Scientific research around us: “Printed Nano-particles Based Bio Sensors”

Posted on 12/04/201823/04/2018 by YM Webmaster

Sensors are nowadays in everything, always smaller, efficient and interconnected. In our smartphones are irreplaceable tools for the interaction with the touchscreen and for the gesture (i.e. gyroscope, accelerometer etc) as well as for the health monitoring and the interaction with the environment (i.e. hearth rate monitoring, compass, barometer, GPS etc). In the next future, their number will increase exponentially to guarantee new service and security application. Indeed, sensors permit us to understand, monitoring and interact with the environment around us. In these last years, there was an exponential growth of the research about the bio sensoristic with innovative sensing platform based on nanostructures thanks to their innovative properties and the very high surface to volume ratio with respect to bulk materials. In this seminar, the importance of very cheap and interconnected sensors was enfatized also for the smart agricolture in poor country to fight against the scarsely food production. Prof. Shacham is one of the most global experts in this field and proposed an innovative technique to realize very cheap printed sensors based on metal nanoparticles by using special ink in common optimized printers. In this way, the estimate cost amount in large industrial production of these sensors is so cheap to be competitive in third world country agricultures showing new opportunity against the world hunger. The sensors showed are mostly Enzymatic and was exploited in the medical field (i.e. glucose sensing) as well as in environmental monitoring for smart agriculture (i.e. monitoring of plant conditions by the protein expression).
Prof. Shacham has treated with meticulous clarity different topic from screen printing of nanoparticles to biophysics and the functionalization of different material for sensors with a very intressing vision of the next future of the sensors. Finally, Prof. Shacham did not lose the opportunity to acknowledge our YM Section and the general YM philosophy, inviting interessed students and researchers to think to the opportunity to apply for an experience in his laboratories. The primary target of this seminars was mostly graduated and Ph.D. students with the appreciated participation of the undergraduate student, researchers and department professors and we obtain an odience of about 40 people.

In order to have the possibility to host a high-profile scientist, we organize this seminar join in the collaboration of the University of Catania and the University of Palermo about their project of the
inter university Ph.D. in Nanomaterial Science.

After the end of the scientific discussions, further informal scientific interactions were catalyzed by a convivial environment and the students had also the opportunity to interact directly with Prof. Shacham and discover different interessing suggestion about the next future of the sensoristic field by one of the
most recognized scientific expert.

Physics League’s activities 2017

Posted on 19/12/201719/12/2017 by YM Webmaster

‘The Sound of Physics’ show has been brought on stage several times over the year. It has been used to present properties of waves, such as frequency, amplitude, and even an introduction to harmonics, to general public. The community has reacted well to this initiative, granting us a good amount of audience in each performance and positive feedback after it. The first show of the year took place at the high school ‘La Salle’ in Palencia for 200 hundred students on January 27th. Also, an adapted version of the show was performed during the international event ‘Pint of Science’ (May 15-17th) for a total audience of 380 people at the bar ‘Pigiama’ in Valladolid. Moreover, this show was selected to participate in the finals of the international contest ‘Ciencia en Acción 2017 on October 7-8th, where 1000 people could enjoy an adapted workshop.

The workshop ‘Game of Physics’ has always been one of the signature initiatives of this section. Like several years before, this show covers a huge spectrum of the whole Physics, and new experiments are being constantly added to it to enrich the experience. Numerous schools keep signing up to participate in this activity, which has been organized three times along the year. Firstly, on April 20-21th, during the University of Valladolid ‘open doors week’ for 200 high school students. Secondly, on September 29th at the Valladolid Science Museum for the European Researchers Night with 600 visitors and impact on regional TV. Finally, on November 13th during the Science Week with 200 high school students.

As the previous year, ‘Scary Physics’ was carried out at the medieval Castle in Portillo. The script has been rewritten and renewed for this amazing theatre. It had also to be readapted to fit open air and light conditions, at the sunset and night, including new experiments. The two performances gathered 200 attendants, who gave us a great feedback.
The workshops ‘Movie Physics’ were carried out on June 24th for the National Mathematics Olympiad. 65 students participated and observed some real-life special effects and the physical phenomena that make them possible.

‘Superpoderes… ¿o física?’ (‘The Power of Physics’) was performed on October 5th at the ‘University day’ of University of Valladolid. It took place at the Main Square of Valladolid for 100 people. The audience could learn how to use several physical principles to emulate seemingly inhuman feats.

The elementary school ‘Miguel Hernández’ welcomed the workshop ‘A Pirates’ World’ on June 15th for 200 elementary students. They dealt with some basic physical concepts with some simple explanations in an animated context.

Aside from this, the association has also organized workshops with some selected interactive experiments for the following institutions (audience: 90 people): ‘Universidad Permanente Millán Santos’, ‘Scouts’, and ‘Aspaym’ (association of disabled people).

To finish the year, one more performance of ‘Superpoderes… ¿o física?’ is planned for December 27th in Herrera de Pisuerga.

2017 IEEE International Young Scientists Forum on Applied Physics and Engineering (YSF-2017)

Posted on 18/12/201718/12/2017 by YM Webmaster

The 2017 IEEE International Young Scientists Forum on Applied Physics and Engineering (YSF-2017) was successfully held on October 17-20, 2017 in one of the most beautiful cities of Ukraine, in magnificent Lviv. The event was hosted by the Scientific Library of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.
The event was co-organized by the O.Ya. Usikov Institute for Radiophysics and Electronics NAS of Ukraine and its Young Scientists Council; Ivan Franko National University of Lviv; Karpenko Physico-Mechanical Institute NASU, IEEE IRE NASU-Kharkiv AP-S, ED-S, MTT-S, IA-S, SSC-S Student Branch Chapters, and Kharkiv EPS YM Section. It was held in collaboration with Ukrainian Physical Society, endorsed by EPS Physics for Development Group and has been recognized as a Europhysics Conference by EPS.
The YSF-2017 gathered together over 150 young scientists, engineers, and invited speakers (including more than 40 IEEE members) from all over the world: the geography of participants included 29 cities of 10 countries including USA, UK, Spain, Poland, Estonia, Turkey, Italy, Hungary, Egypt, and Ukraine. The technical program included presentations on a broad range of topics including Biological and Medical Physics; Optics and Photonics; Computational and Experimental Electromagnetics; Microwave and Teraherts Electronics; Nano- and Metamaterials; Information Systems and Nondestructive Testing; Power Electronics and Industry Applications; Solid State Physics; Nuclear and Plasma Physics; Multiwavelength Astronomy; Geoscience and Remote Sensing.
The list of invited speakers of the Forum included two IEEE distinguished lecturers of GRS and NPS societies: Dr. Valery Zavorotny (NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, USA) and Dr. Patric Muggli (Max Planck Institute for Physics, Germany), respectively; IEEE Industry Applications Society president – Dr. Tomy Sebastian (USA); OSA chief scientist – Prof. Gregory Quarles (USA); Dr. Carlos Roncero-Clemente (University of Extremadura, Spain); DSci. Valeriya Trusova (Ukraine), and EPS invited speaker Dr. Leonid Ponomarenko (Lancaster University, UK) who gave a talk on “Graphene Heterostructures: Electronic Properties and Potential Applications”.
The event was supported by EPS, Kharkiv EPS Young Minds Section, IEEE East Ukraine Joint Chapter, IEEE Ukraine Section Women in Engineering Affinity Group, EuMA and enabled the organizers to provide 50 participants with the travel grants.
The unique feature of the event, which traditionally gains interest among the participants, is a successful combination of a scientific program with various soft skill trainings. This year Forum offered workshops on scientific writing in English, improving skills of public speaking, grant proposal writing as well as insights into the grant programs of the European Union, NATO, DAAD and other organizations.
On the October 21, 2017 the YSF-2017 satellite event, the CS-oriented workshop “Microscope, Money, and Two Useful Nails”, was organized at the Ukrainian Catholic University. It was aimed at collaboration between young scientists and Ukrainian IT companies.
Last, but not least, the YSF has always been not just a scientific platform for the career development of young scientists, but also a place for effective communication. The fascinating social program of this year’s Forum prepared by the organizers was an integral part of the event and included welcome and farewell parties, library excursion, and city tour.