Congratulations to Dr. Levi Hogan who successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis, entitled “Single Nanoparticle Absorption Spectroscopy: Chemical Dynamics Using Optical Microresonators.” on September 22nd! Levi recently accepted a Senior Scientist position at PPD.
Congratulations to Dr. Xiaoxiao Yao who successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis, entitled “Photoluminescence Mechanism and Agricultural Application of Carbon Dots.” on July 28th. Xiaoxiao will start work at Eat Just in San Francisco and will be an incredible training opportunity for Xiaoxiao as she enters the science field!
Congratulations to Dr. Curtis Green who successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis, entitled “Material and Medium Composition Influence on Nanomaterial Transformations in the Environment,” on July 12! He has accepted a position with MilliporeSigma.
We are deeply saddened to share that our dear colleague, Dr. Joel Pedersen, passed away on June 30 after an 8-month battle with brain cancer. CSN Director Bob Hamers shares this remembrance of his friend: Many of you are aware of Joel’s critical role in the CSN, dating back more than 5 years before the center started. He and I started collaborating around 2003-2004 through the campus Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC); that collaboration later nucleated the broader collaboration that ultimately became the CSN. Joel was a font of knowledge about everything in the field of environmental science and was perhaps the most well-read and smartest person I’ve ever met. He provided important and unique perspective on the center’s connections to… Read More »In Memory of Prof. Joel Pedersen
Congratulations to Dr. Stephanie Mitchell who successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis, entitled “Investigating Bacterial Response To Environmental Pressure: Molecular-Level Characterization of Resistance to Engineered Nanomaterials,” on July 6th. Stephanie has been selected as one of 15 California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) Policy Fellows for the coming year where she will guide science and technology policy development in California and advise decision makers. The CCST is the most established and recognized state-level fellowship and will be an incredible training opportunity for Steph as she enters the science policy field!
Laura Kesner defended her thesis on June 14 titled “Impact of surface properties on nanoparticle-induced phase change in phospholipid vesicles”. Congratulations Dr. Kesner!
Paige Kinsley defended her thesis, entitled “Carbon Coatings as a Tool for Controlling Surface Chemistry of Materials” on May 31, 2022. Paige has accepted a position as Education Outreach Lead for the Argonne Leadership Computational Facility at Argonne National Labs. Congratulations, Dr. Kinsley!
Dr. Kerrie Wilkins-Yel has accepted our invitation to become our CSN Scholar-in-Residence for summer 2022. Dr. Wilkins-Yel is an Assistant Professor of Counseling and School Psychology, College of Education and Human Development at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. She also founded and co-directs the I Can Persist STEM Initiative, “a multi-component research-based program aimed at promoting STEM persistence among women and girls of color.” She will participate in various activities with the center, including a Wednesday seminar about her research and mentoring summer undergraduate students on translating science through an equity-centered lens.
Podcast interview on Nano Matters with CSN faculty member Juan Pablo Giraldo. He discusses how nanosensers will be able to communicate their health status with plants via fluorescence/light intensity. This technology can be used to detect hazardous substances as well. Listen here.
REad the article highlighting our CSN Associate Director on the importance and use of nanoparticles: https://cse.umn.edu/college/faculty-science-small “You can’t see any of the nanoparticles we make but they can be used to deliver drugs to fight disease or transport nutrients to increase crop yield. They can also be used to sense things or to make things visible. For example, we have a collaboration with Ecolab on some nanoparticles we make, and the goal is to incorporate them into products so you can trace where the products have been used.” Christy Haynes
