SciLux

Talking to Dr. Dagny Aurich from Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB, University of Luxembourg) turned to be a brilliant travel through many of our previous episodes and we referred a lot to our discussion about unknown chemicals with Prof. Emma Schymanski, Dagny's supervisor.Dagny, who looked into historical exposomics with C2DH researchers through the IAS-funded Luxembourg Time Machine project, currently focuses more on cheminformatics tools. Prepare for a discussion about all of the above and quite a lot on interdisciplinary approach!USEFUL LINKSLCSB - https://www.uni.lu/lcsb-en/Luxembourg Time Machine - https://luxtimemachine.uni.lu/EU Time Machine - https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/820323PubChem - https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Chemical Stripes - https://gitlab.lcsb.uni.lu/eci/chemicalstripesSciLux Episodes related to this one:Prof. Emma Schymanski on Unknown Chemicals - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1412332/10331298Aida Horaniet Ibanez on Data Visualisation - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1412332/10172586Dr. Archibold Mposhi on Epigenetics - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1412332/14549769

The invention of heat engines has played a key role in human evolution and this is the starting point for our discussion about thermodynamics with our guests, Prof. Massimiliano Esposito (University of Luxembourg) and Dr. Emanuele Penocchio (Northwestern University). Emanuele is currently working in the intersection between chemistry and physics - studying chemical motors - which we also discuss in this episode. Obviously, two guests also mean two pub quiz questions!SHOW NOTESMassimiliano Esposito on Google Scholar - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UTezPWgAAAAJ&hl=enEmanuele Penocchio on Google Scholar - https://scholar.google.it/citations?user=w0buCtcAAAAJ&hl=itRolf Tarrach Prize - https://www.uni.lu/en/news/rolf-tarrach-prize-2023-for-physicist-dr-emanuele-penocchio/Video about Emanuele's PhD - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU0820ENNuoUniversity of Luxembourg - https://www.uni.lu/en/Northwestern University - https://www.northwestern.edu/

If you want estimate the expected impact of a policy intervention, for example a modification of a tax rate, you can use microsimulations. Microsimulations can inform decision makers on the possible effects of their policies on individual households and support them in evidence-based decision making.Get to know more about them from our guest, an expert in microsimulations, Dr. Denisa M. Sologon  (Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER)).

This episode felt a little like going back to school as Dr. Archibold Mposhi from LIH was nice enough to first explain very basic genetics and only then moved to his specialisation, epigenetics - the study of the influence of environment and behaviours on genes. So much going on in the field that we did not know about!SHOW NOTESAbout Archibold's research: https://researchportal.lih.lu/en/persons/archibold-mposhi LIH Website: https://www.lih.lu/en/Video about Archibold's mentor, Jonathan Turner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqT2BOB7jOI

Sustainability seems to be discussed in all areas of our lives nowadays. But what does it actually mean for a materials engineer? And most importantly, how can we convince the consumers to buy sustainable materials not only because they are better for the environment, but because these materials are simply pleasing to the eye and nice to touch?In this episode we had a chance to talk to Dr. Tim Huber (LIST) about his multi-disciplinary approach to designing sustainable materials. Tim, who also has extensive experience of teaching design students, is currently trying to convince more people about the necessary dialogue between material engineers and designers. He definitely got us hooked. And you?USEFUL LINKSTim Huber on Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.nz/citations?user=i97I4r4AAAAJ&hl=en LIST: https://www.list.lu/

After a couple of weeks of discussion we finally had the pleasure to talk to the head of the amazing space labs at SnT (University of Luxembourg) and one of the postdocs who is a member of the space robotics group (SpaceR). Prof. Miguel Olivares Mendez and Dr. Carol Martinez told us what a robot really is, what it means when it has some intelligence and how it is to create labs which emulate space conditions. We also touched about the increasingly important issue of space debris and talked about an upcoming conference iSpaRo24.USEFUL LINKSSnT - https://www.uni.lu/snt-en/SpaceR - https://www.uni.lu/snt-en/research-groups/SpaceR/Carol Martinez's Website - https://carolmartinez.github.io/iSpaRo24 - https://www.isparo.space/

It is not the first episode in which we learn how interconnected everything is. Health economics is all about trying to see the big picture and taking the right cost-effective decisions. Prof. Marc Suhrcke from Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) took the time to explain what his field is about and also presented the various projects he is involved in, spanning from universal health coverage to disability assistance.USEFUL LINKSAbout Prof. Marc Suhrcke - https://liser.elsevierpure.com/en/persons/marc-suhrckeProject "Financing UHC in challenging times: leaving no-one behind": https://hfacts.net/Personal Assistance - https://liser.elsevierpure.com/en/projects/assistance-personnelle

What if we just used the soil that is on your plot instead of bringing the building materials from somewhere else? Doable? Angelika Bocian-Jaworska, the founder of Äerd Lab, convinced us that this is going to happen. Right now Angelika focuses on developing the right sustainable materials, but the future is hers - she wants to 3D print your next house.USEFUL LINKSÄerd Lab - https://aerdlab.com/Institute for Advanced Architecture (Barcelona, Spain) - https://iaac.net/Circular by Design Challenge - https://www.luxinnovation.lu/cbdc/Fit4Start Programme - https://www.startupluxembourg.com/fit-4-start

They fly above our head in the thousands yet we tend to forget about them - the satellites! In this episode we had a chance to learn a lot about them, how to communicate with them, where they are, but we also went beyond to quantum communications. All thanks to our amazing guest, Prof. Symeon Chatzinotas from SnT (University of Luxembourg).USEFUL LINKSAbout Symeon: https://ism.uni.lu/person/prof-dr-symeon-chatzinotas/Symeon about the SIGCOM Group at SnT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG7tib0BE9E

Ever wondered how housing policies and markets add to inequalities within and across countries? And how does it work in Luxembourg?In the PROPEL project, Prof. Lindsay Flynn looks at the forces shaping patterns of inequality within and between generations in affluent democracies. In this episode we look both at the housing situation of younger generations, changes in housing policies as well as try to give some solutions.The PROPEL project is supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR-ATTRACT project 14345912). USEFUL LINKS:PROPEL website: https://propel.uni.lu Institute of Political Science at the University of Luxembourg:  https://www.uni.lu/fhse-en/research-groups/institute-of-political-science/About Lindsay: https://www.uni.lu/en/person/NTAwMzMzNjBfX0xpbmRzYXkgRkxZTk4=/ The article about wealth concentration since the Global Financial Crisis is: Post-crisis developments in young adults’ housing wealth: https://doi.org/10.1177/09589287211040443The article about financial strategies and housing wealth in the United States: Acquisition capital: using a new concept to explore housing outcomes among millennials in the United States: https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2023.2241841 

Would you think about building a bridge or constructing a house before actually making a plan? Probably not. Yet for software we have a tendency of not starting with the bigger picture. We often forget that for complex programmes we need proper software engineering. And this is exactly the domain in which our guest, prof. Jordi Cabot from LIST and University of Luxembourg, specialises in.We also had a chance to ask Jordi for explanations of quite a few buzzwords so this episode is definitely worth a listen!USEFUL LINKSJordi’s Website - https://jordicabot.com/Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology - https://www.list.lu/Modelling Languages Portal - https://modeling-languages.com/

It was great to have the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Kathleen Mommaerts, who works at the Integrated BioBank of Luxembourg, an institution affiliated with the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH). Our conversation revolved around sample preparation, storage, variability, and, of course, the fact that Kathleen received the Rosalind Franklin Society Award, a recognition of her contribution to the field of bio-banking.USEFUL LINKSMore about Kathleen on LIH Website: https://researchportal.lih.lu/en/persons/kathleen-mommaertsKathleen’s 3-minute thesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFbG8ZwgXZc&t=1sMore about Kathleen receiving the Rosalind Franklin Society Award: https://www.lih.lu/en/rosalind-franklin-society-award-bestowed-to-lih-researcher/

Ever wondered how mentorship worked in academia? We did for sure, and that's why for the first episode of the new season we invited two experienced mentors: Prof. Simone Niclou, the Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Luxembourg and Prof. Andreas Fickers, the Director of the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH). Simone and Andreas not only defined mentorship for us, talked about the starting point and their own experiences as mentees, they also shared some surprising questions and comments they encountered on their paths as mentors. Exceptionally we went so deep into the subject that we found no time for the pub quiz question. But worry not, it's coming back in the next episode!USEFUL LINKSUniversity of Luxembourg - https://www.uni.lu/en/C2DH - https://www.c2dh.uni.lu/More about ADVANCE mentoring programme - https://www.uni.lu/en/about/gender-equality/advance-mentoring-programme/Luxembourg Charter on Mentorship in Academia - https://www.researchluxembourg.org/en/mentorship-charter/Outstanding Mentor Award - FNR Awards - https://www.fnr.lu/fnr-awards-new/

Gear up for another SciLux Original! In order to record this special episode (last one of season 3) we went to the Museum of Natural History where we talked to Eric Buttini - the Head of the Department of Geo- and Astrophysics at the museum. Eric’s research interests revolve around asteroids and he’s now busily working on a new temporary exhibition coming to the museum on 10th November 2023 - Asteroid Mission.Besides talking about the preparations, we had a chance to discuss the mobile planetarium and Eric’s cooperation with Matt Dawson on the LUCID (Luxembourg Comet Identification and Discovery) project. USEFUL LINKSAsteroid Mission: https://www.mnhn.lu/de/visit/asteroid-mission/3D Tour of the Museum: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=8GLBYf7u3aSMuseum Night: https://museumsmile.lu/en/nuit-des-musees

Social science genetics is basically genetics and economics combined and that's the expertise of our guest Giorgia Menta, a postdoctoral researcher in economics at LISER. Giorgia used genetics to see the influence of maternal mental health on children’s well-being and school outcomes. She has also studied the development of depression among women influenced by the UK pension reform and even conducted an online experiment to look for buyer bias on the housing market in Luxembourg.Enjoy this interdisciplinary episode and the clear explanations Giorgia provides!USEFUL LINKSGiorgia Menta's Website: https://sites.google.com/view/giorgiamenta/home-pageGiorgia on LISER's Website: https://liser.elsevierpure.com/en/persons/giorgia-mentaThe Guardian article Giorgia mentions: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/08/black-couple-house-value-discrimination-lawsuit

If, like us, you thought that the only way to stargaze is to use a standard telescope, you definitely should listen to this. In our 24th episode Oliver Parisot from LIST uncovers the simpler world of Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA) and tells us a little about writing algorithms to process the images. We’re pretty sure that after listening to the show, you will be itching to try it yourself.USEFUL LINKSOlivier's Website: http://doopyon.org/MILAN project and its data: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352340923002524Olivier's photo that got him a prize in the FNR Science Image Competition: https://www.fnr.lu/research-with-impact-fnr-highlight/fnr-science-image-competition-telescope/Forunr App: https://www.forunr.com/

Explore the world of banking research, financial regulation, stress testing, and maintaining financial stability. In a truly SciLux fashion, we break down the complex world of central banks trying to be understood even by those who don’t know the jargon!Our guest, Prof. Diane Pierret from the University of Luxembourg, shares invaluable insights that will leave you thinking about the financial landscape in a whole new light. And what a surprising pub quiz question did she prepare!USEFUL LINKSDiane Pierret's Website - https://www.dianepierret.com/Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance at University of Luxembourg - https://www.uni.lu/fdef-en/

Unravelling the Mysteries: Journey into the World of Forensic Science!Ready to embark on an extraordinary adventure into the captivating realm of forensic science and fingerprint analysis? Don't miss our latest podcast episode that delves into the secrets hidden within fingerprints!Join us as we explore the science, techniques, and challenges behind this remarkable field with the fingerprint expert Valérie Ries from the Police Grand-Ducale Luxembourg.USEFUL LINKSPolice Website: https://police.public.lu/fr.htmlMore about Forensic Science: https://www.forensicsciencesimplified.org/index.htm

We all know that the gut plays a way more important role in our health than we originally thought. But what if we could find a way to connect its health with the onset of for example Parkinson's disease? Our guest, Dr. Catherine Sedrani, tried to work with the LCSB's Gut-on-a-Chip model (the HuMiX) to check what the relationship between bacterial cells and enteric neurons was. But first she had to establish them in one of the cell chambers of the model. Listen to the full episode to find out how it all worked out.USEFUL LINKSFNR Series: Spotlight on Young Researchers: https://www.fnr.lu/research-with-impact-fnr-highlight/spotlight-on-young-researchers-the-human-gut-microbiome-and-the-clues-it-holds/Catherine Sedrani on RTL: https://www.rtl.lu/news/national/a/2028674.htmlMore about Prof. Paul Wilmes's research: https://www.uni.lu/lcsb-fr/news/the-expobiome-map-exploring-the-role-of-microbiome-derived-molecules/More on LUX:plorations, the comic book series: https://www.uni.lu/en/news/luxplorations-new-science-comics-made-in-luxembourg/Science Festival 2023: https://www.science-festival.lu/en/

Luxembourg is at the forefront of exploration and utilisation of space resources. This time we invited Lari Cujko, Start-up Support Lead at European Space Resources Innovations Centre (ESRIC) and Marek Wilgucki, the CEO of Four Point, the first incubated start-up, to tell us about the unique environment for start-ups in the field of space resources. There was also a chance to learn more about the expertise of Four Point, analysing satellite data and supporting open-cast mines.USEFUL LINKSESRIC - https://www.esric.lu/Four Point - https://www.fourpoint.com.pl/ESRIC Start-up Support Programme - Introduction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwLgY08pcyMSpace Resources Initiative - https://www.spaceresources.lu