Glass Science Exhibition
Did you know that Australia is home to cutting-edge glass research?
Across from the Botanic Garden, Professor Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem, 2024 SA Scientist of the Year finalist, is leading a glass revolution.
Industry Laureate Professor Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem leads the Photonic Materials & Optical Fibres research team, which is part of the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing at the University of Adelaide. In addition to this role, she leads the Adelaide hub technical team at The Australian National Fabrication Facility Node-Optofab. Optofab Adelaide offers fabrication services for custom optical glass with unique properties. Adelaide has a rare combination of glass science and fibre fabrication research facilities and expertise
Heike and her teams are working on unlocking the secrets of glass and light.
What is Glass?
At the molecular level, glass has a random atomic structure, unlike crystals, which have neatly arranged atoms. Glass molecules still flow, but so slowly that it’s barely noticeable. This is why chemists classify glass as an amorphous solid—a state between liquid and solid. This structure gives glass its strength, flexibility, and transparency.
What is Light?
Light is both a wave and a particle. As a wave, it spreads, bends, and interferes, creating effects like rainbows. As a particle, light consists of photons that carry energy, which can be absorbed or emitted.
The exhibition is divided into four main themes
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