2003 Buhl Lecture

Monday, April 7th 2003

4:30 PM ~ Mellon Institute Auditorium

5:30 PM ~ Reception at Mellon Institute Entrance

Single Molecule Biology: 
It's More than Just Showing Off

Speaker:  Steven Chu
Stanford University

Abstract:
The current frontiers of physics lie in the study of the very small, the very large, and the very complex.  Life is very complex, but it is not obvious that we will be able to develop a physical theory of life in which living things can be described with a simple set of laws that allow us to make quantitative predictions.  Nevertheless, an increasing number of physical scientists are beginning to devote considerable attention to biological problems. The renowned physicist, Richard Feynman, once said that "everything that living things can do can be understood in terms of the jigglings and wigglings of atoms."  Dr. Chu will discuss some of our efforts to understand just how those atoms wiggle and jiggle.

About Steven Chu:

In 1985, Steven Chu led the group that showed how first to cool and then trap atoms with light. These so-called "optical tweezers" are widely used in biology.  Chu developed the complete theory of laser cooling (also done independently by Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and Jean Dalibard) to explain how atoms could be cooled to temperatures ten times colder than the predicted minimum temperature. His group constructed the first atomic fountain and atomic fountain frequency standard that led to the current time standard used around the world.

Winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, Steven Chu is the Theodore and Frances Geballe Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Stanford University.

Sponsored by the Carnegie Mellon Department of Physics 

For more information, please contact 412-268-6681.