a blog by the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology
A brief introduction of nanoparticle applications in agriculture from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station There are currently about 7.67 billion people on Earth, and by 2050 the population is expected to increase to nearly 9.8 billion.1 That is a lot of people who all need to eat. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the …
Continue reading "Nanotechnology and Modern Agriculture"
You walk past a body products store on a weekend shopping trip and are immediately overtaken by fragrance, your nose saturated with floral, sugary and tropical scents. Intrigued by the promise of a candle sale, you venture in, perusing the soaps, mists, and candles. About ten free samples later, you find some products labeled ‘aromatherapy’ …
Continue reading "Combining the Old With the New: using nanotechnology to enhance ancient medicines"
It’s hard to turn down an opportunity to share how cool nanoscience is with the public, and especially with children. Back in February, a group of CSN affiliated women hosted an activity at the Science Museum of Minnesota for their Women in Science and Engineering Day. As members of the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, we …
Continue reading "Life is S’more Fun with Nanoscience"
Do you have a favorite color of M&M, or a favorite type of M&M? Personally, I’m partial to orange M&Ms and mini M&Ms. You might think that orange M&Ms taste the same as all the other colors, and minis taste the same as regular-size, but you’d only be half right! Although you might expect both …
Continue reading "Valentine’s Day Science: What do M&Ms have to do with nanotechnology?"
What does food blogging have to do with genetics research? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Ahna Skop, an associate professor of Genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about how art, science, and cooking intersect, as well as some of the benefits and challenges she has experienced being dyslexic. To listen to this podcast …
Every year the Nobel Prizes bring some extra attention to science in the award categories of medicine, physics, and chemistry. This is a great opportunity for the general public to hear about science, but it can pose some communication challenges. How do you explain, for example, "theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases …
Continue reading "How to Understand Nobel Science? Food!"
It’s Sunday night and I am watching one of my favorite shows, which of course revolves around food. In this particular episode, competitors were challenged to incorporate blue into their baked delights without using artificial coloring. That may not seem to be much of a challenge, but there are actually very few naturally occurring blue …
Continue reading "How the Fruits Got Their Colors"
For decades, Americans have spent billions of dollars on vitamin and mineral supplements,1 and despite concerns about effectiveness and safety,2 a 2013 Gallup poll found that half of Americans take a supplement regularly.3 As nanoparticles have made their way into medicine and pharmaceuticals, they have also moved into the health supplement industry. In this post, I will …
Continue reading "Nanoparticles & Food Part 1: Vitamins"
From reading this blog, you may know that nanomaterials are becoming more and more prevalent in the products that we use on a regular basis. What you may not realize is that nanomaterials are also becoming a growing part of our food packaging. In this post, I'm going to explore a few ways in which nanomaterials …
Continue reading "Keeping Our Food Safe – Nanomaterial Style"
Synthesizing nanoparticles is sometimes a lot like baking cookies. You start with ingredients, mix them together, and put them in the oven. After a few hours, you take them out and admire your hard work. Just like there are lots of different kinds of cookies, there are also many different kinds of nanoparticles. The easiest …
Continue reading "How Some Nanoparticles are Like Chocolate Chip Cookies"
Sustainable Nano 