Date: 20 February 2026
Time: 13:00 – 14:00
Location: Room M301 in Sønderborg. Staff in Odense can participate via Teams
Topic: Mechanical Degradation in Paintings – Cracks, Delamination, and Loss
Speaker: Assoc. Prof. Cecil Krarup Andersen, Royal Danish Academy
Abstract:
Mechanical Degradation in Paintings – Cracks, Delamination, and Loss Assoc. Prof. Cecil Krarup Andersen, Royal Danish Academy The preservation of paintings is a complex challenge at the intersection of material science and cultural heritage. Paintings are inherently multimaterial systems, and their mechanical integrity is influenced by environmental fluctuations, chemical aging, and accidental damage. This talk discusses mechanical degradation phenomena such as cracking, distortion, and delamination in painted surfaces using both physical and digital models as well as real artworks as study objects. Experimental approaches for monitoring and characterizing damage are discussed, including mechanical testing (tensile, DMA, indentation) and advanced imaging techniques (digital image correlation, multispectral analysis, microscopy). Results from these techniques are complemented by chemical characterization (primarily spectroscopic methods) to reveal the interplay between structure and composition and to identify stress concentrations within layered systems that can lead to failure. The collected data feed into numerical models to predict degradation patterns and guide conservation strategies. Achieving meaningful outcomes requires a multidisciplinary approach, involving conservators, physicists, chemists, engineers, and art historians. While deterioration cannot be completely halted, science-based insights allow us to manage degradation and prioritize interventions, ensuring the long-term preservation of cultural heritage.
Date: 22 January 2026
Time: 13:00 – 14:00
Location: Room M301 in Sønderborg. Staff in Odense can participate via Teams
Topic: Promoting Knowledge Circularity for a Sustainable Future
Speaker: Dr. Shannon B. Olsson, founder of the ECHO Network
Abstract:
Our planet’s current struggle with sustainability is rooted in our overuse of Earth’s natural resources. Human innovation has allowed us to push past planetary boundaries, threatening our own existence. The concept of circularity has been promoted as a mechanism to reuse and recycle non-renewable resources, thereby reducing their extraction and subsequent strain on land, air, and water. Yet we often overlook one of Earth’s most precious non-renewable resources - human knowledge. The echo network is a 2600 member community from 46 countries comprising academia, government, business, NGOs, media, and service sectors. It was initiated in 2019 by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India to develop a model of knowledge circularity that creates communities of practice who work together to address key issues in sustainability including clean healthy cities, rural livelihoods, and ecosystem stewardship. Through our worldwide experiment, we are developing the principle of knowledge circularity to ensure that every human story is not only recognized, but maintained, combined with other information to form knowledge, and amplified for collective actions that can create a sustainable future.
Date: 21 January 2026
Time: 13:00 – 14:00
Location: Room M301 in Sønderborg. Staff in Odense can participate via Teams
Topic: Molecular sensing technologies for real-time marine environmental monitoring
Speaker: Martha Valiadi from FORTH in Greece
Note: Martha will be available throughout the day if anyone would like to have a conversation with her
Abstract:
This talk presents molecular sensing technologies being developed for real-time marine environmental monitoring. Molecular and biochemical analyses are used to detect biomarkers associated with ecosystem health and hazardous microorganisms, as well as for the direct measurement of organic contaminants. These analytical approaches are coupled with portable biosensors and analyzers to enable real-time measurements, with a view toward integration into automated in situ monitoring systems. The talk will focus on platforms emerging from the European projects TechOceanS and AquaBioSens and will outline new proposal ideas being developed Â鶹ÉçÇø that build on optical and nanotechnology-based approaches.