Today is the first day of our Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology “Phase IIb” renewal! This means that the National Science Foundation (NSF) has renewed our grant funding so the Center can continue for another five years. As the Director of the CSN, I have given a lot of thought to the legacy of our work …
What to expect at your first international science conference
One of the exciting things about being a scientist is that we occasionally get a chance to meet up with colleagues from all over the world. I just got back from the 2018 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Scientific Methods in Cultural Heritage Research in Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain. Now, you may be asking yourself what …
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What is the USA Science and Engineering Festival?
“Whoa!” “We didn’t have anything like this when I was a kid!” “This is awesome!” I heard these three phrases repeated while attending the USA Science and Engineering Festival. What is the USA Science and Engineering Festival, you ask? This festival is knowledge for your child who has any interest in science. This festival is …
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Spring 2018 Update & Recommended Reading
It's been a busy month in the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology! We had our spring all-hands meeting at Johns Hopkins University, where we discussed research, did professional development, and enjoyed some in-person team building. We also got to do an outreach event at the Maryland Science Center, where we had a great time talking with members …
A Veteran’s Story of One Summer with the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology
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, and troubleshot critical casualties during time sensitive operations. However, I have never been so intimidated in my life than with what I was …
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How to Survive Your First Professional Conference
Now that spring semester is coming to an end, a lot of scientists are getting ready to go to scientific conferences over the summer. During spring break I had the opportunity to participate in the American Chemical Society conference held in San Diego. This national conference attracts thousands of chemists from all over the country …
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Chemistry’s Community Spaces
There was a time when book stores and libraries were the places where you met others. Like in today's universities, in which librarians can't get rid of books fast enough, students still go to libraries to study in their carrels. Unfortunately, the flattening of the printed word through electronic delivery is decreasing the need or …
Nanotechnology and Climate Change: Finding Connections
A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to go the Hanse Institute for Advanced Study (“HWK”) in Delmenhorst, Germany, for a round-table discussion called “Finding Common Ground: Interdisciplinary Teaching of Climate Change and Energy Research and Policy Decision Making.” The HWK is a beautiful facility that hosts small conferences and has apartments for …
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Seven Tips for Attending Your First Big Conference
Next week, over ten thousand people will converge on the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center for the fall 2015 meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The ACS was founded in 1876 and has grown to 158,000 members, making it the largest scientific society in the world. Attending such a big conference can seem a little …
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Scientists Gather in Minneapolis to Talk Nanoengineering in Biology
A couple weeks ago, over 300 scientists and engineers with an interest in nanotechnology met together in Minneapolis at the American Society for Mechanical Engineering Nanoengineering in Medicine and Biology meeting. If the title seems like a mouthful, that’s because it is. We just called the conference NEMB (prounounced "N-E-M-B"). Although it seems like I …
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