Suzie Sheehy: The case for curiosity-driven research
Dr. Suzie Sheehy uses accelerator physics to help reinvent technology for applications in medicine, energy and beyond. Full bio
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scientists were trying to solve a mystery.
a vacuum tube like this one
What were they made of?
physicist, J.J. Thompson,
magnets and electricity, like this.
of negatively charged particles
than the hydrogen atom,
the first subatomic particle,
a completely impractical discovery.
there were any applications of electrons.
he used to like to propose a toast:
out of sheer curiosity,
understanding of the world.
did cause a revolution in science.
unexpected revolution in technology.
for curiosity-driven research,
I'll talk about today
has actually changed our view of reality.
the electrons in the seat,
was actually built on this discovery.
were the start of electronics.
if you remember, in your living room,
would our lives be
from here was the television?
when the electrons here
screech to a halt inside the metal,
which we call X-rays.
of discovering the electron,
to make images inside the human body,
being saved by surgeons,
and shrapnel inside their bodies.
come up with that technology
better surgical probes.
with no application in mind,
of the electron and X-rays.
for our understanding of the universe
very simple particle accelerator.
so I design particle accelerators,
curiosity-driven research
real-world applications.
of those two things
about what I do.
for me to list them all.
found something strange in his equations.
on mathematical insight,
a second kind of matter,
when it comes in contact:
every day in hospitals,
or PET scans, used for detecting disease.
up to a higher energy,
that this tube,
ionizing radiation to kill human cells.
those X-rays where you want them to go,
are treated using radiotherapy.
are actually standard equipment
both with you right now, right?
by implanting single ions into silicon,
to explore inside the atom.
to develop particle accelerators.
let us split the atom.
and higher energies;
that let us delve into the nucleus
just exploring inside the atom.
how to control these particles.
with our world
for humans to see or touch
and larger accelerators,
about the nature of the universe.
new particles started popping up.
ring-like machines
in opposite directions,
to less than the width of a hair
and convert it into new matter,
from the very fabric of the universe.
about 35,000 accelerators in the world,
incredible machines,
of tiny particles,
that are more complex
how incredible it is
to invest your time and energy
curiosity-driven research.
of seeing the invisible."
J.J. Thompson did just that,
on the subatomic world.
in curiosity-driven research,
challenges that we face.
the space and the means
curious and open-minded
our discoveries will be.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Suzie Sheehy - PhysicistDr. Suzie Sheehy uses accelerator physics to help reinvent technology for applications in medicine, energy and beyond.
Why you should listen
Dr. Suzie Sheehy designs particle accelerators. She's fascinated by using accelerator physics to help us reinvent technology for applications in areas such as medicine and energy. Her research projects have ranged from the design of new cancer treatment accelerators to building a scaled-down experiment that models particle beams -- answering fundamental questions about the physics of beams that are beyond reach of computer simulations.
Sheehy is currently a Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, where she also teaches graduate-level accelerator physics. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Melbourne in her native Australia (BSc Hons 2006) and DPhil at the University of Oxford in the John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science (2010). She has held fellowships from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 (Brunel fellow 2010-2013) as well as her current Royal Society Fellowship.
Alongside her research, Sheehy is a prolific public speaker, presenter and science communicator, for which she has received a number of awards including the British Science Association Lord Kelvin Award, Institute of Physics HEPP Group Science in Society Award and the University of Oxford Vice Chancellors Civic Award. She is an expert TV presenter for Impossible Engineering on Discovery Channel and has cowritten and delivered live headline shows for tens of thousands of students at the Big Bang Fair alongside well known BBC TV presenters. She regularly presents public and schools lectures around the UK and further afield at major science festivals and venues like the Royal Institution.
Suzie Sheehy | Speaker | TED.com