James Kakalios seminar

Professor and Head in the University of Minnesota’s School of Physics and Astronomy, James Kakalios, will deliver a department seminar titled, "The Materials Science of Superheroes," on Thursday, April 16th at 1:25 p.m. in room B75 Amundson Hall. 
 
Abstract
While materials scientists don’t typically consult comic books when selecting research topics, innovations introduced in superhero adventures can sometimes find their way off the comic book page and into reality. From the unstable molecules in the Fantastic Four’s uniforms to the tensile strength of Spider-Man’s webbing to the chemical composition of Captain America’s shield, there’s often real physics and materials science to be found in these hero’s four-color adventures. All this, and Gormuu, warrior invader from the planet Kraalo, will be discussed. Superhero comic books often get their science right more often than one would expect!

Biography
James Kakalios is the Taylor Distinguished Professor and Head in the University of Minnesota’s School of Physics and Astronomy. In addition to his research in nanocrystalline and amorphous semiconductors, pattern formation in sandpiles and fluctuation phenomena in neurological systems, he is the author of four popular science books: THE PHYSICS OF SUPERHEROES, THE AMAZING STORY OF QUANTUM MECHANICS, THE PHYSICS OF EVERYDAY THINGS and THE PHYSICS OF SUPERHEROES GOES HOLLYWOOD. His efforts at outreach and science communication have been recognized with national awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Institute of Physics, the American Association of Physics Teachers and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Lincoln (U.K.). He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the AAAS. He has been reading comic books longer than he has been studying physics.