Electromechanical responses (the mechanical displacement induced by an applied electric field, and vice versa) are ubiquitous in nature. One of the most typical examples is converse piezoelectric response in ferroelectric and multiferroic materials. Another example is electrochemical strain induced by ionic motion, e.g., in Li-ion batteries and solid oxide fuel cells. Here, the recent scanning probe microscopy studies of those electromechanical responses in a variety of material systems are presented. First, the piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) study on the origin of polarization fatigue in epitaxial ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 capacitors will be shown [1]. In this study, PFM allows to visualize ferroelectric domain nucleation and growth during the fatigue process at the nanoscale time and length scales. It reveals that the evolution of domain wall pinning process is the primary origin of polarization fatigue, which has been a long-standing important problem in ferroelectrics. Second, the electrochemical strain microscopy (ESM) study on the nonlinear electromechanical responses in Ag-ion based ionic conductive glasses will be presented. ESM has recently emerged as a powerful tool to probe ionic transports and electrochemical phenomena at the nanoscale in many material systems [2]. In this study, interesting anti-

correlation between the first and second harmonic ESM responses are observed, and its possible origins are discussed.



[1] S. M. Yang et al., Adv. Funct. Mater. 22, 2310 (2012).

[2] N. Balke et al., Nat. Nanotechnol. 5, 749 (2010).

Karen Tice will present on her new book, Queens of Academe:  Beauty Pageantry, Student Bodies, and College Life, which examines the themes of class, race, beauty, body, discipline, and self-regulation in the contexts of higher education and student cultures. 

Reception and book signing to follow.

Title:  Yet Another Friendly Talk About Cobordism

Abstract:  TBA

“A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.”

~Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

The state of Kentucky is a leader in the global focus on local foods and the sustainable agricultural movement. This lecture is the first of an ongoing conversation about the human piece of sustaining community.  Join us in a conversation with chef/entrepreneur/community leader Ouita Michel in discussing how to take Mandela’s ideas of remaking the world around you to reflect the humanity of others and apply them to the business of building good community in Lexington.  

Thursday, March 27 from 6-8pm in the Hardymon Theater (Marksbury Building)

Please join us in a celebration of student writers and instructors in WRD!  This year's spring gallery, "Written Word, Written World,"  is up and running in the Young Library, and until the end of the month, work created by students in WRD classes will be on display on the projection walls in the basement hub, as well as in cores 3 and 4.  The gallery features dozens of compositions created in WRD classes over the past year: videos, podcasts, photo essays, websites, and more.  This gallery not only celebrates the achievements of our students, but it also provides an excellent teaching tool for instructors who wish to take students on a field trip to the library to view student work.  



The gallery will be accessible any time the library is open until the end of March, and we will hold a gallery reception the week after spring break, on Tuesday, March 25 from 2-4 PM in Young Library Alumni Gallery, room 1-65.  Refreshments will be served. Please join us if you can!

Professor, Department of Genetics and Medical Genetics

University of Wisconsin-Madison

http://genetics.wisc.edu/Ganetzky.htm

Host: Brian Rymond

Title:  Applying Bernstein's Theorem to Matrices

Abstract:  Bernstein's Theorem is a theorem that bounds the best approximation error of a smooth function in terms of an ellipse where the function is analytic in its interior. In this talk, we will review this theorem and apply it to symmetric banded matrices to show that the entries of the resulting matrix (after a smooth function is applied) are bounded in an exponentially decaying manner away from the main diagonal.

Ladino rockstar, Sarah Aroeste, will perform "Sarah Aroeste: Ladino Music for Today" - The event is free.  International Ladino singer Sarah Aroeste has spent the last decade traveling the globe fusing both original and 15th-century Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) folk songs with her unique blend of rock, funk, jazz and blues.Aroeste comes to Natashas with her music collaborator, pianist Shai Bachar, to present music off her latest album, Gracia- a mix of original, feminist, experimental Ladino songs. www.saraharoeste.com

Ladino rockstar, Sarah Aroeste, will present "Ladino Music Transformed from Yesterday to Today" - The event is free and open to the public. International Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) singer/songwriter Sarah Aroeste will share stories from her personal family history to illustrate why a young American woman is among those leading the charge to preserve Ladino culture for a new generation.