From Nano to Nature: Heat Flow & the Future of Food
From the strange behavior of heat and light at tiny scales to the food on our plates, science reveals how small processes shape the world around us. Discover how heat can travel in unexpected ways when objects get extremely small, and how local foods connect chemistry, nutrition, and sustainability to support both human and planetary health.
Heat, light, and the limits of shadow puppetry
Dakotah Thompson (Assistant professor, University of Wisonsin-Madison)
Heat is like water, it flows. Thermodynamics says that heat flows from hot to cold. With a skinny pipe, the flow becomes a trickle. But what is the pipe in this analogy? The pipe is what carries the heat. Sometimes, heat is carried by light. We call this thermal radiation. If we picture light as a ray that travels in straight lines, our pipe is like the bundle of rays carving a path between the objects exchanging heat. Shrink the objects, shrink the heat flow between them. BUT. Light is not a ray, it’s a wave. When the objects exchanging heat get really really small, weird things can happen…
The science of local foods for planetary health
Brad Bolling (Professor, University of Wisonsin-Madison)
Food impacts human, animal, and environmental health. We will take a tour of the interesting chemistry, nutrition, and health of local foods in our region. We will learn how a sustainable and equitable food system is an important dimension of planetary health.
Doors 6:30 pm
Event 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Event 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Tickets are $2; reserve your spot now at the link below!
