corso|33602

GENERAL OBJECTIVES: The "Soft and Biological Matter" course aims to provide the necessary knowledge to understand the structure of soft and biological matter, in the relevant scales of length and time. Important arguments include the origins of the effective forces between macromolecules, the aggregation processes which result in the formation of vesicles, micelles, membranes, the formation of gel phases, structural and dynamic properties of synthetic and biological (nucleic acids and proteins) polymers. At the end of the course, students will develop quantitative reasoning and analytical skills useful for studying, modelling and understanding phenomena related to the dynamic and structural properties of soft and biological matter. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: A - Knowledge and understanding OF 1) To understand the physics of soft and biological matter OF 2) To understand energetic and entropic forces OF 3) To understand molecular aggregation OF 4) To understand thermodynamic stability and critical phenomena in soft matter B - Application skills OF5) To be able to apply learned methods/techniques to novel problems C - Autonomy of judgment OF 6) To be able to apply the topic discussed in the course to the general context of soft and biological matter. D - Communication skills E - Ability to learn OF 7) To be able to understand a scientific publication and deepen her/his own understanding of the arguments discussed in the course.