A choreography to explain piezoelectricity: Sofia Papa, PhD student at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, wins first prize in the international contest “Dance your PhD”
The dance choreography was created in collaboration with the Company.Mov dance company
Art and science come together in the video dance project entitled “PIEZODANCE”, which transformed a doctoral thesis on piezoelectricity (the physical phenomenon whereby certain materials convert mechanical energy into electricity) into a contemporary dance choreography, winning first prize in the contest organised by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Science journal
'What is your PhD research about?“ is a question that many researchers are often asked. Sofia Papa, in her third year of a PhD in Biorobotics at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, answered with the video dance 'PIEZODANCE”, which won first prize in the 18th edition of “Dance your PhD”, the international contest organised by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Science magazine, and sponsored by the artificial intelligence and quantum technology company SandboxAQ, to explain the topic of their doctoral thesis using artistic means (dance, performance and video).
The dance choreography, created by the Company. Mov, of which Sofia Papa is a member, translated the principles of piezoelectricity, the physical phenomenon whereby certain materials are able to convert mechanical energy – a push, pressure, vibration – into electricity, into movement. The choreography thus becomes a visual metaphor in which art and science merge to express the fluidity of materials through the fluidity of bodies.
In addition to the first prize, the performance “PIEZODANCE” won the prize in the “Physics” category.
The thesis project and the study on chitosan
The doctoral thesis behind the artistic performance focuses on the study of piezoelectric polymeric materials for the creation of printed wearable ultrasonic transducers. The aim is to develop flexible polymeric devices that can function as both ultrasound emitters and receivers, paving the way for new applications in health monitoring and biomedical devices. One of Sofia Papa's lines of research is the study of chitosan, a bio-derived material from crab and shrimp shells, which is piezoelectric.
‘This is the line of research I focused on for the video. Despite its natural origin, chitosan has piezoelectric properties. The study conducted for my thesis investigates how manufacturing parameters and subsequent treatments influence the crystalline structure of chitosan films and therefore their piezoelectric response,’ explains Sofia Papa.
It's not just about the materials. It's about how we shape them
As the voiceover accompanying the video explains, in the vast majority of cases, piezoelectricity is found in crystalline materials. In these cases, the atoms are arranged in precise, repetitive patterns. When a force is applied, this balance is disturbed, the charges separate and an electric field is formed. But not all piezoelectric materials are perfect crystals. Some are polymers (semi-crystalline materials) with ordered and disordered regions. These are softer, more flexible and their piezoelectric behaviour is more complex.
In the performance, the dancers' movements reflect the behaviour of the materials: the order and disorder of the polymer chains, the formation of different crystal shapes and the separation of electrical charges when the material is deformed.
The “Dance your PhD” contest
Every year, the Dance Your PhD competition awards prizes to videos from universities and research centres around the world. The winners of the various disciplinary categories (chemistry, biology, physics, social sciences, artificial intelligence and quantum science) receive a cash prize and compete for the overall first prize. The initiative is an original example of science communication, combining scientific rigour and artistic creativity.
The video dance “PIEZODANCE”
You can watch the video dance “PIEZODANCE” at the following YouTube link:
