新月直播app下载

Q&A with DMF-新月直播app下载 development

Professor Aaron Wheeler, University of Toronto

What were the biggest challenges in this project?

The biggest challenge was getting our microfluidic devices to operate reliably inside the bore of the superconducting magnet in an 新月直播app下载 spectrometer.

What was your role within the team?

My research group and I developed digital microfluidic devices and methods and then worked with Andre Simpson鈥檚 group to develop methods to interface with 新月直播app下载.

What different strengths did different people bring to the team?

My team has deep and long-standing expertise in microfluidics. Professor Simpson鈥檚 team is similarly positioned with regards to 新月直播app下载 measurements and applications. Our colleagues at Bruker brought expertise in 新月直播app下载 instrumentation. Together, these disparate strengths came together to support a project that was much more than the sum of its parts.

How do you see this work developing over the next few years / what is next for this technology?

We are working with the Simpson group to develop microfluidic chambers for in-vivo manipulation of microscopic sentinel species for environmental applications.

What's the importance of international collaboration in the chemical sciences?

It is impossible to imagine modern research without collaborations and collaborating internationally (without borders) means that we are able to work with the best of the best.

What does good research culture look like or mean to you?

Good research culture gives the researchers the freedom to explore curiosities and unexpected observations, while being opportunistic in how interesting results can be applied.

How are the chemical sciences making the world a better place?

Chemistry is known as the 'central science' because it underpins nearly every part of the world that we touch, see, smell, and hear, and taste 鈥� it is thus a natural fit for anyone who is curious about the world around them. But as a matter of principle, I always encourage young (and young-at-heart) people to think outside the boundaries of disciplines to explore the world while wearing whatever disciplinary 'hat' (including 鈥楥hemistry鈥� and other hats) that is needed to address the most interesting questions at hand.

What inspires or motivates your team?

My team is motivated by the challenge of attempting to do things that have not been done before.

Professor Andre Simpson, University of Toronto

Does the technology have a positive global impact?

Absolutely, the technology has potential for use for environmental monitoring around the world, many areas of chemical and pharmaceutical research and even potential for rapid disease diagnosis, for example metabolic screening in blood spots.

Why does the technology excite you?

I think we have developed some very futuristic chemical tools. It can take years to discover a new material. By teaching a computer how to control, mix and analyse you can develop automated systems that can accelerate the process which could lead to better performing and more environmentally friendly chemicals and materials in the future. 

What advice would you give to future chemists considering applying?

Don鈥檛 worry about taking risks or trying things just because others tell you it cannot be done. All the big discoveries in my career have come from high-risk projects where we tried something 鈥渙utside the box鈥�. The world of chemistry is diverse and exciting, if you feel you have something interesting and impactful, then definitely apply.

What's the importance of international collaboration in the chemical sciences?

Our team included scientists from Canada, the US, Germany and Switzerland. In my area of research, collaboration is essential. In science, questions are getting more and more complex. For example, a hundred years ago chemists would study the structure of a single chemical, now people ask how does a giant protein fold inside the cell wall of a living organism? To answer such questions, you need larger interdisciplinary teams. I believe collaboration is essential in nearly all areas of modern science.

Amy Jenne, PhD Candidate, Environmental Chemistry - University of Toronto

What's the importance of international collaboration in the chemical sciences?

I believe international collaboration is important for all the sciences. There are valuable perspectives from different countries that someone in Canada, for example, may not consider. Being able to bring these ideas and perspectives together leads to more accessible science, that can more easily be replicated on an international level.

What does good research culture look like or mean to you?

This is an important question, as research can be an incredibly competitive, and sometimes isolating environment. There have been dramatic changes to creating more inclusive spaces in the last few years, but there is still a long way to go. Good research culture is creating an environment that encourages collaboration, not just internationally, or with other research groups, but within the same lab as well.

Why is chemistry important?

Chemistry is essential to all life on Earth. For our research, we have to understand physio-chemical properties to understand how droplets move on DMF chips, and how the chemicals we use during an exposure will interact within an organism on a molecular level. However, it is also important to not just consider chemistry 鈥渋n isolation鈥�. We couldn鈥檛 conduct the research we do without understanding the complex mathematics and physics that went into designing and creating the 新月直播app下载 system, or understanding the evolution and reproduction of the living organisms we use. I believe that all these fields are important because they allow us to gain a greater understanding of the world around us, and how different things can, and do interact.