by Christy Haynes I am a TED enthusiast. TED is an organization that describes itself as a “nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks.” Chances are you’ve seen a …
research
Ep 3. Nanoparticles in Electric Car Batteries: How Do We Study Sustainability?
In this episode, we talk about a recent research study that looked at how one type of battery nanomaterial affects bacteria called Shewanella oneidensis. We interview Mimi Hang and Ian Gunsolus, who were co-first authors of the study as graduate students in the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology.
Ep 1. Why Do We Care About Sustainable Nanotechnology?
On this first episode of our brand new podcast, we talk with the Director of the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, along with students, faculty, and a few complete strangers about some questions related to our Center’s research: What is nanotechnology? What is sustainability? And what does it mean when we put the two terms together?
What’s in a Unit Anyway? Part 2: When is a Kilogram Not a Kilogram?
by Mike Schwartz In my last post, I told you about how scientists measure amazingly cool things that can be vastly different in size, like elementary particles or very distant dwarf planets and their moons. …
How do Scientists Study Complex Chemical Systems?
by Ian Gunsolus Much of our work in the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology lies in the realm of chemistry. That is to say, our work seeks to understand phenomena at the molecular level. For example, …
Swiss Army Knife of Science – Collaborations & Research Instrumentation
by Franz Geiger This blog post comes at a time when our center is probing the nano-bio interface (see prior blog entries below) with one of the largest collection of scientific research instrumentation to which …
How the 2013 Government Shutdown Forced a Retreat from the Frontier of Science
by Franz Geiger Federal science funding is at the heart of the American enterprise. Sustained science funding was first established as the core of US science policy in July 1945, when Vannevar Bush, Science advisor …
How Do Scientists in Four Different States Work Together?
by Lee Bishop Science doesn’t always look like this: Sometimes it looks like this! We have scientists in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, and even Washington! Every week we get together for a videoconference to coordinate all …