by Hyo Park It seems like just yesterday when I was enlisted in the U.S. Navy performing naval exercises to improve international relations with South Korea and Japan. I completed search and rescue swimmer training, …
Year: 2016
Ep 11. When Artists and Scientists Collaborate
Art and science are often though of as completely separate pursuits, but what happens when artists and scientists actually talk to each other? In this episode of the podcast, we interview Dr. Cathy Murphy about her experiences inviting art students to spend time in her chemistry lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Using Gold Nanobullets for Genetic Engineering
by Joe Buchman edited by Eric Melby Have you seen the movie Avatar? I remember being captivated by the colorful world of Pandora, where the Na’vi lived. Some of the most picturesque scenes take place …
Ep 10. Why Were Plastic Mirobeads Banned? Marine Debris and Sustainable Plastics
Plastic debris in our water is a huge pollution problem, and just one source of that pollution is the tiny microbeads that have been widely used in personal care products. In this episode of the podcast, we interview Dr. Richard Thompson, a Professor of Marine Biology at Plymouth University and an expert on the effects of plastic debris in the marine environment. We discuss the recent federal ban on microbeads and what consumers can do to be more sustainable in our day-to-day use of plastics.
What is Machine Learning and How is it Changing Physical Chemistry and Materials Science?
by Qiang Cui When I talk about artificial intelligence (AI), the usual images that come to mind are from fiction: Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the cyborg from The Terminator, or perhaps the gloomy …
Does Eating Turkey Make You Sleepy? (Answer: No, but tryptophan can teach us about nanotoxicology!)
by Stephanie Mitchell edited by Mimi Hang and Ariane Vartanian Every Thanksgiving we gorge ourselves on delicious food and become very sleepy. Inevitably at that point, someone volunteers that it’s the turkey that’s made you …
Ep 9. Seven Stages of Technological Adaptation
This episode of the podcast features an interview with University of Minnesota graduate student Peter Clement, discussing the book The War on Science by Shawn Otto. We focus on Otto’s explanation of the Seven Stages of Technological Adaptation — an observation that how our society adapts new technology has generally repeated the same sequence of steps over and over, from discovery through crisis and adaptation, especially since the mid-20th Century.
What Does the U.S Election Mean for Science?
by Miriam Krause There’s no getting around it: the President of the United States always has the potential for profound effects on scientific research and science-related policy and legislation in this country. And because of …
Ep 8. How Nanomaterials Can Build Better Bikes
On this episode of the Sustainable Nano podcast, we talk about one example of how nanotechnology is changing something many people use every day: bikes! Margy Robinson, a graduate student in the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology and a competitive cyclist, explains how carbon nanotubes and graphene are currently being incorporated into some high-end bicycles.
Why Do Parks Care What Sunscreen We Use?
by Ese Ehimiaghe edited by Eric Melby Earlier this year I went to Mexico for spring break. During my trip I visited sinkholes (called cenotes) and Xcaret, an eco-archeological park. Xcaret is a combination of …