Date: 13 May
Time: 10 a.m.
Venue: Great Hall, Técnico – Alameda campus
“Why are soap bubbles round?”
We all love blowing soap bubbles. Is it simply a coincidence that, no matter how differently we blow, the result is always a perfect bubble? And why are the pizzas we all love typically round? Have you also noticed that beehives are made up of hexagons, which we also find in footballs (along with pentagons)?
In this talk, you will discover that some geometric shapes are more suitable for specific tasks than others. There will also be time to play with soap films and understand how mathematics comes into all this.
Biography
Hugo Tavares was born in Lisbon. He is a professor in the Department of Mathematics at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, and a researcher at the Center for Mathematical Analysis, Geometry and Dynamical Systems (CAMGSD). Passionate about teaching, he is the son of primary school teachers and father of Simão, Madalena and Tomás. He obtained his PhD in Mathematics from Universidade de Lisboa (2010), achieving a European Doctorate after extended stays at the University of Milan-Bicocca. He won an award from the Gulbenkian Programme for the Encouragement of Research (2007) and a UL/CGD Scientific Award (2016). One of his favourite research areas is the study of shape optimisation problems. He has organised several international conferences, reviewed secondary school textbooks and served as a consultant for public bodies. In 2024/25, he was honoured with Técnico’s Excellence in Teaching Award – 1st cycle.
About the Programme
“Explain it like I’m 5 – Science talks at Técnico for curious children and adults”, is designed for young people, opening a door to get to know Técnico research and to ask our scientists a question.
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