Sustainable Nano

Hosted by Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, Elfy Chiang

Technology Science

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Jul 2026

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About the show

Curious about nanotechnology, sustainability, and life in science? The Sustainable Nano podcast is produced by the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, a chemistry research center funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

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53 recent

July 21, 202654 min

Ep. 47. Burn it Down: harassment, abuses of power, and advocating for change in STEM

What does fighting abuses of power in Hollywood have to do with science? In this episode, reporter Maureen Ryan discusses her book, "Burn it Down: Power, Complicity and a Call for Change in Hollywood," and the many parallels with cultural structures in science and academia. Mo shares her insights into how abuses of power arise and persist, and ideas for creating systemic change in the workplace. Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page , or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Overcast . ABOUT THIS EPISODE Related links : Maureen "Mo" Ryan: Website Book: Burn It Down: Power, Complicity and a Call for Change in Hollywood Further References: Nature Harassment Survey (2021) Vanity Fair book excerpt on Lost Project Callisto Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Work Culture Report (2016) The Genius Myth by Helen Lewis Caroline Framke in Vox : "Instead of mourning great art tainted by awful men, mourn the work we lost from their victims" A Short History of Nearly Everything , by Bill Bryson American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) article on disparity and advancement on women's health research Cell journal article on disparity of research funding towards Black scientists Interviewee : Mo Ryan Interviewer/Producer : Miriam Krause Music: PC III and Dexter Britain This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-2001611. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

July 6, 202643 min

Ep 46. Centering What it's Really About

Dr. Della Mosley is a healer, counseling psychologist, and former professor who is now part of the WELLS Healing Center in North Carolina. Dr. Della served as the Wellness, Equity, and Liberation Consultant for the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology for four years, an unusual and very special arrangement for a chemistry research center. This long-term role allowed for relationship building, deep mentoring, and the ebbs and flows of culture change work that are almost impossible to accommodate in one-off workshops or individual training courses. In this conversation, recorded back in summer 2024, Dr. Della shares their perspective on holistic wellness for scientists, reflects on the project of supporting Wellness, Equity, and Liberation work in the CSN, and provides advice for scientists moving forward into the future. Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page , or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Overcast . ABOUT THIS EPISODE Related links : Della Mosley: CSN profile , Personal Website Blafemme Healing Model Whole Wayves Academics for Black Lives Nap Ministry by Tricia Hersey Further References: Black Feminist Theory Racial Capitalism White Supremacy Culture Interviewee : Della Mosley Interviewer/Producer : Miriam Krause Music: PC III and Dexter Britain This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-2001611. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

December 31, 20252 min

Season 7 Preview

It's the 7th season of the Sustainable Nano Podcast! Here's a quick preview of the three episodes of this final mini-season, including interviews with Dr. Della Mosley , Maureen Ryan , and Dr. Bob Hamers & Dr. Christy Haynes . Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page , or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or other podcast apps. #### **ABOUT THIS EPISODE** Related links : Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology Unbreaking.org Stand Up for Science Producer/Host : Miriam Krause Music: PC III This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-2001611. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

March 15, 202437 min

Ep 45. The World is Really Ready for Change

Professor Mike Curry of the North Carolina Agricultural & Technological State University (NCAT) is a scientist, inventor, mentor, and advocate with a passion for bringing attention to the great research that happens at Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs). In this episode we share an interview between Dr. Curry and Dr. Bob Hamers, Director of the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, discussing Dr. Curry's nanocellulose research and the process of bringing HBCUs and Primarily White Institutions (PWIs) together for meaningful collaboration. image shows Mike Curry (above) and Bob Hamers (below) during their Zoom call to record this interview Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page , or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Overcast , or listen on NSF's Science Zone Radio . ABOUT THIS EPISODE Related links : Mike Curry: CSN profile , LinkedIn Bob Hamers: CSN profile , Lab website Accounts of Chemical Research : Special Issue on Advancing Research at HBCUs NCAT Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering , Podcast episode 12: Making Sustainable Nanoparticles from Plants with Mike Curry Podcast episode 7: What Do Glaciers Have to Do with Nanoscience? with Bob Hamers CSN & Curry group alum Dr. Donald White Binghamton University Emerging Science & Technology Summit NSF Ideas Lab: Advancing Research Capacity at HBCUs through Exploration and Innovation (ARC-HBCU) Recent patent: High-throughput synthesis of metallic nanoparticles The NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology Interviewee : Mike Curry Interviewer : Bob Hamers Producer/Host : Miriam Krause Music: PC III and Dexter Britain This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-2001611. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

December 20, 202341 min

Ep 44. Part of Something Bigger: Social Media, Mentoring, & Friendship with Stuart Cantrill

Early in the COVID pandemic, then-graduate student Safia Jilani became Twitter buddies with the Chief Editor of the prestigious journal Nature Chemistry , Dr. Stuart Cantrill. Dr. Jilani is now a Postdoctoral Fellow with the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, and Dr. Cantrill is now the Editorial Director for all of Nature 's physics and chemistry journals... and they finally got the chance to meet in person last month! In this episode we bring you a conversation between these two chemists about the power and challenges of social media, the importance of mentorship, and being open to unforeseen career paths. image shows Stuart Cantrill (left) and Safia Jilani (right) enjoying ice cream in Cambridge Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page , or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Stitcher , or listen on NSF's Science Zone Radio . ABOUT THIS EPISODE Related links : Stuart Cantrill: blog, BlueSky Safia Jilani: website , BlueSky Nature Chemistry : website , Twitter Nature Nanotechnology : website , Twitter A Review and Critique of Academic Lab safety research by Dana Ménard and John F. Trant. Nature Chemistry 2020, 12, 17-25. The race to the bottom and the route to the top by Dave K. Smith. Nature Chemistry 2020, 12, 101-103. ( Professor_Dave on Twitter) A Diverse View of Science to Catalyse Change by César A. Urbina-Blanco, Safia Z. Jilani_,_ Isaiah R. Speight, Michael J. Bojdys, Tomislav Friščić, J. Fraser Stoddart, and colleagues. Nature Chemistry 2020, 12 , 773-776 (note: this editorial was also co-published in 5 additional journals) Ternary CoPtAu Nanoparticles as a General Catalyst for Highly Efficient Electro-Oxidation of Liquid Fuels by Junrui Li, Safia Jilani, & Colleagues. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2019, 11527-11533. Other folks mentioned in this episode: Junrui Li , Michelle Muzzio , RealTimeChem and Jason Woolford , Martin Stoermer , American Chemical Society , Royal Society of Chemistry , BlackinChem , ChemJobber The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology Interviewee : Stuart Cantrill Interviewer : Safia Jilani Producer/Host : Miriam Krause Music: PC III and Dexter Britain This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-2001611. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

November 7, 202342 min

Ep 43. Revolutionizing How we Grow, Distribute, & Store Food: Revisiting the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Five years after our first interview, we catch up with Dr. Jason White about chemistry at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and how nanoscience can benefit agriculture and global food security. Graduate student Beza Tuga interviews Jason about his new role as Director of CAES and exciting research collaborations between CAES and the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology. image shows Beza Tuga (left) and the CSN team in Jason's office (L-R Jason White, Cheng-Hsin Huang, Wilanyi Alvarez Reyes, Beza Tuga, & Chaoyi Deng) Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page , or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Stitcher , or listen on NSF's Science Zone Radio . ABOUT THIS EPISODE Related links : Jason White: website Beza Tuga: website , Twitter Interview from 2017: Ep 17. Putting Science to Work for Society: A Visit to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Podcast episode with Dr. Wade Elmer: Ep 25. Finding the Next Fix for the World's Problems: More from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Sustainable Nano blog post by CAES postdoc Dr. Yu Shen: Nanotechnology and Modern Agriculture The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station podcast: Coast & Country The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Report: The State of Food and Agriculture 2022 Undark magazine: In Connecticut, a Nanoscale Agricultural Experiment With Global Potential by Jan Ellen Spiegel The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology Interviewee : Jason White Interviewer : Beza Tuga Producer/Host : Miriam Krause Music: PC III and Dexter Britain This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-2001611. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

July 3, 202343 min

Ep 42. Why We All Feel So Terrible And What to Do About It

Mental Health Awareness Month was back in May, but it's never too late to talk about mental health and strategies for taking care of ourselves during difficult times. In this episode we share a discussion with psychiatrist Dr. Kaz Nelson called "Why we all feel so terrible and what to do about it." image shows a profile photo of Dr. Nelson Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page , or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Stitcher , or listen on NSF's Science Zone Radio . ABOUT THIS EPISODE Related links : Kaz Nelson: website , Twitter The Mind Deconstructed Podcast The Blackfoot Wisdom that Inspired Maslow's Hierarchy The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology Interviewee : Kaz Nelson Producer/Host : Miriam Krause Editor : Jack Rahill Music: PC III and Dexter Britain figure by by Nathalie Martinek with Khurram Jahangir. Model originally adapted by Eva Migdal This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-2001611. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

June 27, 20232 min

Season 6 Trailer

We've got a great set of episodes for Season 6 following our themes of Nanotechnology, Sustainability, and Life in Science. Interviews include the founders of @BlackinNanotech , Dr. Olivia Geneus and Jarriaun Streets; materials scientist Dr. Suveen Mathaudhu; and psychiatrist Dr. Kaz Nelson , plus others! Subscribe now so you won't miss an episode.

March 8, 202327 min

Ep 41. Stronger, Tougher, Lighter

What do nanotechnology, blacksmithing, and Star Wars have in common? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Suveen Mathaudhu about a range of topics from medical applications of materials science to metallurgy in The Mandalorian . Zoom screen shot of Dr. Mathaudhu showing off his Armorer action figure (complete with her blacksmithing tools) Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page , or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Stitcher , or listen on NSF's Science Zone Radio . ABOUT THIS EPISODE Related links : Suveen Mathaudhu: website , Twitter This is the Way: Tracing the Path between Damascus Steel and Beskar by Suveen N. Mathaudhu, Eric M. Taleff, & Jeffrey Wadsworth. 2022, JOM 74, 4466-4478 Scale of Scientific Monsters Podcast episode: Ep 4. Nano Superheros: At the Interface of Art and Science The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology Interviewee : Suveen Mathaudhu Producer/Host : Miriam Krause Editor : Jack Rahill Music: PC III and Dexter Britain This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-2001611. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

October 22, 202128 min

Ep 40. This Is the Future

It's the first episode of season 6! Come for the nanopharmacology, stay for the robotics and fun with Twitter networking. In this episode, we interview Olivia Geneus and Jarriaun Streets about founding #BlackinNanotech, how they got into science, and the challenges of communicating about nanotechnology. Black in Nanotech founders Olivia Geneus (left) and Jarriaun Streets (right), along with the #BlackInNano logo Want more podcast episodes? You can find them all on our podcast page , or you can subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Stitcher , or listen on NSF's Science Zone Radio . ABOUT THIS EPISODE Related links : Olivia Geneus : LinkedIn , Twitter , Physics World profile Jarriaun Streets : LinkedIn , The Science Talk video interview Beza Tuga : website , Twitter Black in Nanotech : website , Twitter , Instagram EMOHAITI : website , Instagram Hopital Bernard Mevs & Project Medishare Haiti Relief : GoFundMe Black in Chemistry : website , Twitter , Instagram Black in X : website , The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology Interviewees : Jarriaun Streets & Olivia Geneus Interviewer : Beza Tuga Producer/Host : Miriam Krause Music: PC III and Dexter Britain This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-2001611. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.