Explaining the intricacies of nanopore fabrication to those unfamiliar with nanoscience is no easy task, but thanks to researchers in the Department of Physics, these incredible tools will soon become mainstream knowledge as they transform diagnostic medicine, DNA sequencing, and even digital information storage. To help make them more accessible, Professor Vincent Tabard-Cossa and members of his Lab, Matthew Waugh and Dr. Kyle Briggs, accompanied by technician Michael McLaughlin and illustrator Michel Hellman, created a short animated video to explain their recent breakthrough, a technique called Controlled Breakdown, which is an easily accessible method by which to make nanopores. This outreach project helped promote the publication of their protocols, hardware designs, and software that together provides a DIY platform for fabricating solid-state nanopores into something truly simple enough for a child to understand.
To that end, the Tabard-Cossa Lab also seeks to develop outreach activities for young students. Now that it is affordable and easy to make nanopores, this science is accessible to youth at the high school and undergrad level. They are working to develop labs to carry out activities related to nanoscience with local youth, and regularly host middle- and high-school students who spend a day learning about and using nanopores to do real, practical nanoscience.
Prof. Tabard-Cossa’s main objective with this knowledge mobilization project was not so much to explain nanopore fabrication to experienced nanoscience researchers, but rather to make the science accessible to a much wider audience. He wants to proliferate this technology to the point that it can finally be used to realize decades-old promised disruptions to diagnostic medicine, DNA sequencing, and digital information storage. As a start, Prof. Tabard-Cossa and his team published the animation through a uOttawa Media press release and shared it through social media and scientific news outlets. Since its publication, Prof. Tabard-Cossa has been approached by several researchers from laboratories around the world who recognize the potential of the technology and the simplicity of the method. While a few just want help getting up and running themselves, most are interested in purchasing a plug-and-play version of the method.
When asked about his experience developing the outreach resources, Prof. Tabard-Cossa cheerfully responded that, “It was a lot of work—scripting, working with the illustrator, recording the voiceover… all very time consuming. But well worth it!” Ultimately, this collaborative project has given researchers worldwide one of the most important ingredients to success: confidence. He adds, “It has given them the confidence to get involved in nanopore fabrication in their labs regardless of their previous experience in nanoscience.”
