The Foundation discusses nanotechnology

We celebrated #EuropeanScienceNight with a conference on nanotechnology featuring Dr Maria José Alonso, Professor of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Santiago de Compostela and winner of the 2011 Rei Jaume I New Technologies Prize. And Dr Elena Pinilla, group leader at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and group leader at the Centre for Nanophotonics Technology.

The 2011 award winner, Maria José Alonso, spoke about “the change brought about by the use of RNA molecules in the world of therapy, which is truly spectacular today”, she emphasised with hope, explaining that “biomedicine studies all the obstacles that medicines must overcome before reaching their destination.” Therefore, “carriers must be designed to ensure that medicines reach their therapeutic target”, and this is what her research group in Santiago de Compostela is dedicated to, according to Alonso.

For her part, Elena Pinilla, group leader at the Centre for Nanophotonics Technology at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, explained the studies on photons – or particles of light – that Newton began and Einstein completed, which demonstrate the photoelectric effect, “the real reason why he was awarded the Nobel Prize”, she clarified, before demonstrating how light propagates and is projected.
Pinilla spoke about optical fibre, or “cables of light that can make it travel at up to 300,000 km per second and which could circle the globe seven times without using up any resources”, she explained to a packed hall, most of whom were young university students. “Encapsulating light in chips and printing circuits that trap light, thereby creating nanophotonic circuits such as nanosensors, nano-antennas or invisibility cloaks that can be seen and manufactured at a scale 1,000 times smaller than a human being” were some of the experiences on offer at this year’s Science Night held at the Foundation.

If you’d like to watch the full event, visit our YouTube channel: