Nanoscape: Exploring the Frontiers Ahead

The batteries powering our phones, laptops, and electric vehicles begin to degrade from their very first charge. In this episode of Nanoscape, Northwestern University professor Jeffrey Lopez, PhD, reveals how chemical reactions at the nanoscale affect battery lifespan, performance, and safety. Discover practical ways to extend battery life and how innovations in graphene, sustainable materials, and artificial intelligence could lead to safer, longer-lasting batteries and transform the future of energy storage.
Guest: Jeffrey Lopez, PhD – Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University
Hosts: Seth Zimmerman (IIN) & Erin Spain, MS

What can the powerful punch of a mantis shrimp teach us about engineering stronger, more resilient materials? In this episode of Nanoscape, Northwestern University professor Horacio Espinosa reveals how nature's design secrets drive groundbreaking innovations in nanotechnology. Discover how nanoscale engineering and AI are shaping impact-resistant materials, advanced medical devices, and the future of personalized medicine.

Guest: Horacio D. Espinosa, PhD – Walter P. Murphy Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University
Hosts: Seth Zimmerman (IIN) & Erin Spain, MS

What can an anthropologist teach us about designing better nanotechnology? Northwestern University Anthropology  professor Sera Young has dedicated her career to understanding how people experience water insecurity, looking beyond whether water is available to questions of access, safety, reliability and trust. In this episode, Young talks about her research that is helping shape rapid, at-home water diagnostics that can detect contaminants like lead, showing why the human experience is essential to designing technology that works in the real world.
Guest: Sera Young, PhD,  Professor of Anthropology & Global Health, Northwestern University, Member of IIN
Hosts: Seth Zimmerman, associate director of marketing and communications, IIN, and Erin Spain, MS, podcaster and science communicator

How do you design a medicine that can find the right cells in the body, navigating the body's natural defenses like the blood-brain barrier? Biomedical engineer Emily Day  explains how nanotechnology is making drug delivery more precise by helping therapies navigate the body's natural barriers, target disease with greater accuracy, and reduce side effects. She also explores how bio-inspired nanoparticles, AI, and advances in diagnostics could shape the next generation of medicine. 
Guest: Emily Day, PhD, Professor, Biomedical Engineering, University of Delaware
Hosts: Seth Zimmerman, associate director of marketing and communications, IIN, and Erin Spain, MS, podcaster and science communicator

What does the soft side of nanotechnology look like? Todd Emrick, professor of polymer science and engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, explains how polymers are transforming everything from medical devices and electronics to next-generation sustainable materials, and why some of nanotechnology's biggest breakthroughs happen at the interface between soft and hard materials.
Guest: Todd Emrick, Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Hosts: Seth Zimmerman, associate director of marketing and communications, IIN, and Erin Spain, MS, podcaster and science communicator