Josh Caldwell from Vanderbilt University, and formerly the United States Naval Research Laboratory, talks about his pioneering work in infrared polaritonics. Polaritons are quasiparticles that couple photons to the motion of electrons or atoms in a material, and allow you to squeeze and manipulate light in nanoscale volumes. In the infrared, this capability may one day allow, for example, the roof of your home to cool even when in direct sunlight. Josh and Mike get a little 'in the weeds,'...

Greg Parsons from North Carolina State University is the guest on this episode of the Nanovation podcast. Greg is an expert on atomic layer deposition (ALD), the process by which thin films or coatings are deposited atomic layer by atomic layer. Or, as Greg explains, almost. We discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of ALD. While Greg has explored the use of ALD in a variety of applications, his pioneering work in the area of textiles stands out. Greg's scientific talks are filled with great...

Greg Parsons from North Carolina State University is the guest on this episode of the Nanovation podcast. Greg is an expert on atomic layer deposition (ALD), the process by which thin films or coatings are deposited atomic layer by atomic layer. Or, as Greg explains, almost. We discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of ALD. While Greg has explored the use of ALD in a variety of applications, his pioneering work in the area of textiles stands out. Greg's scientific talks are filled with great...

Patrik Dalqvist and Elin Langhammer are the CEO and Founder/Technical Director, respectively, of Insplorion AB, a Sweden-based company working to commercialize nanoplasmonic sensing for the environmental monitoring and automotive markets. They joined Mike to talk about the company's birth, the science behind their nanoplasmonic sensor technology, their early attempts to achieve product-market fit, and how their technology promises to dramatically improve the performance and lifetime of...

Patrik Dalqvist and Elin Langhammer are the CEO and Founder/Technical Director, respectively, of Insplorion AB, a Sweden-based company working to commercialize nanoplasmonic sensing for the environmental monitoring and automotive markets. They joined Mike to talk about the company's birth, the science behind their nanoplasmonic sensor technology, their early attempts to achieve product-market fit, and how their technology promises to dramatically improve the performance and lifetime of...

Fred Rascoe from the Georgia Tech Library returns to the show to talk about the changing roles of libraries and scholarly publishing in the 21st century. Fred and Mike discuss why scholarly publishing has been so resistant to, really insulated from, change in the Internet era. They bat around ideas for business models that do not involve universities, companies, or the public paying for expensive journal subscriptions. Mike also makes the argument that peer review is not all it’s cracked up...

Fred Rascoe from the Georgia Tech Library returns to the show to talk about the changing roles of libraries and scholarly publishing in the 21st century. Fred and Mike discuss why scholarly publishing has been so resistant to, really insulated from, change in the Internet era. They bat around ideas for business models that do not involve universities, companies, or the public paying for expensive journal subscriptions. Mike also makes the argument that peer review is not all it’s cracked up...

On this special episode of Nanovation, Mike and Andrew are interviewed on WREK’s North Avenue Lounge. They spoke with host Charlie Bennett about the origin of Nanovation, why they started it, why they keep working on it, where they hope to go, and more. Nanovation will be back with a regular episode in a few weeks. Show details: • Recorded at WREK in Atlanta, GA on December 17, 2018 • Hosted by Charlie Bennett (@bennettradio) • Podcast version edited by Andrew Cannon (@andrewhcannon)...

On this special episode of Nanovation, Mike and Andrew are interviewed on WREK’s North Avenue Lounge. They spoke with host Charlie Bennett about the origin of Nanovation, why they started it, why they keep working on it, where they hope to go, and more. Nanovation will be back with a regular episode in a few weeks. Show details: • Recorded at WREK in Atlanta, GA on December 17, 2018 • Hosted by Charlie Bennett (@bennettradio) • Podcast version edited by Andrew Cannon (@andrewhcannon)...

Bob Hamers is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin—Madison and co-founder of Silatronix, a company that is commercializing a new electrolyte for Li ion batteries. On this episode of the Nanovation podcast, Bob shares the story of Silatronix's founding and the scientific twists and turns that lead them to their current electrolyte design. Bob also talks about the NSF-funded Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology (CSN), which is a multi-institutional partnership devoted to...

Bob Hamers is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin—Madison and co-founder of Silatronix, a company that is commercializing a new electrolyte for Li ion batteries. On this episode of the Nanovation podcast, Bob shares the story of Silatronix's founding and the scientific twists and turns that lead them to their current electrolyte design. Bob also talks about the NSF-funded Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology (CSN), which is a multi-institutional partnership devoted to...

Sebastien Lounis is the co-founder of Cyclotron Road, a fellowship program that supports entrepreneurial scientists as they start down the road of translating a scientific discovery into a commercially viable technology. On this episode of the Nanovation podcast, Sebastien overviews Cyclotron Road, what drove him and his co-founder to start it, how it works, and how it fits into the broader tech-translation landscape. Critically, Cyclotron Road helps to fill the earliest innovation stage gap,...

Sebastien Lounis is the co-founder of Cyclotron Road, a fellowship program that supports entrepreneurial scientists as they start down the road of translating a scientific discovery into a commercially viable technology. On this episode of the Nanovation podcast, Sebastien overviews Cyclotron Road, what drove him and his co-founder to start it, how it works, and how it fits into the broader tech-translation landscape. Critically, Cyclotron Road helps to fill the earliest innovation stage gap,...

Kira Barton from the University of Michigan joins the podcast to share her experience being a professor. At a tier-one research institution like Michigan, the job of professor is so much more than teaching undergraduate students. However, the show starts with a discussion of additive manufacturing, how it's already changing the way we make stuff, and Kira’s lab's exciting research on a new technique called e-jet printing. Whether you're here to learn about the emerging world of additive...

Kira Barton from the University of Michigan joins the podcast to share her experience being a professor. At a tier-one research institution like Michigan, the job of professor is so much more than teaching undergraduate students. However, the show starts with a discussion of additive manufacturing, how it's already changing the way we make stuff, and Kira’s lab's exciting research on a new technique called e-jet printing. Whether you're here to learn about the emerging world of additive...

Swami Rajaraman from the University of Central Florida joins the podcast to talk MEMS. MEMS, or microelectromechanical systems, combine miniaturized structures, sensors, actuators, and microelectronics into a single device. Swami’s laboratory develops new MEMS fabrication methods for the advancement of human health and personalized medicine. In this episode, Swami takes us on a journey from his days as a graduate student at Georgia Tech, to his time as an early employee of the start-up Axion...

Swami Rajaraman from the University of Central Florida joins the podcast to talk MEMS. MEMS, or microelectromechanical systems, combine miniaturized structures, sensors, actuators, and microelectronics into a single device. Swami’s laboratory develops new MEMS fabrication methods for the advancement of human health and personalized medicine. In this episode, Swami takes us on a journey from his days as a graduate student at Georgia Tech, to his time as an early employee of the start-up Axion...

Lars Pleth Nielsen is the director of the Tribology Centre at the Danish Technological Institute. His team works with customers to invent, advance, and industrially deploy coating technologies. Coatings are thin layers that cover most of the materials made today. They can offer protection from the environment, impart different surface properties, and more. On this episode of Nanovation, Lars recounts a variety of stories from his research career, ranging from his exploration of the reaction...

Emily Weiss from Northwestern University joins the podcast for a wide ranging discussion. We start by asking a deep question: "What is good science?" The answer takes us from the discovery of Neptune to the marriage of basic and applied science that made Bell Labs so great. We then discuss her lab's interest in the interactions between light and quantum dots, tiny crystalline particles with diameters less than about 5 nm. We also find time for Emily to share her vision of a future where...

Victor Breedveld from Georgia Tech joins the podcast to discuss "Process Principles for Large-Scale Nanomanufacturing," a perspective piece that he and I co-authored with Sven Behrens and graduate student Maritza Mujica. We overview the state-of-the-art in terms of nanomanufacturing, the pros and cons of modular and integrated manufacturing paradigms, why we think the chemicals industry is a good model for a future nanomanufacturing industry, the physical phenomena that complicate the...

Anna Fontcuberta i Morral from École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland joins the podcast to talk about compound semiconductors and their nanostructures. These more exotic relatives of silicon excel in charge transport and light emission/absorption, which makes them useful in technologies ranging from wireless communications to solid-state lighting. We also talk about the differences between academic research in Europe and the United States. We discuss how...

Elizabeth Nance from the University of Washington talks about the use of nanoparticles to treat neurological diseases. We discuss what makes nanoparticles such interesting vehicles for delivering drugs to the brain, how her lab interrogates this process, and why laboratory success so often fails to translate into people. Elizabeth also shares her perspective on how to train future scientists and engineers to operate in a complex, interdisciplinary world. When a conversation begins with a...