Dr Karen Livesey

Magnetic nanoparticles in fluids can click-together to make miniature stir sticks, scaffolds for building artificial bones, and even barriers to trap cancer cells and prevent their traveling through blood. To realize such structures, one must understand the forces that control how these particles come together. The research team is studying a novel method for connecting nanoparticles together under extreme magnetic forces that are many orders of magnitude larger than naturally occurring ones. Systematic real-time experiments and theoretical simulations are compared to understand the new physics of these systems and their potential applications in nanotechnology. Women and minority PhD and undergraduate students will be recruited for this work that takes place within two Physics departments. In the US, Physics has the lowest female and minority percentage of graduating PhDs of any discipline so this is of critical importance. Through their close interaction, the two groups will design a 30 minute long Magnetic Nanoparticle Show with videos and simple demonstrations, and then perform the show to school groups. This topic is very visual so students will be able to understand the results and the implications for exciting applications such as drug delivery, heating to kill cancer tumors, and lab-on-a-chip. Finally, the two PIs will give talks on nanotechnology at local "Science Cafes," where members of the public can come to discuss science.