S&T Seminar Series

Modern Day Alchemy: Building the Future Atom by Atom

Steven Spurgeon
February 19, 2019
7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive, Richland WA 99352

How do we make electronics for the next iPhone even faster, more efficient, and more reliable? How do we build quantum computers that can safely encrypt millions of financial transactions? And how do we engineer batteries that will last long enough for a cross-country road trip?

Research on the frontiers of science is helping to realize these goals by allowing us to craft materials never before seen in nature. Learn how we build materials a single layer of atoms at a time, how we image atomic structure using state-of-the-art microscopes, and how we use supercomputers to model and predict the behavior of complex systems. Come see how today’s revolution in designer materials is unlocking the technologies of tomorrow.

About the Speaker

Steven Spurgeon, Ph.D., is a staff scientist in the Energy and Environment Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. His research focuses on understanding the synthesis, structure, and properties of
nanoscale materials systems for next-generation electronics, computing, and energy storage. He has published over 30 journal articles and book chapters and has received awards from the National Science Foundation, the Materials Research Society, and the Microscopy Society of America. Prior to joining PNNL, he received his Ph.D. in Materials Science from Drexel University and his B.S. in Materials Science from Carnegie Mellon University.

Research topics