Colloquium
Upcoming Colloquium
Topological Tuning of DNA-Based Active Matter
Dr. Rae Robertson-Anderson, University of San Diego
April 22, 2024
11:00am in LA4-120
Abstract
Incorporating ring polymers into entangled polymer solutions can dramatically alter their response to stresses and strain. Biopolymer networks can also be pushed out of equilibrium by incorporating motors and enzymes that actively restructure the macromolecules to induce autonomous time-varying properties. Our lab combines these two paradigms by using enzymes that perform topological operations on ring DNA to endow entangled DNA solutions and composites with active 'living' properties. We use a robust characterization platform to elucidate the time-varying dynamics and mechanics of our engineered 'topologically-active' complex fluids across orders of spatiotemporal scales. Specifically, we couple particle-tracking and differential dynamic microscopy with optical tweezers microrheology and bulk rheology to reveal key discoveries, including viscous thickening and gated thinning of topologically-active DNA solutions and discrete cooperative state-switching of topologically-active DNA-dextran composites.
The Colloquium is a unique opportunity for students to learn about new developments in physics and what physicists do after they graduate. Hosted by the Physics and Astronomy Department at California State University, Long Beach, the weekly meetings invite guests from universities, research laboratories, and industry to present and discuss current topics in physics. All students are encouraged to attend for a well-rounded experience and training in physics.
Colloquium Coordinator
For information and suggestions about the colloquium please contact the colloquium coordinator:
Dr. Alex Klotz
Alex.Klotz@csulb.edu
Schedule
The following is the schedule for Spring 2024.
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| April 22, 2024 | Topological Tuning of DNA-Based Active Matter | Dr. Rae Robertson-Anderson, University of San Diego |
| April 29, 2024 | (topic: particle physics) | Juan Pedro Ochoa-Ricoux, UC Irvine |
| May 6, 2024 | End of Semester Presentations | Students, CSU Long Beach |
Previous Colloquia
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| April 15, 2024 | Gravitational Wave Sources at the Heart of Galaxies | Dr. Smadar Naoz, UCLA |
| April 8, 2024 | Energy: The True Final Frontier (Distinguished Lecture in Physics) | Dr. Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Rice University |
| April 8, 2024 | Vortices, Skyrmions and Cycloids: A New Era in Ferroelectrics | Dr. Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Rice University |
| March 27, 2024 | Gravitational Waves from f-modes as a Tool to Probe the Neutron Star Interior | Dr. Debarati Chatterjee, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics |
| March 25, 2024 | Exploring Topological Phase Transitions and Dynamic Strain Engineering in Quantum Materials | Dr. Luis A. Jauregui, UC Irvine |
| March 18, 2024 | DNA Liquids | Dr. Omar Saleh, UC Santa Barbara |
| March 11, 2024 | The Gravity Tunnel in a Non-Uniform Earth | Dr. Alex Klotz, CSU Long Beach |
| February 26, 2024 | A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? | Zach Weinersmith, illustrator and writer for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal |
| February 19, 2024 | Driving Quantum Matter to Extremes | Dr. Sarah Grefe, CSU Long Beach |
| February 12, 2024 | Solar System Archaelogy: Multi-disciplinary Approaches to Understanding Planetary System Formation and Environmental Science | Dr. Gerardo Dominguez, CSU San Marcos |
| February 5, 2024 | Assembly, Disassembly, and Mechanics of Entropic Colloidosomes | Dr. Zvonimir Dogic, UC Santa Barbara |
| January 29, 2024 | What Quantum Materials Can Reveal When Interrogated with Photoemission and Electronic Transport Probes | Dr. Claudia Ojeda-Aristizaba, CSU Long Beach |
The Colloquium Archive has the Colloquia from previous semesters.
Sponsors
We acknowledge with gratitude donations and support from the following present sponsors:
- H.E. and H.B. Miller and Family Endowment
- Benjamin Carter
- American Physical Society
- Anonymous
We also acknowledge with gratitude our past donors: The Forty-Niner Shops, Inc., The Northrop Grumman Foundation, Sandra Dana, Anonymous.
If you wish to support the Colloquium, please contact the colloquium coordinator or the department chair. Thank you!
