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Since its development over 20 years ago, aberration correction has revolutionized the way we study materials at the atomic scale. Here, I outline a set of technical developments for electron microscopes that, when implemented and combined, will enable us to better understand how matter behaves.
Nanoparticles enable wireless neural stimulation without the need for genetic manipulation. However, challenges remain for their potential application in the cure of human neurodegenerative diseases. A careful analysis of the different nanomaterials and energy sources that proved effective in animal models will direct their clinical translatability.
In February 2019, we co-founded LatinXinBME to build a diverse and welcoming virtual community of Latinx researchers in biomedical engineering (BME). We leverage digital tools and community mentoring approaches to support our members and to build safe spaces in academia, with the aim to diversify the academic workforce in STEM.
We must all ask ourselves critical questions about our role in the persistence of racism in academia, its effects on our colleagues and intentional actions to improve equity for all.
3D printing enables on-demand solutions for a wide spectrum of needs ranging from personal protection equipment to medical devices and isolation wards. This versatile technology is suited to address supply–demand imbalances caused by socio-economic trends and disruptions in supply chains.
The rapidly expanding biomaterials data are challenging to organize. Text mining systems are powerful tools that automatically extract and integrate information in large textual collections. As text mining leaps forward by leveraging deep-learning approaches, it is time to address the most pressing biomaterials information and data processing needs.
Batteries, as complex materials systems, pose unique challenges for the application of machine learning. Although a shift to data-driven, machine learning-based battery research has started, new initiatives in academia and industry are needed to fully exploit its potential.
In condensed matter systems, the atoms, electrons or spins can sometimes arrange themselves in ways that result in unexpected properties but that cannot be detected by conventional experimental probes. Several historical and contemporary examples of such hidden orders are known and more are awaiting discovery, perhaps in the form of more complex composite, entangled or dynamical hidden orders.
A global effort is ongoing in the scientific community and in the maker movement, which focuses on creating devices and tinkering with them, to reverse-engineer commercial medical equipment and get it to healthcare workers. For these ‘low-tech’ solutions to have a real impact, it is important for them to coalesce around approved designs.
The first online-only meeting in photonics, held on January 13th 2020, was a resounding success, with 1100 researchers participating remotely to discuss the latest advances in photonics. Here, the organizers share their tips and advice on how to organize an online conference.
Diversity initiatives typically focus on empowering scientists from minority backgrounds to navigate academia. Although such efforts can be valuable, the structural barriers faced by minority scientists must also be addressed, particularly in the distribution of research funding.
