Title: "Episodes from the history of liquid crystals"

 Time and place:
 Tuesday, Aptil 24, 3:30; UNIV 217.

 Abstract:

  Liquid crystals were discovered in 1888, more or less by accident,
  by the Austrian biochemist Friedrich Reinitzer (1858-1927),while
  investigating the chemical structure of cholesterol. The term,
  although it stuck,  is a misnomer, for in the end the materials in
  question are not crystals, and arguable not liquids either, but rather
  something in between.  In this talk I shall give a whirlwind tour of
  the principal steps that led from a biochemist's study of carrots to
  the multimillion dollar display industry. The journey will include
  light-hearted elements, for the protagonists were a aggressive bunch,
  often jealously projecting (and protecting) their  small contribution
  with vigorous invective. I shall also briefly visit some theoretical
  and mathematical contributions to the liquid crystal story, to show
  why liquid crystals have been interesting to applied mathematicians
  and theoretical physicists.  I shall finish with naked publicity for
  the recent books I have authored on the subject, and fluent speakers
  of Portuguese in particular will be subject to an irresistible sales
  pitch.