News Detail

Janina Beiser-McGrath (Alumna / Politics and Public Administration) talked about: "Public goods and service provision in academia - a discussion"

Abstract:
Especially for non-tenured academics, time is an important yet scarce resource. In order to achieve a tenured position, junior researchers are expected to publish at a high volume and level of quality and develop a diverse teaching portfolio of exciting and highly evaluated courses while also providing services to their departments and discipline such as peer-reviewing, mentoring and organizing networking activities and conferences. This talk will focus on the provision of academic services by junior academics. I hope to encourage some discussion on how to navigate the need to contribute to the provision of department- and discipline-wide public goods while at the same time creating sufficient output to acquire a permanent position. I will begin the talk by providing some input on the need for service provision, the degree to which academic service may be seen as a public good and arguments on gendered differences in academic service provision before opening the floor for discussion.


Klaus Boldt (Research Fellow / Chemistry) undertook a "A Look into Nanocrystals".

Abstract:
The inner structure of nanocrystals are very important to explain their physical prioperties. For example, semiconductor particles with a core/shell structure show improved fluorescence and efficiencies of energy conversion compared to naked core particles. This effect can be improved by changing from an abrupt, hard interface to a gradual change between the materials of core and shell. Measuring the extend of the material gradient is not straight-forward. In my ZUKO-funded project I have quantified the extend of the gradient in ZnSe/CdS nanocrystals using synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy.


Robert Hussein (Associated Fellow / Physics) spoke about nanoresonators and addressed the question: "How does a string sound on the nanoscale?"

Abstract:
While our macroscopic world is governed by deterministic laws, mesoscopic systems face an intrinsic randomness manifesting in fascinating phenomena. I invite you to an excursion into the nanoscale on the trail of nanoresonators. We will see how their  vibrations interact with traveling electrons and encounter the acoustic counterpart of a laser.