In 2011 the Scientific community celebrated 100 years since the discovery of the superconductivity, which is an ability of a material to conduct electric currents without any resistive losses. When a superconductor is placed in a magnetic field it can float over it. This peculiar effect, known as superconducting levitation, fascinated sci-fi writers and the imminent appearance of flying cars on our street seemed to be just the matter of time. Indeed, flying cars have been just 30 years away for the last 100 years. We were promised flying cars but instead superconductors brought us advanced medical diagnostic tools, probes to identify and quantify pharmaceutics, quantum computers, access to unprecedentedly high magnetic fields and particle accelerators to name a few. Should we be disappointed? Let’s look at the recent advances in superconducting materials and see if there is a flying car over the horizon.

About the Speaker:
Dr Alexey Ganin is a Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Glasgow. His scientific interest is to link a number of disciplines within modern inorganic chemistry by incorporating aspects of solid state, materials, supramolecular and organometallic chemistry to the discovery of novel functional materials. His teaching interests are in applicability of “learning-from-example” approach in chemical education. Outside science and education, he is interested in macroeconomics with a particular emphasis on modern monetary systems and risk management in banking and finance.

This is event is free to attend, although we will be asking for donations at the end of the talk. Participants are under no obligation whatsoever to donate, however please rest assured that the money we collect doesn’t end up in anyone’s pocket – it is used to fund our overhead costs, and travel/accommodation for our speakers who come from further afield.

Accessibility: As per the policy of the Admiral Bar, access to the venue “can only be provided to patrons who are sufficiently mobile and capable of independently evacuating premises, or with the minimum of assistance”. Unfortunately, this leaves the basement inaccessible to most wheelchair users.