Your car and a F1: science and technology of the 21st century at THE EUROPEAN RESEARCHERS’ NIGHT IN MADRID 2014

septiembre 19, 2014

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Which scientific advances have been passed on from a F1 to our daily-use cars, the airports, computers…? Have we faced the evolution or revolution of motoring?

Enzo Ferrari once said “When you buy a Ferrari, what you pay for is its engine. I’ll give you the rest for free”. His words hold three immutable truths. First, that in Formula 1 science is fundamental. Second, that money also is. And third, that these single-seat race cars are fed not only by gasoline but by their drivers’ brashness as well!

These topics, and some others, will be addressed by researchers of the IMDEA institutes next Friday September 26th. During The European Researchers’ Night in Madrid 2014, we will have the pleasure of listening to specialists on diverse subjects such as water, food, energy, the science behind materials, Nanoscience, networks and software, compare the science and technology behind a F1 and a utility vehicle and find out how the hydration level and correct nutrition can facilitate or hinder driving.

The European Researchers' Night in Madrid 2014 is a joint action coordinated by the Community of Madrid through the madrimasd Foundation as part of the European programme Horizon 2020 and it is celebrated in several European cities simultaneously. As many as 18 scientific institutions from Madrid will offer over 30 activities in 18 venues spread across 6 towns in Madrid. Those organised by the madrimasd Foundation and the IMDEA institutes will be held in the very heart of Madrid, at Espacio Fundación Telefónica.

Your car and a F1: science and technology of the 21st century will allow a dozen scientists to show us that the evolution and revolution of motoring refers not only to the engine and wheels, both literally and metaphorically, but also to the paint, software, gasoline,… These researchers will be «driven» by three masters of ceremonies; scientists who will become amateur actors for a while: Manuel Carro, Ignacio Martín Bragado and José Manuel Torralba.

Thanks to the IMDEA researchers, we will learn that a pilot can lose from 2 to 3 litres of fluid during a race and that dehydration affects our physical and mental capability; or that F1 pilots stick to personalised diets and follow strict exercise routines. We will also find that the gasoline used in F1 and commercial vehicles are 99% alike in their chemical composition. The best kept secret is that 1% difference; and that new materials surround all of F1: the single-seat's structure, its gas, the pilot's suit and helmet, the asphalt,… Did you know that the day a car can be made up of graphene it will be larger yet weight less than half of what cars do nowadays? We will also see that cars are becoming «smarter» each day, being able to «connect» to their drivers, pedestrians, other cars and road signs; and that Heathrow airport uses an air control software similar to the one used to simulate F1 races.

To sum up, using everyday cars and glamorous F1 race cars as examples, the researchers of the IMDEA institutes will show that science and technology are very important for everyone; and that they do not appear from nowhere but come from the hard work and illusion of people like them; that anyone with interest can become like them; and that everyone's support is necessary. Their enthusiasm isn't enough: they need you and all our society to cheer them on!

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Schedule:

18:00 – 20:00 h.: Presentation of the researchers and their work.

20:00 – 21:00 h.: The audience will ask the researchers «everything you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask».

Intended audience: general public.

Date: Friday September 26th, 2014.

Time: 18:00 to 21:00 h.

Venue: Espacio Fundación Telefónica. C/ Fuencarral 3, Madrid.

Organised by: IMDEA institutes.

Participating researchers: José Manuel Torralba, Ignacio Martín Bragado, Manuel Carro, Carolina Inés Dania, Enrique García-Quismondo, Domenico Giustiniano, Raffaella Meffe, Rodolfo Miranda, Pavithra Prabhakar, Guillermo Reglero, and Julian Samborski-Forlese.