Sustainable Nano

How do you explain sustainable nanotechnology using art? Last fall the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology collaborated with Lifeology, an online platform that connects scientists and artists, to create a public-friendly "mini-course" called "What happens to nanoparticles in the environment?". On this episode of the podcast, CSN graduate students and course co-authors Stephanie Mitchell and Paige Kinsley talk with artist Elfy Chiang about her journey as an artist, working with scientists, and the excitement that can happen when collaborators surprise each other.

Artist Elfy Chiang (top left) and interviewers Paige Kinsley (top right) and Stephanie Mitchell (bottom) along with two examples of Elfy's artwork from "What happens to nanoparticles in the environment?"

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ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Cartoon nanoparticle from the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology's Lifeology course, "What happens to nanoparticles in the environment?" (image by Elfy Chiang)

Related links:

• Elfy Chiang: Elfyland Studios website, Twitter, Instagram
• Lifeology: homepage, What happens to nanoparticles in the environment?
• Paige Kinsley: website, Twitter
• Stephanie Mitchell: website, Twitter
• Blog post Why shouldn't we toss Lithium ion batteries in the trash? by Merve Doğangün
• The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology

Interviewee: Elfy Chiang

Interviewers: Stephanie Mitchell & Paige Kinsley

Producer/Host: Miriam Krause

Music: PC III and Dexter Britain

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-2001611. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

How do you explain sustainable nanotechnology in text shorter than a tweet? This fall the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology collaborated with Lifeology, an online platform that connects scientists and artists, to create a public-friendly "mini-course" called "What happens to nanoparticles in the environment?". On this episode of the podcast, CSN graduate students and course co-authors Jaya Borgatta and Stephanie Mitchell talk with Lifeology co-founder Paige Jarreau about Lifeology, her journey to becoming a professional science communicator, and the importance of empathy in achieving accessible communication.

Paige Jarreau is the co-founder of Lifeology)

Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page, or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Stitcher, or listen on NSF's Science Zone Radio.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Cartoon nanoparticle from the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology's Lifeology course, "What happens to nanoparticles in the environment?" (image by Elfy Chiang)

Related links:

• Paige Jarreau: blog, Twitter, [Instagram] (https://www.instagram.com/SciCommNerd/)
• Lifeology: homepage, What happens to nanoparticles in the environment?
• Jaya Borgatta: website, Wednesday Nite @ the Lab video interview
• Stephanie Mitchell: website, Twitter
• Blog post Why shouldn't we toss Lithium ion batteries in the trash? by Merve Doğangün
• The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology

Interviewee: Paige Jarreau

Interviewers: Stephanie Mitchell & Jaya Borgatta

Producer/Host: Miriam Krause

Music: PC III and Dexter Britain

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-2001611. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

Zach Jones, a graduate student in the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, gives diamonds to his study organism. But they're nanodiamonds, not jewelry, and after the tiny worms eat them, Zack uses their fluorescent and magnetic properties to see where the material accumulates within the worm's body. This episode talks about worms, defective diamonds, and how the combination of the two can provide information on environmental contamination.

Zack Jones (left) and Paige Kinsley (right) recording this episode's interview (photos courtesy of Zack Jones and Paige Kinsley)

Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page, or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Stitcher, or listen on NSF's Science Zone Radio.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Diagram of a nanodiamond molecule showing a nitrogen vacancy center defect (missing nitrogen atom) in the middle (image by Zack Jones)

Related links:

• Paige Kinsley: website, Twitter
• Zack Jones: website, Twitter
• 2020 MacArthur Fellows;
  • NK Jemisin; The Fifth Season
  • Paul Dauenhauer; podcast ep 14. What does nanotechnology have to do with renewable car tires?
• Podcast ep 24. Using MRI technology to study nanoparticles
• Quantum sensing; quantum communication
• Wisconsin Science Festival
• The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology

Interviewee: Zack Jones

Interviewer: Paige Kinsley

Producer/Host: Miriam Krause

Assistant Producer: Emma Bublitz

Music: PC III and Dexter Britain

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-2001611. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

Science communication takes a lot of different forms, including improvisation. In this episode, we interview Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology graduate student Paige Kinsley and alum Liz Laudadio. The episode dives deep into the life skills you can learn from doing improv, how it can make you a better listener, and how it relates to science storytelling. Not to mention the benefits of finding hobbies to do with your labmates.

(Paige Kinsley (left) and Liz Laudadio (right), mid-improv performance and recording this episode's interview, along with Blue the cat. (photos courtesy of Liz Laudadio & Paige Kinsley)

Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page, or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Stitcher, or listen on NSF's Science Zone Radio.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Related links:

• Liz Laudadio: website, Twitter
• Paige Kinsley: website, Twitter
• Atlas Theater Company
• Minh Tam Hoang's blog post: coming soon!
• Article about summer undergraduate programs: COVID-19 shakes up summer internship and research opportunities
• The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology
• Argonne National Laboratory

Interviewees: Liz Laudadio & Paige Kinsley

Interviewer/Editor: Stephanie Mitchell

Producer/Host: Miriam Krause

Assistant Producer: Emma Bublitz

Music: PC III and Dexter Britain

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-1503408. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

How do you photograph the unphotographable? In this episode we interview MIT research scientist Felice Frankel, who specializes in visualizing science, using pictures to draw audiences in and help scientists more deeply examine their own work, including nanoscale materials that are smaller than wavelengths of light! We also have a mini-interview with graduate student Paige Kinsley about how COVID-19 is affecting chemistry labs in the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology.

(photos by Miriam Krause)

Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page, or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Related links:

• Felice Frankel
• Books: Modern Landscape Architecture, Picturing Science & Engineering, No Small Matter
• Stephen J. Gould; E.O. Wilson; George Whitesides; Don Eigler
• Sustainable Nano blog posts: Ferrofluid, gold color & surface plasmon resonance
• The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology

Interviewees: Felice Frankel & Paige Kinsley

Interviewer: Stephanie Mitchell

Editor: Natalie Hudson-Smith

Producer/Host: Miriam Krause

Music: PC III and Dexter Britain

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-1503408. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

Winter can get pretty dark, especially in northern latitudes, and many cultures have winter holidays that feature and celebrate lights. For our last episode of 2019 we decided to talk about the bright and colorful chemistry of carbon dots! In this mini episode we interview Dr. Christy Haynes, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota and Associate Director of the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology.

Left: Dr. Christy Haynes. Right: Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image of malic acid carbon dots with an inset photo of the carbon dots in aqueous solution and illuminated by 365 nm UV (carbon dot image by Bo Zhi)

Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page, or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Related links:

• Christy Haynes: website, Twitter
• Sustainable Nano blog post: Have you ever seen colorful "carbon"?
• Pham, S. et al. Carbon Dots: A Modular Activity To Teach Fluorescence and Nanotechnology at Multiple Levels. Journal of Chemical Education, 2017. 94(8) 1143-1149. doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00995
• The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology

Interviewee: Christy Haynes

Producer/Host: Miriam Krause

Music: PC III and Dexter Britain

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-1503408. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

How often do college women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) experience sexism? And how do these experiences affect their likelihood of staying in scientific fields? In this episode we talk with Majel Baker, a counseling psychologist who investigated these questions in her doctoral dissertation. Spoiler alert: sexism is bad. But there are ways we can work to improve the situation. Plus, we have a mini-interview about what this year's chemistry Nobel prize had to do with sustainable nanotechnology.

(photo courtesy of Majel Baker)

Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page, or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Related links:

• Majel Baker: website, Twitter
  • articles coming soon (links will be added when available): Daily Sexism Experienced by Women in STEM Majors; The power of peers: Correlates of classroom climate in undergraduate women in STEM
• Natalie Hudson-Smith: website, Twitter
• National Academies Report: Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018)
• Cheryan, et al. Why are some STEM fields more gender balanced than others? Psychological Bulletin, 2017, 143(1) 1-35.
• Grogan, K. How the entire scientific community can confront gender bias in the workplace. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2019, 3,3-6.
• Pollack, E. What really keep women out of tech. New York Times, Oct 10, 2015.
• Rogers, M. STEM-ming the Tide. Inside Higher Ed, Nov 27, 2013.
• Resources about gender: Planned Parenthood - Sexual Orientation and Gender; GLAAD Glossary of Terms - Transgender; The Trevor Project - Trans + Gender Identity
• Liz Laudadio: website
• 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Sustainable Nano blog posts:
  • How do lithium-ion batteries work?
  • Does Eating Turkey Make You Sleepy? (Answer: No, but tryptophan can teach us about nanotoxicology!)
  • Turkeys and Photonic Crystals: Lots to Be Thankful For
• The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology

Interviewees: Majel Baker & Liz Laudadio

Interviewer: Natalie Hudson-Smith

Producer/Host: Miriam Krause

Music: PC III and Dexter Britain

Note: This episode description was edited on Nov 27, 2019 to reflect the fact that Majel Baker has not yet received her PhD. Although she has successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, we're still not allowed to call her "Dr. Baker" quite yet.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-1503408. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

What if every seed you planted could include a sensor to monitor moisture and nutrients? What if every tissue had nanoscale electronics to check for viruses when you blew your nose? Our fourth season launches with an interview about the future of nanotransistor technology with Professor Mike Filler from Georgia Tech. We also begin our new series of timely mini-interviews with a quick conversation about "necrochemistry" in honor of Halloween.

Prof. Michael Filler (left, photo courtesy of Dr. Filler) and his Nanovation Podcast

Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page, or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

#### **ABOUT THIS EPISODE**

Related links:

• Prof. Mike Filler: website, Twitter
• Nanovation Podcast
• Moore's Law
  • Moore’s Law Is Dead. Now What? by Tim Simonite in MIT Technology Review, 2016.
• Prof. Kira Barton
• Prof. Bob Hamers (Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology Director)
• Natalie Hudson-Smith: website, Twitter
• Ask A Mortician YouTube Channel
• The Order of the Good Death
• The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology

Interviewees: Mike Filler & Natalie Hudson-Smith

Producer/Host: Miriam Krause

Music: PC III and Dexter Britain

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-1503408. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

We've got a great lineup of episodes taking shape for this year on our themes of Nanotechnology, Sustainability, and Life in Science. Interviews include Prof. Mike Filler talking about nanowires and his podcast Nanovation, Majel Baker discussing the effects of sexism in science, Felice Frankel talking about visual communication for nanoscience, and that's only the beginning. Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode!

Last November, Dr. Cat Hicks wrote an essay on Medium called "Reading vulnerable learners' applications to grad school: we need to stop failing them." In this episode of the podcast, University of Minnesota graduate student Becky Rodriguez interviews Dr. Hicks about her essay, her educational and career path, and how our educational system can be stacked against vulnerable learners. She offers some advice for applicants, those who review applications, and others who may just want to help. "A truly inclusive and diverse future will produce way better work, and you only get there by saying, 'we have to be comfortable with letting people be different.'" Our conversation is especially relevant given recent news and discussion about unfairness and fraud in U.S. college admissions. (And if you want to know what any of this has to do with asteroid fields, you'll just have to listen to the episode.)

Dr. Cat Hicks (left, photo courtesy of Dr. Hicks) and a tweet about her Medium essay on helping students with grad school applications

Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page, or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

Related links:

Interviewee: Cat Hicks

Producer/Host: Miriam Krause

Interviewer: Becky Rodriguez

Music: PC III and Dexter Britain