Millennium Café

The Center for Nanoscale Science, Penn State’s NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, will compete for renewal in 2018, with the preproposal due at NSF in June.  NSF expects – and we intend to deliver – substantial change in the focus and composition of the Interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs) that will comprise the renewal proposal. 

This talk will describe (1) the internal down select competition to become one of the IRGs in the renewal proposal, (2) the events, people, and resources that will be available throughout the winter and early spring to help teams in generating compelling IRG white papers, and (3) the key measures of a successful IRG proposal.

Alignment to the NSF Big Ideas is important: these include (among others) Rules of Life, Harnessing the Data Revolution, Quantum Leap, Convergence, and Multiumessenger Astrophysics. Sustainability is another important theme. In the last cycle, 54 external reviews were secured on 9 internal IRG white papers, to identify 5 for inclusion in the renewal.

If you are interested but unable to attend the Cafe, an additional similar event will be held in early January (time/place TBA), and the MRSEC Director (vhc2@psu.edu) is available anytime for discussion.

Due primarily to a fantastically diverse audience, (thank YOU) the Millennium Café has become a weekly interdisciplinary cup-o-goodness.  Over the past 6+ years Café participants have been treated to >600 different talks spanning science, engineering, art, agriculture, ethics, live music, etc…  In the spirit of keeping the Café fresh, engaging, and relevant we’ll take a few minutes to get your real time feedback on three questions – bring your device.

What if the barriers between human beings and science could be dissolved with individual and collective acts of communication?  What if science communication begins with what each scientist believes about communicating?  What if everything everywhere begins with what a human being believes? ... What was the question?

Susan Russell | School of Theatre

Using the ancient art of mask-making, we will explore “self” in the specific context of professional identity formation.  I will discuss how this unique art form has helped me to explore multiple, liminal and evolving elements of identity. The conversation will focus on developing an authentic sense of self when competing demands create potential moral dilemmas as we seek to determine, refine and (potentially) reconcile our personal and professional identities.

Mark Stephens | Penn State College of Medicine

This talk will present characterization, processing, and high-volume use of industrial waste products in producing high-performance concrete for infrastructure applications. Specifically, we will focus on the fluidized bed combustion (FBC) technology that is widely used in Pennsylvania for environmental cleanup of waste coal (gob) piles and producing electricity. The byproduct FBC ash contains dehydroxilated clays which can beneficially react with Ca- and Al-bearing phases in concrete.  Opportunities and challenges will be presented.

The National Science Foundation recently funded a new ultrafast microscopy facility at Penn State through the Major Research Instrumentation program. This talk will begin with a description of the facility from the perspective of its use as a tool to examine the electronic properties of 2D materials and to tune those properties through control of doping chemistry. The second part of the talk will discuss plans to expand the scope of the facility to enable operando measurements of new electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution, formation of SEI layers at battery electrodes, and water dynamics in membranes for purification and energy applications among others.