This year has been far from typical, but Imperial College London has created some rainbows amongst the clouds.
From uncovering Leonardo's abandoned angels to celebrating a 108th birthday, we look back at ten times Imperial made us smile in 2020.
A College win
In April, an Imperial team was crowned this year's champion on University Challenge, making it Imperial's third win since 1996.
Led by team captain Caleb Rich, Brandon Blackwell, Richard Brooks and Conor McMeel beat Corpus Christi, Cambridge in the 2020 final by 275 points to 105. A very proud moment to be a part of the College.
Caleb praised his team after winning the coveted prize. He said: "Our win has been the culmination of many months of practice and hard work, and I am so pleased to have played with an amazing team of quizzers."
Fast and furryous
Imperial's researchers built a new sensor to track the health of pets and people through fur and clothing. Made out of a silicone-water composite material, this sensor houses a microphone that picks up sound waves. It is flexible and stretchy so that it moulds to the shape of the fur, without any air bubbles forming.
This sensor can detect vital signs like heart and breathing rates through fur and up to four layers of clothing. It could help owners monitor their pets' health in surgery without the need for shaving, and even improve the work of sniffer dogs used to detect missing persons.
Lead researcher Dr Firat Güder said: "Our stretchy, flexible invention heralds a whole new type of sensor that can track the health of animals and humans alike over fur or clothing."
108th birthday celebration
This year we celebrated the 108th birthday of one of Imperial's oldest alumni, Dr Bill Frankland. Dr Frankland was a pioneer in the field of allergy during his 70-year-long career in medicine at St Mary's hospital. During his career he worked on popularising the pollen count, helping patients understand seasonal allergies, and even worked with Sir Alexander Fleming who discovered the first ever antibiotic in 1928.
Celebrating his birthday in a more low-key way this year, Dr Frankland spent the day with his two of his children at his London care home and received a card from the Queen.
He thanked the staff at the care home for doing such a fantastic job in keeping the residents safe this year, and said: "It's great to see scientists such as those at Imperial, working so quickly to help tackle the pandemic."
Finding forgotten figures
Imperial researchers in collaboration with the National Gallery created a new algorithm which, when combined with macro X-ray fluorescence scanning, uncovered hidden drawings beneath Leonardo da Vinci's Virgin of the Rocks.
These drawings revealed the figures, which include a winged angel and an infant Christ, that Leonardo first drew before opting instead for the ones in the painting that we see today.
Their new technique maps chemical elements within paintings, by focusing on the zinc composition within each pixel. The algorithm helps sift through the data and gives more confidence in the forgotten images that are producing the signals.
Lead researcher Professor Pier Luigi Dragotti said: "It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but such a great feeling to see the wings and head finally uncovered."
Sunny insights
Solar Orbiter, a joint European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA mission with an Imperial built instrument onboard, took the closest images of the Sun ever taken. The images revealed 'campfires' which may hold the key to heating the Sun's outer atmosphere.
Taken 77 million kilometres from the star, the images provide insights into the Sun's behaviour, including how these mini flares may evolve into larger flares that can move through space and are known to affect electronics and communications networks on Earth.
Lead researcher for the Imperial instrument, Professor Tim Horbury, said: "Teams from around the world are now working on all this data, which will no doubt reveal new insights into the Sun's behaviour."
Green revolution
In a collaboration with the Mayor of London, Imperial is to establish a world-leading centre for climate change innovation. This centre based at White City campus, will help research, nurture talent, and drive growth in clean technology.
