Prepare for the revolution in miniaturization. Register now: http://engage.washington.edu/site/R?i=yp_FD5X81xJsMsOr_I3OpA Paul McEuen, John A. Newman Professor of Physics and Director of the Kavli Institute at Cornell University discusses the past and the future of miniaturization, with a particular emphasis on strategies to construct machines at the micro and nano scale. Over fifty years ago, the physicist Richard Feynman gave a remarkably prescient talk about the coming revolution in miniaturization. For the next half a century, the ever-shrinking integrated circuit brought his dreams to fruition in the realms of data and computing. But the third leg of Feynman's dream, the miniaturization of machines, is only just getting underway. The next 50 years promise even bigger changes if we can create functional devices at the smallest scales, mimicking the complexity and functionality of life. In this talk, we will discuss both the past and the future of miniaturization, with a particular emphasis on strategies to construct machines at the micro and nano scale. It is a problem that touches on everything from the mathematics of origami to the origin of life, and solving it is one of the great challenges of the twenty-first century. Refreshments served in the foyer at 6 PM |