With the global population at nearly 8 billion, there is a growing demand for a safer and more sustainable ways of food production. New technologies are constantly being developed to help keep food fresh and flavorful while also enhancing its quality and nutrition. Nanotechnology is playing a big role in many of these innovations! Nanotechnology ..read more

If you’ve read this blog before, you are likely to know what nanoparticles are: bits of matter on the 1-100 nm scale that have unique properties different from bigger sizes of the same material.  But you might not know what we mean when we say “proteomics,” which sounds to me sort of like “proteins” + “Olympics” If only studying proteomics meant I got to go to the Paris Olympics… (left by Léonard Cotte, right by Earth) Read more: What are Nanoparticle Proteomics? Proteomics is actually a combination of the words “protein” and “genomics.”  You might remember that each person’s genome ..read more

What do silver nanoparticles have to do with snowflakes and crochet? Usually, not much! But recently, scientists have created methods to make snowflake-like shapes out of silver nanoparticles 1, and their methods reminded me not only of snowflakes but also of how I make some of my own crochet projects.  Left: A nanoscale crystal of coated silver nanoparticles (image used with permission from Ratout et al. 2022, ACS Nano1). Right: a crocheted snowflake (photo by Abby Stitgen, pattern courtesy of  Irarott.com4). So what do these different shapes have in common? Snowflakes, like many ot ..read more

As part of the observance of Black History Month at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, we created a handout to honor and remember the many foundational contributions made by Black scientists in food and agricultural research, extension, and advocacy. It is designed to be accessible for elementary-aged children, and our original goal was that CAES staff could use it in their outreach. The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology asked permission to post it here on the Sustainable Nano blog as well, so I hope it may be of use to the audience here. Just a few prominent leaders are list ..read more

Today’s blog post is a Valentine’s Day message from our universe, sent 7500 years ago from an address 44,000,000,000,000,000,000 (that’s 44 quadrillion, or 4.4×1019) miles away.  An image of the Heart Nebula taken through my telescope. Keep reading for an explanation of the red color! (image by Bob Hamers) As a scientist, I have always been intrigued the idea of spectroscopy—the idea that the different colors (wavelengths) of light reveal the nature of the universe around us. I even wrote another blog post about the chemistry of color after an inspiring trip to Alaska, “Bob’s Beautiful Bl ..read more

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, you may be looking for an easy, fun, do-it-yourself activity to do with your significant other or friends. Or, you may be interested in an edible science experiment that teaches some basic chemistry principles. Either way, making your own rock candy is a great way to learn more about crystal formation.  Making rock candy is a fun, delicious way to learn more about the science of crystallization. (image by Savannah Phillips) Ingredients & equipment For this recipe, you will need: 12 cups (about 4 lbs) of granulated sugar 4 cups of water  A l ..read more

As the world’s population grows and climate change messes with how plants grow, scientists are diving deep into ways to make plants healthier and help them grow better. They’re all about finding new ways to get nutrients and fertilizers to plants, especially through their leaves because that’s where they first meet the world.  The surface of plant leaves plays a critical role in the plant system (image by Liubov Ilchuk) Figuring out how this tiny nutrient-to-leaf connection works, especially in nano-agriculture, is super important. It’s like a secret path for plants to soak up all the goo ..read more

The first quantum revolution occurred almost a hundred years ago and changed the world with the invention of computers, telecommunication, and satellite navigation1. Now, the second quantum revolution is underway, harnessing the power of quantum mechanics and computers to revolutionize drug research, materials discovery, and artificial intelligence!2  Quantum computing is pushing the limits of modern computers and helping scientists make discoveries faster than ever!  (image from Rawpixel)  Bits & Bytes Classical or traditional computing uses binary digits, or bits, to sto ..read more

(written with help from Ravithree Senanayake) Leading up to our Fall 2023 CSN All-Hands meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a group of CSN students, post-docs, and faculty arrived at Deer Creek Intermediate School just outside Milwaukee in St. Francis, Wisconsin. We were greeted by a gaggle of sixth, seventh, and eight graders, all excited for a deviation from their normal school day.  We set up four stations to introduce the students to different aspects of nanotechnology.  CSN grad students Caroline Anastasia and Connor Protter and Professor Qiang Cui talking with students at our outr ..read more

The United States celebrates Veteran’s Day each year on November 11 as a way to recognize and remember those who have served in the Armed Forces. The history of the holiday dates back to the armistice of World War I on November 11, 1918, and this year some institutions are observing the holiday today since the 11th falls on a Saturday. Here on the Sustainable Nano blog, we’ve had several posts over the years written by participants in our Research Experience for Veterans program. You can check them out here: A Veteran’s Story of One Summer with the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology by Hyo ..read more