Nanoscape: Exploring the Frontiers Ahead

Understanding polymers at the nanoscale is helping scientists design stronger, more sustainable materials. In this episode, Cécile Chazot, the Julia Weertman Professor in Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University, describes her lab's mission which includes designing next-generation textiles from naturally derived polymers that maintain high performance while improving recyclability and environmental impact. She also explains how lessons from nature and advances in nanoscience could reshape how we design, manufacture, and dispose of the materials that make up everyday products.
Guest: Cécile Chazot, Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Julia Weertman Professor in Materials Science and Engineering
Hosts: Seth Zimmerman, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, IIN and Erin Spain, MS, Podcaster and Science Communicator

In this episode, Julius Lucks, takes us into the nanoscale multiverse of RNA and explains how tiny, dynamic molecules are being engineered into tools to tackle global challenges in human health, water quality, and the environment. He also explains how he keeps real-world needs at the center of his breakthrough research.

Sometimes nanotechnology sounds like science-fiction before it becomes science-fact. In this episode, Julia Kalow, a Northwestern University chemist, who is also trained in creative writing, helps us explore the overlap between fiction and fact in nanotechnology and the  importance of creativity in scientific problem-solving.
 
Guest: Julia Kalow, Dow Chemical Company Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University
Hosts: Seth Zimmerman, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, IIN and Erin Spain, MS, Podcaster and Science Communicator

What if the next industrial revolution is happening molecule-by-molecule? In this episode we explore this idea with Robert Macfarlane, PhD, a Northwestern alumni and MIT materials scientist who is pioneering programmable materials that self-assemble and respond to their environment. Macfarlane explains how his work moves beyond DNA-based assembly to create scalable nanomaterials with real-world potential—from flexible electronics and biomedical devices to photonic materials that manipulate light.
Guest: Robert J. Macfarlane, Richard P. Simmons (1953) Professor in Metallurgy, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Hosts: Seth Zimmerman, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, IIN and Erin Spain, MS, Podcaster and Science Communicator

Dr. Ludmilla Aristilde is an expert in environmental chemistry, environmental biochemistry, and bioengineering, but at the heart of it all is nanoscience. In this episode of Nanoscape Atistilde talks about her research, which includes discoveries in microplastics and nanoplastics and why nanoscience plays a key role in her research group's activities which aims to  gain a fundamental understanding of the "why" and "how" of the environmental behavior of organics, with implications for nutrient cycling, ecosystem health, agricultural productivity, and environmental biotechnology.
Guest: Ludmilla Aristilde, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering,  Northwestern University
Hosts: Seth Zimmerman, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, IIN and Erin Spain, MS, Podcaster and Science Communicat