Within the year-long celebration of the Egypt-Italy Science Year EISY2009, and on the occasion of hosting Volta's exhibition, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Planetarium Science Center will be welcoming Fabio Bevilacqua and Lidia Falomo, Department of Physics “A.Volta”, University of Pavia, who will give a lecture on the great scientist "Alessandro Volta" entitled "Digital Technologies and the Diffusion of Scientific Culture". The lecture will be at 11:30 am at the Auditorium.

Abstract

Nobel Laureate R. Feynman recalls, in his famous 1963 Physics textbook, two contributions from Alexandria: the use of the principle of least distance by Hero (c. CE 10-70); and the very precise refraction experiments by Ptolomaeus (CE 90-168). We note that both utilized an emissionist theory, which hypothesizes that light is emitted by the eye. On the same grounds, Al-Kindi (CE 800-873) developed the theory of vision, while the first successful proponent of the immissionist theory, accepted today, was Alhazen (CE 965-1039). Thus, the same events (reflection and refraction angles) can be interpreted with different models of the propagation of light and still maintain their validity.

Principles and models are necessary for scientific research, in addition to experiments and mathematics. These four components are historically, geographically and socially located, and show that science is a cultural activity, and not explanations in standard textbooks. For the diffusion of scientific culture it is necessary to untangle the stratifications of results presented in textbooks, to outline—through these four components—the main scientists’ world views and the differing historical interpretations of the phenomena.

Digital technologies help us in this difficult task, making the scientists’ works (archives, books, instruments, thought experiments); the historians’ interpretations; as well as the explaining experiments which are conducted by simulations and animations; as well as movies and interactive exhibits all easily available and comparable. Examples of this are, comparing the theories of Aristotle (relational space, no void, contact action), Newton (absolute empty space, action at a distance) and Einstein (relational space, contact action, relativity); presenting Galileo’s revolutionary innovations (law of fall, inertia, composition of motions, relativity principle); the debates between Descartes (no void, passive matter, contact action), Newton and Leibniz (active matter); the debates between Volta (electric tension) and Coulomb (action at a distance), between Volta (electromotive force) and Galvani (animal electricity); as well as the ideas of Faraday (lines of force) and Hertz (electromagnetic waves). Not only reflection and refraction but many other results have been achieved through scientific debates between alternative world views that show the historical and conceptual significance to scientific research.

Recently a flood of Web 2.0 interactive applications has provided new opportunities, namely the possibility of gathering all digital material together through cloud computing, and interactively accessing it in blogs and wikis.

The history of science denies all forms of “clashes of civilizations”. It shows that research has always been a cosmopolitan activity, and offers a more precise and understandable image of a science that is always in flux, and can contribute to citizens making more informed decisions about today’s relevant issues.

 
Biography

Prof. Fabio Bevilacqua has been a full professor of History of Science at the “A. Volta” Department of Physics in the Faculty of Science, Pavia University since 2001. In 1975, he won a research contract at the Department of Theoretical Physics at Pavia University; and in 1978, with three scholarships (CNR, NATO and Accademia dei Lincei), he began three years of research at Cambridge University where he completed a PhD in HPS under Mary Hesse and Gerd Buchdahl. In 1981, he became a tenured researcher and in 1987 an associate professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the “A. Volta” Department of Physics.

Fabio Bevilacqua has played crucial roles in numerous international, national and local bodies. He was vice-secretary (1997-2005) and vice-president (2005-2009) at the Division of History of Science and Technology of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science (ICSU). He was president of the International History, Philosophy & Science Teaching Group (1999-2001). He was also founder and chairman (1987-1999) of the Interdivisional Group of History of Physics of the European Physical Society. For ten years (1986-1996), he was member of the Scientific Committee of the Centre de Recherche en Histoire des Sciences et des Techniques de la Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie - La Villette, Paris; and he was also co-founder and executive member of the European Society of History of Science (2004-2006).

In Italy, he was founder and coordinator of the National Group of History of Physics (1981-1994), and since then, he has become member of the board of the Italian Society of History of Physics and Astronomy. In 1993, he became member of the board of the Italian Society of History of Science until 1999. From 2003 to 2006, he was delegate of the Italian Universities (CRUI) on a ministerial committee funding the diffusion of scientific culture. He was member of the national commissions for the celebrations of A. Volta and E. Fermi and for the publication of the works of G. Amici and R. Boscovich; and member of national committees for the selection of university professors and researchers. In 2009 he became member of the board of the Milan  Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology.