Instead, experience an informal atmosphere where you can interact with experts and where there are no silly questions. No scientific background is required; just bring your curiosity, sense of humor, and appetite for food, drinks, and knowledge!   Science Pub is open to anyone and everyone, no admission fee or RSVP required. Tell your friends, and we hope to see you there!    When:   Science Pub Eugene is the second Thursday of the month 7:00-9:00 p.m. Come early for food, drink, and get a seat!   Where:    Cozmic Pizza  199 W 8th Ave (inside The Strand at 8th & Charnelton)

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The Stuff of Life

Thursday, September 9, 2010

What are you made of? It’s easy to make a list of your “pieces”—cells, bones, muscles, and more—but what determines the physical properties of these materials, and how do these properties guide the forms and functions of living things? Exploring these broad questions ties together physics and biology and illuminates issues as seemingly distinct as how your cells pack a meter of DNA into a space a millionth of a meter long and why an elephant would break its legs trying to leap like a cat.

At this Science Pub we'll explore topics in biophysics, paying special attention to the soap-film-like membranes that surround your cells and to similarities between living “squishy” materials (like your flesh) and non-living materials like gels and foams.

Raghu Parthasarathy, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Physics Department at the University of Oregon and is a member of the Materials Science Institute and the Institute of Molecular Biology at UO.