On Thursday 27th April we kicked-off with the inaugural lecture in a series of Lunch ‘n Learn talks on STEAM, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Our first speaker was Mr Kiran Patel, a Materials Scientist working at Morgan Advanced Materials. Mr Patel studied at Queen Mary University, Imperial College and Edinburgh University and specialises in ceramics research and the development of their novel application.
During his talk, he was able to explain that Materials Science is a multidisciplinary marriage of Physics, Chemistry and Engineering, making it an excellent choice for those wishing to keep their career options open! The content of the talk allowed us to wonder at the magic of materials; we learned that a Roman Age glass vase appears to change colour from a dark red hue to green because of the inclusion of gold nano-particles, butterflies appear blue because of the ridges on their wing surface and that the likely lifespan of a bubble can be predicted from it’s most prominent surface colour.
Mr Patel went on to tell us about his favourite material Indium, its use in touch screens and the nature of a semi-conductor. The talk concluded with a tsunami of inquisitive questions from the pupils demonstrating their engagement and interest in the talk.
If you’re reading this and feel that you could offer a fascinating talk, please don’t hesitate to contact me at claire.price@fhs-sw1.org.uk. We are hoping that we can build a Science and Innovation lecture series that will become an FHS institution and we need your help to do this!
Dr Price, STEAM Champion
Artefacts referred to by Mr Patel:
