My science writing includes feature articles, interviews, and ghostwritten editorials. Here are some links to samples of my work.
Quantum Engineering Comes of Age
A feature article for ENGenious, the annual magazine of Engineering & Applied Science at Caltech
More than a century ago, scientists exploring phenomena at exceptionally minute scales began reporting strange results that seemed to contradict the established laws of physics: Particles that behaved like waves. Waves that behaved like particles. Discrete values of quantities that surely should instead be continuous, like energy. The implications of these new discoveries were so bizarre, so far-removed from everyday experience, that even one of the “fathers of quantum theory,” Max Planck, initially wondered whether they were purely mathematical tricks with no basis in physical reality.
Beyond the Lab: Prineha Narang, Ph.D.
An interview published as part of an ongoing series of articles for the Moore Foundation
Prineha Narang is an assistant professor of computational materials science at Harvard University. She was also selected as a 2018 Moore Inventor Fellow for her invention, a tiny quantum sensor, which uses a novel and previously unexplored interaction mechanism between light and molecules to sense and identify individual molecules. If successful, this invention could speed the accurate identification of environmental toxins.
In this installment of Beyond the Lab, Prineha discusses the intersection of quantum technology with other fields and what drives her persistent pursuit of big new ideas.
Controlling the Brain, With Lasers!
A general audience article about optogenetics
It's about time I started talking about what I actually work on! I'll have much more to say (and sing!) about my own specific projects later... but for today I'll just briefly highlight one of the most exciting techniques our lab uses: optogenetics. My neuroscience friends are already well-acquainted with this super-hot new technique. But for the uninitiated, allow me to introduce you to biology's latest & greatest fad!
Dendritic Architecture: Form and Function
A “News & Views” article in Nature Neuroscience
In the nervous system, structure and function are closely intertwined. The visionary anatomist Santiago Ramón y Cajal spent his life exploring the complex architecture of neural circuits, from which he made remarkably accurate predictions about the way these circuits work. Now, more than a century later, neuroscientists continue to explore the relationship between form and function, applying the ever-expanding toolbox of modern biology to address this fundamental question. One area of intensive inquiry is the brain's dopaminergic network, which is involved in diverse behavioral functions, including learning, movement, reward prediction, motivation and attention. Dopamine neurons are known to exhibit heterogeneous activity in response to various stimuli and behavioral states, but the anatomical and electrophysiological properties that give rise to specific individual firing patterns in vivo are poorly understood.
Dangerous Science
A general audience article about controversial research & technology
Researchers have reportedly uncovered a dangerous secret, and the way the scientific community chooses to proceed could be a matter of life and death.
The issue at hand is the creation of a modified H5N1 ("bird flu") virus. This is the flu virus that caused global panic several years ago, killing millions of farmed birds and forcing mass-culling of hundreds of millions more to prevent the spread. Hundreds of humans were infected as well, and of those more than half died. This is what sets H5N1 apart -- its alarmingly high mortality rate. Seasonal flus are rarely deadly except in individuals already at risk due to other conditions. H5N1, in contrast, can easily take down a healthy young adult.