01/24/2023
By Joanne Gagnon-Ketchen
The speaker will be Jane Kondev, Professor of Physics, Brandeis University. He will be giving a talk on “What can Newton, Maxwell and Boltzmann teach us about life?”
Abstract:
Biology textbooks often convey the essence of a biological phenomenon by distilling volumes of experimental data into a simple diagram or cartoon. For example, complex molecules are sometimes shown as abstract blobs and their interactions are described by the functional complexes they form with other molecules. In this talk I will demonstrate how turning biological cartoons into mathematical formulas can be used to teach core concepts in physics, such as the relation between work and energy, or the Boltzmann distribution. I will argue that studying biology in this way both enriches physics and provides new insights about life.
Bio:
Jane grew up in New York and Belgrade, Yugoslavia. He did his doctoral work at Cornell, and after research fellowships as Brown and Princeton, he settled down at Brandeis where he is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Physics, a Professor of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and an Investigator of the Simons Foundation. At Brandeis he established the Quantitative Biology Research Community, a unique program for talented undergraduate students that introduces them to interdisciplinary research in their first year. Jane is the coauthor of the book “Physical Biology of the Cell” which won the Society of Biology Book Award.