After the success of the Green Academy Workshop last year, the School of Life Sciences and SV Sustainability are pleased to invite you to the first Green Academy Seminar!
Tuesday, November 1st, 2022
17:00 to 19:00 in conference room SV 1717
Followed by an apéro
The Green Academy Seminar will focus on the potential of biomimicry to inspire sustainable research and innovation. We are very happy to welcome three fantastic speakers who have been exploring the intersection between technological innovation and nature through their research. With this event, we hope to build bridges between life sciences and other disciplines, as cross-disciplinary collaboration is a key ingredient for a sustainable future.
Magalí (Maggie) Lingenfelder leads the Max Planck-EPFL Laboratory for Molecular Nanoscience. Her vision is to create atomically tailored interfaces for applications in two distinct areas of urgent technological and societal relevance: energy conversion and antimicrobial interfaces.
Francesco Stellacci heads the Supramolecular NanoMaterials and Interfaces Laboratory (SuNMiL), whose mission it is to uncover the complex interactions that take place between supramolecular assemblies and the molecular world that surrounds them.
Tiffany Abitbol is the head of the Sustainable Materials Lab (SML), which conducts research on cellulose, with particular reference to nanocellulose and ecomaterials. Her aim is to develop new, functional materials from biobased components.
- Maggie Lingenfelder – Interfacial science of bio-inspired materials – 17:15
Material surfaces may be considered as the skin of a material, due to how they are used to communicate and interface with the environment. Maggie’s lab attempts to mimic nature to create sustainable materials and devices. She will present applied examples and potential future directions for the field. - Francesco Stellacci – Fast growth, use and degradation cycles in plastics – 17:40
Natural materials (such as leaves, bones, proteins) have a surprisingly constant life cycle. A third of their lifespan is used for growth, a third for service, and a third for degradation. Francesco will present how this observation lead to a breakthrough in tackling plastic pollution. - Tiffany Abitbol – Transparent wood and mycelium-based packaging – 18:05
The production of many human-made items requires large amounts of non-renewable natural resources. Tiffany’s research looks into how to create new materials out of wood and fungi, with applications in clothing, packaging and personal hygiene. - Q&A moderated by Andy Oates, Dean of the School of Life Sciences – 18:30
- Apéro in the SV Hall – 19:00
