Powering the future

The invisible ties between electricity and magnetism are not always obvious, but have huge implications for modern life. Sam will start the talk by explaining the simple physics behind the sources of electricity and magnetism. Then we'll explore, with the help of some simple demonstrations, the beautiful links between these two forces, and some of the great stories of people like Maxwell and Faraday who uncovered the equations that couple everything together.

Thermoelectric devices can harvest heat from the environment and convert it into electricity. New technological and scientific advances are ushering in a new generation of thermoelectric materials. Existing devices already play an important role in niche applications, such as deep space exploration, remember Cassini? Future applications in waste heat recovery, and self-powering devices could contribute to an energetically sustainable future and help mitigate climate change. Laura will explore how such devices work, and the current state of the art in thermoelectric materials research.

Fusion is 20 years away and will always be" Is the old joke but now this might not be true, with smaller fusion reactors and bigger magnets making practical fusion power more of a reality. So how do you put the Sun in a bottle? And more to the point keep it there? Jessica will explain  about the materials gap for nuclear fusion and how it can be filled.