Prof. Anil Pradhan, Ohio State University
About the speaker: With a B.Sc. and M.Sc.(Physics) from University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and a Ph.D. (Physics and Astronomy) from University of London, Prof. Anil Pradhan has served as Professor of Biophysics; Professor, Department of Astronomy; an

Whereas atomic physics is a well-established discipline and it may appear
that new discoveries or solutions of outstanding scientific problems are
unlikely to originate from it, the fact is that many recent areas of
activity at the forefront of science are closely related to the
interaction of atomic physics with plasam physics, astrophysics, and
biophysics. This talk will highlight two of those areas, one in astronomy
and the other in biomedicine, where an interdisciplinary approach is being
applied to solve major problems. The astrophysical problem is related to
our understanding (or lack thereof) of the elemental composition of the
Sun. Recent work in astrophysical spectroscopy has brougnt into question
the abundances on common elements such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen,
thought to be well known. Even more astonishingly, it seems possible to
apply basic atomic radiation physics to diagnostics and treatment of
cancer using nanobiotechnology. A description of the novel methodologies
employed will also be presented.