Nanotech University: Inside the 2026 IIN Rosemary Schnell Symposium

Under the light of crystalline chandeliers in a ballroom in Evanston, Illinois, scientists from around the world presented research, development and innovative discoveries that primarily occurred on one of the smallest measurable scales. The Rosemary Schnell Symposium was hosted by the International Institute for Nanotechnology on Oct. 15, and it is an annual celebration of breakthroughs and findings in the world of nanoscience. Speakers described the impact of their work across a multitude of different realms like biology, chemistry, medicine and the environment.

Northwestern University is a prominent academic entity in the world of nanotechnology, and a lot of its notoriety has to do with the presence of the IIN on campus. Chad Mirkin, award-winning chemist and Director of the IIN, echoed this point as he introduced the day of presentations.

“We call it NU, which could be Northwestern University, or it could be nanotech university,” Mirkin said.

The symposium featured an accomplished panel consisting of Naomi Halas, a physicist, nanoscientist and a University Professor at Rice University, one of the institution’s highest ranks for faculty, Hongjie Dai, a nanotechnologist, chemist and professor at the University of Hong Kong, Neal Devaraj, a chemist and professor at the University of California San Diego, Xiaodong Chen, a Professor in Materials Science and Engineering at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, Taeghwan Hyeon, the Director of the Center for Nanoparticle Research, the Institute for Basic Science and a Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University, and Christy Landes, a professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Each presenter illustrated their work in different realms of nanoscience research and development and contextualized the large-scale impacts of their findings for the audience.

Dai was the second speaker of the day. He primarily discussed his past research which combined illumination, nanomaterials and infrared imaging to observe blood vessels and tumors and administer immunotherapy.

Dai showed a video of a mouse’s head with illuminated blood vessels that were visible to the naked eye, demonstrating the diagnostic and medical possibilities of nanotechnology when implemented on a large scale. He said the goal is to capture precise images deep within the body for diagnostic purposes, describing the potential as a “new paradigm of biomedical research and surgical intervention.”

The third speaker of the day, Devaraj, detailed his molecular work on the synthesis and reconstruction of proteins and amino acids to be more agreeable to aggregation and absorption in immunizations. He said this work is unique in the realm of molecular biology, and he was thrilled to share it at the symposium.

“This has been such a wonderful event,” Devaraj said. “It’s such a delight to be part of it.”

Devaraj’s feelings were not unique to just him and the other presenters, but audience members as well.

Carol Craig is a hospital pharmacist in Evanston, Illinois and has been a pharmacist since 1982. She last attended the Rosemary Schnell Symposium in 2019 and said she was thrilled to have the day off to be able to come again this year. She said getting to hear about innovative research toward medical development makes her optimistic about the future of medicine.

“It’s fantastic to learn more,” Craig said. “It gives me hope.”

The Rosemary Schnell Symposium has occurred annually since 2001, and its namesake was a teacher, philanthropist and lifelong advocate for the sciences. Before passing in 2021, she established the Rosemary Schnell Fund for Innovation and Technology at the IIN, a fund that “supports outreach programs and helps scientists tackle critical challenges in medicine, energy, and the environment,” according to the event website.

The IIN honored Schnell by naming their annual symposium after her, and Director Mirkin began the event by detailing Schnell’s impact on the IIN and the wider realm of science and education in Illinois.

“She had no background in science, but she was somebody who was quite curious… curious about making the world better,” Mirkin said. “From a couple years back until forever, this will always be the Rosemary Schnell Symposium.”