Miscellaneous
Grab hold, friends, and follow us into the Chamber of Science! Behold the power of the Natural Philosopher’s Stone . . . peer into the Erlenmeyer Flask of Fire . . . join the Order of the Elements . . . and meet the Professor of Aksarben*!Jocelyn and Bradley are joined this week by the Headmistress of Harry Potter Science, Dr. Rebecca Lai! Rebecca describes how she combines her love of chemistry with her love of fantasy literature to ignite a spectacular reaction in the hearts and minds of Harry Potter enthusiasts of all ages. She explains how real invisible ink works, and how the properties of light refraction could someday be used to create a real-life invisibility cloak; she describes the amazing applications of gold in both the Muggle world—including Rebecca’s own research—and the wizarding world; and she tells us where to find some real “fantastic beasts.” She also shares how Harry Potter has led her outside of her own field of expertise into a variety of interdisciplinary topics, and how this same emphasis on connection and creativity inspires her work on biosensors. Along the way, the friends discuss their favorite Harry Potter characters, houses, and charms, and Rebecca shares her hopes for the future . . . including a collaboration with J.K. Rowling herself!So, is it science, or is it magic? YES!*You might be from Nebraska if . . . you got that last reference.Learn more about Rebecca’s amazing work at http://chemweb.unl.edu/lai/ and at the links below!UPCOMING LIVESTREAM EVENT! A Muggle’s Guide to Harry Potter’s Chemistry: https://www.slsc.org/event/first-friday-harry-potter-2020/More Harry Potter:http://chemweb.unl.edu/lai/harry-potter-book-series-outreach-activities/https://cen.acs.org/education/outreach/Chemists-recreate-Hogwarts-magic-mere/97/i41https://www.informalscience.org/news-views/harry-potter-x-science-pop-culture-strategy-science-engagementSciPop Talks!: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Among Us: https://unl.libguides.com/c.php?g=51789&p=4289685Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Among Us II: https://unl.libguides.com/c.php?g=51789&p=4770815 Elements in the Harry Potter World: https://unl.libguides.com/c.php?g=51789&p=7195843Biosensors: http://chemweb.unl.edu/lai/biosensors/More podcasts ft. Rebecca:Potterology (Ologies podcast with Alie Ward!): https://www.alieward.com/ologies/potterologyAsk a Scientist: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-rebecca-lai/id1500764341?i=1000470730721Faculty 101: https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/lai-shares-magic-of-chemistry-in-faculty-101-podcast/