Seminari 2025

Europe/Rome
412 C (Dipartimento di Fisica - Universita di Ferrara)

412 C

Dipartimento di Fisica - Universita di Ferrara

    • 1
      Spider-inspired sustainable materials and structure

      Spiders often evoke fear and disgust, yet their silks and webs inspire awe and fascination, capturing human curiosity throughout history. From sparking the interest of ancient philosophers to influencing practical innovations, spider silk has long been intertwined with our cultural and scientific evolution.
      Nature has perfected spider silk to be produced under environmentally friendly conditions, while also boasting exceptional mechanical and biological properties. For these reasons, spider silks have been extensively studied in recent decades, particularly for their potential applications in fields such as biomedical technology, the textile industry, and soft electronics.
      One of the most intriguing aspects of spider silk is its remarkable versatility: spiders are able to produce different types of silk to construct complex, synergistic structures. Each silk type has unique material properties that work together to enhance the overall performance of these structures.
      This diversity in silk types and structural functions opens up vast scientific possibilities, making the study of spider silk an area of endless potential. This seminar will explore our latest discoveries regarding spider silk, including its applications and the progress we've made in achieving scalable, eco-friendly artificial production methods that meet industrial demands.

      Speaker: Gabriele Greco (Marie-Sklodowska Curie post-doctoral researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science)
    • 2
      Surfing the universe: dall'astronomia antica alle onde gravitazionali

      Fin dall'antichità l'osservazione delle stelle e lo studio dell'universo ha affascinato l'umanità. Il progresso della scienza ci ha portato a conoscere meglio i componenti dell'universo, fino a scoprire altri messaggeri oltre alla luce, come i neutrini e le onde gravitazionali. Ripercorreremo la storia delle onde gravitazionali, dalla relatività di Einstein a inizio 1900 fino alla recente rivelazione un secolo dopo.

      Speaker: Marco Drago (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
    • 3
      Machine learning and AI: How can it benefit natural sciences?

      This talk explores the transformative role of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) in advancing modern science and technology, as confirmed by the Nobel Prize in Physics 2024.
      During my presentation, I will give a brief introduction to AI and ML, highlighting how these technologies may benefit innovative, interdisciplinary, and application-oriented research, with focus on gas sensor technologies. I will provide numbers to show the economic profits around the massive market adoption of such technologies, although it is extremely fragmented due to lack of standardization, unsatisfactory data reliability, and the need to find innovative solutions to improve sensor performance and overcome existing limitations. To facilitate understanding and support my arguments, I will suggest practical examples and case studies on the promising use of ML-enhanced gas sensor technologies in different real-world applications, such as early cancer diagnostics, forensics, food quality, and cultural heritage preservation. I will share the challenges encountered, the solutions proposed, and the results achieved. I will conclude with reflections on future perspectives and next steps.

      Speaker: Donatella Puglisi (Università di Linkoping (Svezia))