Perspectives on Active Materials
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| Free of charge |
| Book your ticket in advance online or at the box office in the foyer. |
| Duration: 90 min |
| 14 years and older |
| English |
| Accessible for wheelchairs |
| Humboldt Lab, 1st floor |
The conversation »Perspectives on Active Materials« aims to address one of the burning questions of our epoch: the possibility of engineering smart, active, or bio-inspired materials and the meaning these enhanced materials might have for solving the contemporary and future challenges of these tumultuous times.
We will discuss these issues with historians of science on the one hand and materials scientists on the other. The following questions will be addressed: What effects has research had and continues to have on materials from a historical and cultural perspective? What is the radical innovation in recent approaches to materials? How can governmental research funding influence and guide this research? And what current research directions are pursued today? Indeed, as one of the rising crises of our society is an ecological one, the question arises what impact those newly developed materials will have. What resources do these materials consume and what is their afterlife? Are they sustainable? And how can they contribute to solve the worldwide ecological crisis?
The event presents central theses of the recently published anthology »Active Materials«, kicking off the workshop »Materials Matter«.
Participants
The philosopher and historian of science is emeritus professor at Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.
Her research topics span from the history and philosophy of chemistry to technosciences in general (materials science, nanotechnology, synthetic biology) with a continuous interest in science and the public issues. She is a member of the French Academy of Technology and of several ethics committees and was awarded the History of Science Society’s 2021 Georg Sarton Medal.
The wood scientist with a strong interest in (plant) materials in general is a Principal Investigator in the Cluster »Matters of Activity«. In her research group »Plant Material Adaption« in the Department of Biomaterials at the MPI of Colloids and Interfaces, ecological aspects are considered which allows for a better understanding of material structure and properties with respect to the functionality for the organism in particular environments.
Peter Fratzl’s research focus lies on the relation between (hierarchical) structure and physical properties of biological and bio-inspired composite materials. His research interests include biomaterials systems for mechanosensing and actuation, as well as interdisciplinary research together with cultural science and design. The Director at the MPI of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam and Co-Director of »Matters of Activity« co-edited the recently published anthology »Active Materials«.
The material researcher has been working at the MPI of Colloids and Interfaces since 2003 and contributes to the Cluster »Matters of Activity« as Associated Investigator. His research fields are mechanobiological systems like bone; computer modeling of mechanics, growth and adaptation of biomaterials; structure-function relations and mechanical properties of hierarchically structured biological tissues; and phase transformation in natural and artificial materials.
The event will be moderated by historian of mathematics Michael Friedman (The Cohn Institute for History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas, Tel Aviv University) and literary scholar Karin Krauthausen (Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity«, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin).
The event will be moderated by literary scholar Karin Krauthausen (Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity«, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) and historian of mathematics Michael Friedman (The Cohn Institute for History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas, Tel Aviv University).