Past Event! Note: this event has already taken place.
| When: | Wednesday, March 25th, 2020 |
| Time: | 6:30 pm — 7:30 pm |
| Location: | Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library at 1049 Bank Street (at Aylmer Ave in Old Ottawa South) |
| Audience: | Anyone |
| Contact: | odscience@carleton.ca, 613-520-2600 x 8760 |
Polonium is found naturally in uranium ore. Rui Costa/Flickr, CC BY-NC
Guest Speaker: Alexandra Bourgouin, PhD Student, Physics
Polonium, an alpha emitter, was discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie during the chemical separation of uranium ore. 210Po is the predominant isotope found in nature with the longest half-life, 138.4 days, of all naturally occurring polonium. 210Po is considered to be one of the most poisonous substances known and is 10,000 times more toxic then cyanide.
In this talk, Alexandra will discuss polonium 210 poisoning and the radiation physics investigation of the former KGB agent, Alexander Litvinenko.
Learn more about Alexandra’s research by visiting her profile on ResearchGate.
About the Science Café
Explore science through Carleton University’s popular Science Café series, held twice a month during the fall and winter terms at the Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library at 1049 Bank Street (at Aylmer Ave in Old Ottawa South). Each café begins at 6:30 p.m. with a 20-minute talk by a scientist followed by a 40-minute open question and answer period.
Come and join us for a lively discussion around a scientific issue of the day. Be prepared to be informed, engaged and even amused, as our professors share their scientific discoveries with you. All are welcome. For more information, please contact the Faculty of Science by email at odscience@carleton.ca or by telephone at 613-520-4388.