Interdisciplinary Scientific Seminar#

Date: 17th March, starting at 1:15 PM (CET)
Venue: Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Building D-20, 8 Janiszewskiego Street
Hybrid event

Members of Academia Europaea are cordially invited to attent the next Interdisciplinary Scientific Seminar organized by the Wroclaw Knowledge Hub. At the seminar, Professor Donald Dingwell, the President ad interim of Academia Europaea and a world-renowned authority in mineralogy and petrology, whose groundbreaking research has shaped our understanding of geological processes, will give a lecture “From Experimental Geoscience to Lunar Geoengineering”.

About Prof. Dingwell#

Professor Donald Dingwell is Professor of Mineralogy and Petrology at the LMU Munich and currently the President ad interim of Academia Europaea. Prof. Dingwell holds 12 scientific awards, 8 academy memberships, 6 honorary degrees and 3 national orders. He was President of the European Geoscience Union and the IAVCEI as well as Secretary-General of the European Research Council. Prof. Dingwell published ca. 600 papers on geomaterials.

Abstract:#

The high temperature manipulation of molten and semi-molten silicate systems is the basis for several industries as well as an active area of the so-called “experimental geosciences” where we try to understand the inner workings of the Earth and terrestrial planets. Considerable expertise has been built up over decades in rheology, equation of state, surface properties, strength and fragmentation.

Now we stand on the threshold of a new challenge – the engineering of the lunar, and eventually, the Martian surface. Tremendous multiple research goals await us including the generation of water, oxygen, 3He and structural building materials on the moon, all using local materials. The expertise from decades of high temperature manipulation of melted rocks in order to understand volcanoes is a near-ideal preparation for this task. I will try to explain where we stand in this exciting area.

About the Interdisciplinary Scientific Seminar#

The Interdisciplinary Scientific Seminar is a series aimed at a wide audience – students, doctoral candidates, researchers, and anyone interested in expanding their knowledge. Wrocław University of Science and Technology regularly hosts experts from various fields who are eager to share the results of their research.

In the past, ISN attendees have had an opportunity to listen to, among others, the 2023 Nobel Prize laureate in Physics, Prof. Ferenc Krausz MAE, renowned architect and urban planner, Prof. Kees Christiaanse from ETH Zurich, world-famous cognitive science expert, Prof. Peter Gärdenfors MAE from Lund University, Prof. Szymon Malinowski, Chair of the Polish Academy of Sciences’ Climate Crisis Committee, as well as Finnish researcher Prof. Tomi Kauppinen from Aalto University, Dr. Karolina Ćwiek-Rogalska from the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the creator of the psychological theory of implementation intentions, Prof. Peter Gollwitzer MAE from the University of Konstanz and New York University, and Prof. Stephen Evans MAE, Director of Research in Sustainable Development at the University of Cambridge.

The lecture will also be available for live streaming here:#