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For over a decade, Science Café has sought to engage the local community, make the latest scientific discoveries more accessible, and provide Tohoku University professors with a chance to showcase their research.

The second installment of the 2019-2020 Science Café lecture series got underway on November 29, with Professor Naofumi Ohnishi from the Department of Aerospace Engineering conducting a lecture on plasma at the Sendai Mediatheque.

Much of the world's attention is focused on reducing our carbon footprint. Many tout technology that can reduce or eliminate fuel consumption as the solution to this problem. Professor Ohnishi explored plasma's role in this trend.

Professor Ohnishi reminded the audience that plasma is one of the four states of matter, yet arguably the least known out of the four. "A feature characteristic of plasma is that ions and electrons freely flow," said Ohnishi. He added, "This allows for acceleration in electric or magnetic fields, the emission of light, and high reactiveness."

Professor Ohnishi then introduced the audience to a plasma actuator, a small electoral device that is highly energy-efficient and contains no moving parts. These devices can be attached to airplanes or cars, significantly reducing drag by suppressing airflow separation. This in turn reduces the energy used; therefore, boosting fuel efficiency.

Ohnishi also introduced the audience to the concept of ionic wind. This is where charged molecules in the air get charged via an electric field, thus becoming accelerated. The charged molecules then come into contact with neutral ones, transferring their momentum and generating air movement. He highlighted a recent innovation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - the first airplane with no moving parts - as a prime example.

The event proved to be a hit with those in attendance. Following the lecture, an army of student volunteers was on hand to answer the queries of the audience. Following this, the students then relayed a string of inquisitive questions to Ohnishi based on their discussions.

The next Science Café is scheduled to take place on February 21, 2020. Associate Professor Kenji Toma will be examining black holes.

Running in tandem with Science Café is the humanities-based Liberal Arts Salon which sees its second session begin on December 6. For now, both lecture series are only held in Japanese, but they are free and open to anyone who is interested. To take part, click on the link for upcoming dates and topics.