Dr. Donna Carroll: „From sandcastles to smartphones: How the modern world was built from sand”

Einladung zu einem Vortrag in englischer Sprache
Monday, 9th July 2018 at 7 pm

RüKONTOR (5. Etage), Rüttenscheider Str. 144, 45131 Essen

Our lives have become so dependent on electronic technology, we could barely imagine a world without it. Yet in 1943 the president of IBM announced “there is a world market for maybe five computers“. Even in 1977 the founder of the Digital Equipment Corporation stated that “there is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home”. This is because computers were rare, expensive, complicated to use and were so huge, they took up the entire space of a room. How did we go from these exclusive devices used by a select few, to the tiny pocket-sized gadgets we all have today?

It all comes down to the invention of the transistor and the microchip. These are fabricated from silicon, one of the most common constituents of sand. In this talk, find out how we go from a simple particle of sand to complicated, modern electronic devices. We’ll discuss the evolution of electricity and the remarkable properties of silicon that can be manipulated to produce varied technologies ranging from lighting, television, digital cameras and solar panels.

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Donna is a lecturer at Maastricht University responsible for courses in mathematics, materials science and electronics. She completed her PhD in experimental physics at the University of Warwick (UK) in 2008, and since then has lectured in the UK and the Netherlands. Donna is passionate about broadening public awareness, interest and understanding of science and mathematics, and gives a wide range of general lectures with this aim.

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Mit freundlicher Unterstützung von

Koschany + Zimmer Architekten GmbH Rükontor
Rüttenscheider Str. 144
45131 Essen

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Unser Vortragsraum befindet sich in der 5. Etage des RüKONTOR (Aufzug vorhanden), Rüttenscheider Str. 144/Eingang Gregorstraße, gegenüber dem Girardet Haus. Parkmöglichkeiten auf den anliegenden Strassen, auf den Parkplätzen des Girardethauses und am Ende der Gregorstraße vorhanden. U-Bahn Verbindung von Essen- Hbf: Linien U11, U101 und U107, Station Martinstraße (3 Minuten Fußweg). Busse von der Haltestelle Girardet Haus (Linie 142) und von der Haltestelle Martinstraße (Linien 142, 160 und 161).