Filomena Nunes, Técnico alumna and professor at Michigan State University, gave an IST Distinguished Lecture titled “Unveiling the mysteries of unstable matter”, this Wednesday, September 25th.

The big questions in nuclear physics, the theoretical structure and the origin of nuclei, the reactions with rare isotopes, and the limits of stability were some of the topics approached by professor Filomena Nunes. “But how does nuclear physics help society?”, she questioned. The question has multiple answers: nuclear medicine, national security, energy production, forensic investigation, etc.

According to professor Filomena Nunes, theory and experiments go hand in hand. “Theory can help identify and analyse experimental results, and also to identify critical measurements”. In turn, by taking an experimental approach we are able “to validate and discover new phenomena that can led to new theories”, she added.