Kumpula Physics Colloquium

Our second colloquium of the Spring 2020 season will be Panu Jaakkola, Professor and Research Director at the Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) Comprehensive Cancer Centre. Professor Jaakkola’s work on cellular oxygen sensing was cited as a key publication in the Nobel Prize in Medicine 2019.

Professor Jaakkola is both a qualified medical doctor and researcher. He has worked on fundamental cellular and molecular cancer research, as well as on translational research between basic life sciences and clinical cancer research. He currently holds posts at the Helsinki University Hospital, the University of Helsinki and the University of Turku.

In his colloquium, entitled Cellular oxygen sensing, Nobel Prize in Medicine 2019, Professor Jaakkola will tell us about the science behind the last Nobel prize in Medicine.

Here is his abstract:

Reduced oxygen availability to tissues (hypoxia) occur in a number of physiological and medical conditions. How human and animal cells sense the level of oxygen and how they respond to reduced amount of oxygen is essential for the functioning of body. For example erytropoietin hormone is induced by hypoxia (insufficient oxygen level in tissues) and increases the amount of red blood cells. The molecular mechanisms as to how cells sense the oxygen level and how they respond to hypoxia has been revealed by G. Semenza, P. Ratcliffe and W. Kaelin. They were awarded the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2019.

After the 30 minute talk, there will be a cocktail reception. Welcome!

Our first colloquium of the Spring 2020 season will be the inaugural lecture of a new full professor in our department, Flyura Djurabekova.

Flyura is Professor in Materials in Extreme Environments here at the University of Helsinki. In her research she works on computational modelling of materials, with a focus on understanding materials under the extreme environments of particle accelerators.

In her colloquium, entitled Materials in extreme environments of particle accelerators, Flyura will tell us about how multiscale modelling can be used to understand the complex problem of vacuum arcing.

Here is her abstract:

Materials help to bring our dreams to life. Over the long history of the human kind, we learned to design and modify different materials to fit our needs. However, the courage of modern people to challenge the deep secrets of the Universe demands yet new knowledge of how to make the materials collaborate in conditions that are far beyond the standard ones. For instance, design and construction of powerful particle colliders to peek into the heart of the Universe require high engineering and construction skill. However, the lack of fundamental knowledge of key physical processes developing within the accelerating structures can hinder heavily the well-planned efforts.
In my presentation, I will describe our multiscale modelling of processes that are leading to and developing during vacuum arcing, a serious problem disturbing the operation of accelerating structures by strongly reducing its efficiency. On the other hand, vacuum arcing is not only a problem of particle accelerators; it is commonly seen in many places where high electric or electromagnetic fields are in touch with metals. By developing novel computational tools, we have been able to address many of the complex and multiphysics processes underlining the vacuum arcing.

After the 30 minute talk, there will be a cocktail reception. Welcome!

Our last colloquium of the Fall 2019 season will be another inaugural lecture by a new professor in our department, Filip Tuomisto.

Filip is Professor of Experimental Materials Physics here in Helsinki. In his research, he focuses on the development and applications of positron annihilation spectroscopy for studying the atomic-scale structures of materials for future technologies.

In his presentation, titled Antimatter: does it matter? Filip will tell us about the use of positrons in probing the structure of matter and in medical imaging.

Here is the abstract of his talk:

The fundamental question in materials science is: Why is matter what it is? More precisely, if one takes a piece of some material, why does it look what it looks like, why does it respond to external electromagnetic fields in the way it does, why does it yield in the way it does when a force is applied? Many other similar questions can be thought of. In all simplicity, all these properties are dictated by the identities of the atoms constituting the material, and their positions in space. In practice, however, a macroscopic amount of material contains by far too many atoms in order to address the issue atom-by-atom. A wide variety of experimental methods has been developed for studying the atomic-level structure of matter, most of them based on shooting something (electromagnetic waves, particles) at a piece of material, and then observing what (electromagnetic waves, particles) comes out and how. In addition to light, electrons and ions, the probing can be performed also using antimatter. Positrons can be injected into matter, and the positron-electron annihilation gamma radiation analyzed, giving various kinds of information on the local environment of the positron at the time of its demise. In this colloquium, I will give a short introduction to the utilization of positrons in materials science and medical imaging. Antimatter may indeed matter.

After the 30 minute talk, there will be a cocktail reception. Welcome!

Our next colloquium will take place on 1st November 2019.  Our speaker will be Professor Minna Huotilainen, from the Cognitive Brain Research Unit of the University of Helsinki.  She is a researcher in psychology and cognitive science, working in particular on the development of human cognition. Her research interests include for example the role of music and sounds on brain development, and how to optimise brain work and its recovery. She is the author of a popular science book on brain research and its applications to education and learning, Näin aivot oppivat.

In her talk, titled Can brain research be helpful in advancing physics – optimising scientific work, she will tell us about brain health and how to improve it. Here is her abstract:

Neuroscience is advancing in its technologies and also research methods, allowing more applied questions to be addressed with brain research. One interesting field to scientists is optimising scientific work, aiming at the wellbeing of the brain in the long term as well as high functionality in the work context both for cognitive capabilities as well as for creativity. This talk reviews some of the major findings in this field, allowing the audience to develop their own work and recovery habits.

For our colloquium on 11th of October, we will be joined by Professor Tuija Pulkkinen. Professor Pulkkinen is a space physicist and Chair of the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, USA. Her primary research foci are studying the energy flow from the solar wind to the near-Earth space environment and the energy dissipation processes in the magnetosphere.

Students drown under expanding curricula, young assistant professors panic under the everchanging requirements for tenure, senior professors have no time for research, and faculty and staff have no voice in the university’s decision-making.” We have all seen these headlines, in all continents and throughout times. Yet, the challenges are changing and contain regional and cultural aspects. While the academia will continue to be a competitive environment and thereby to some extent stressful, there are many ways to turn unnecessary competition to collaboration, reward community building efforts, and actively promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the local environment. This talk discusses issues contributing to wellbeing or lack thereof based solely on personal experiences of academic leadership in Finland and in the US.