Millennium Café

Hydrogen is the simplest molecule in the universe, yet efficient H2 activation, utilization and storage present considerable technological challenges that must be overcome if we are to realize the “green” energy transition.  One such phenomenon is “H spillover”, in which H2 is adsorbed (usually on a metal) and then transferred to a metal oxide or carbon surface.  Once off the metal, the H becomes highly mobile, scampering freely across the surface.  We recently provided the first quantitative measures of H spillover, which leads to the surprising conclusion that spill over is a rare example of entropy-driven adsorption.  This has important implications for spillover-based H2 storage materials and H2 utilization / storage reactions such as CO2 hydrogenation. 

Speaker: Bert Chandler | Chemistry & Chemical Engineering

Digital health is inherently data-driven. However, data itself is not adequate. Successful digital health applications require a human-centered approach that transforms data into user experience, empathy, and inclusivity. In this talk, I will focus on how to create digital health applications by integrating a human-centered and data-driven approach. I will also reflect on two ongoing digital health projects: creating supportive financial technologies  for marginalized communities and using generative AI to provide personalized health interventions.

Speaker: Saeed Abdullah | College of Information Science & Technology

In his famous Nobel lecture, Herbert Kroemer stated, “The interface is the device”, referring to the remarkable properties found at the junctions where layers of different materials meet. However, if the interface is to become the device, then understanding it at the atomic scale is essential. In this talk, I will discuss the important roles interfaces play in boosting the performance and stability of established and emergent technologies such as solar cells, rechargeable batteries, and photoelectrochemical cells.  I will specifically highlight the challenges and opportunities for atomistic computer simulations to complement experiments in the exploration of interfacial structures and properties.

Speaker: Nelson Dzade  |  Energy & Mineral Engineering

 

This talk will discuss the human tendency to over-trust technology, especially AI.  It will explore the psychological reasons behind this phenomenon by articulating key aspects of the speaker’s theoretical models that are supported by empirical data. It will outline the consequences of trusting technology too much, and make the case for practicing socially responsible AI.

Speaker: S. Shyam Sundar  |  Director, Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence

The Millennium Café will return March 12, 2024. Enjoy your spring break.

Chirality, or non-superimposable mirror image structures are common across the natural world (think left and right hands). Even at the nanoscale, proteins are chiral molecules where their specific structure (left or right hand) drives function.  In my group, we leverage sequence-definition and enantiomeric-control of synthetic peptides to tune the chirality and shape of nanoparticles. I will discuss how such nanoparticles can enable discovery of next-generation sensors.

Speaker: Nairiti Sinha | Materials Science & Engineering