Events

How to Give a Talk
Dr. Jean Creighton
Director of the UWM Manfred Olson Planetarium

Giving an engaging talk takes more than just knowing your material.

In this talk, I’ll outline key steps for preparing and delivering a compelling presentation for a variety of audiences. We’ll explore how to understand your listeners, define the purpose of your talk, clarify your message with visuals and explanations, rehearse effectively, engage your audience, and market your talk to generate interest. These strategies will help make your presentation more impactful and enjoyable for everyone involved.

Light-driven Molecular Transformations Captured by Ultrafast Spectroscopy
Dr. Chavdar Slavov, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
University of South Florida

Femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy reveals the excited-state pathways and chromophore dynamics that transform light absorption into photochemical and biological function. Using phytochromes, I will illustrate how the protein environment controls chromophore isomerization, which in turn initiates structural changes that regulate biological signaling.

Altermagnets: A New Technologically Relevant Class of Quantum Magnets
Daniel Agterberg
Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Magnetism underpins much of our current information technology. It also derives purely from quantum mechanics. Traditionally, discussion emphasizes two classes of magnets: usual ferromagnets, which underly data storage devices, and antiferromagnets, in which magnetic moments adopt an up-down structural motif. Recently, a new class of magnets, altermagnets, has generated tremendous interest. This class mixes properties of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets in a way that is promising for future applications.