Sir Harold (Harry) Kroto was one of three recipients of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1996, the same year that he was knighted for his contributions to chemistry. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, and holds an emeritus professorship at the University of Sussex in Brighton, United Kingdom. He is currently on the faculty at Florida State University, where he started an educational initiative known as the Global Educational Outreach for Science, Engineer­ing, and Technology, or GEOSET. This initiative seeks to exploit the revolutionary creative dynamics (what Harry Kroto calls the GYW – Google, YouTube and Wikipedia world,) of the Internet to improve the general level of science teaching worldwide.

He obtained a first class BSc honors degree in chemistry (1961) and a PhD, in molecular spectroscopy (1964) at the University of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, United Kingdom. After a post-doctoral position at the National Research Council in Ottawa from 1964 to 1966, he spent a year at the Murray Hill Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, and in 1967 he started his academic career at the University of Sussex.

In 1970 his team conducted laboratory and radio astronomy studies on long linear carbon chain molecules, and discovered that these molecules existed in interstellar space. In 1985, he worked with Richard Smalley and Robert Curl at Rice Univer­sity in Texas, performing laboratory experiments which simulated the chemical reactions in the atmosphere of red giants, and uncovered the existence of C₆₀ Buckminsterfullerene, a new form of carbon. Smalley, Curl, and Kroto received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work.

In 1995, he inaugurated the Vega Science Trust to create science films of sufficiently high quality for network television broadcast. He holds 29 honorary degrees from universities in the UK and abroad, as well as many scientific awards. From 2004 he has been on the Board of Scientific Governors at Scripps Institute. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2007.

His research program at Florida State University focuses on the range of molecular constituents of carbon vapor; the devel­opment of novel 2D arrays and associated open framework systems of metal cluster/organic linkers as well as peptides; the stabilization of small fullerenes; and carbon nanotube based devices.

James G. Batterson

Jim Batterson has taught physics and mathematics at Menchville High School in Newport News, worked as a scientific programmer for LTV Corporation, and, from 1980 until his retirement in 2008, was a research engineer at NASA Langley Research Center. At NASA he was responsible for flight research on the dynamics and control of aerospace vehicles, served as Head of the Dynamics and Control Branch, and later as Deputy Director for Strategic Development. He has also served on a number of community boards including the Newport News School Board and New Horizons Regional Education Center Board. While at NASA, he carried out assignments to the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, NASA Headquarters, and, most recently, to the Office of the Secretary of Education in Richmond, VA. He currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Commonwealth for STEM Initiatives.

Wrote: Preparing Virginia’s Students for the 21st Century in STEM*: An SOL Analysis by Practicing Scientists and Engineers. It is an amazing assessment of where we are and why our students are so far behind in STEM education.

Marlene Bourne

Marlene Bourne, President & Principal Analyst of Bourne Research LLC, is internationally recognized as one of the leading experts on MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) and its convergence with Nanotechnology. With nearly 15 years of expertise as an industry analyst, her technology and market insight extends from the chip to the end-use product, with both broad and deep knowledge of countless products, companies, markets and applications.

Marlene has provided insight on emerging technologies to many business and technical publications, including Business 2.0, BusinessWeek, The Economist, Forbes, Investor's Business Daily, Los Angeles Times Magazine, the New York Times, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. She has authored dozens of articles for a wide array of industry publications and is a frequent speaker at conferences and corporate events.

In 2008, as part of a one-year educational outreach effort, Marlene produced and hosted a weekly science radio show (The Bourne Report), which aired on Independent 1310 KXAM in Phoenix. She is also the author of two award-winning books: A Consumer's Guide to MEMS & Nanotechnology and MEMS & Nanotechnology for Kids. Marlene is currently writing her third book, The Future of Healthcare: BioMEMS and Nanomedicine.

Prior to launching Bourne Research, Marlene was Vice President of Research and Principal Analyst with Small Times Media, where she helped create a market research division focused on MEMS and Nanotechnology. From 2000 through 2005, Marlene followed the emergence and growth of MEMS as Senior Analyst at In-Stat, a leading provider of high-tech market research. Before that, Marlene spent five years as a freelance industry analyst specializing in MEMS, as well as a wide range of sensors and sensor-based technologies.

Dr. Wade Adams

Dr. Wade Adams is the Director of the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice University. The Smalley Institute is devoted to the development of new innovations on the nanometer scale by coordinating and supporting nanoscience and nanoengineering research of over 150 faculty members. Some current thrusts include research in carbon nanotubes, nanoporous membranes, molecular electronics and computing, and diagnostic and therapeutic medical applications of buckyballs and nanoshells. The Smalley Institute is part of a major initiative at Rice to expand activities in nano, bio, info and energy and enviro science and engineering.

Dr. Adams retired from the US Air Force senior executive ranks in January 2002, as the Chief Scientist of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Adams was educated at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Massachusetts.

For the past 40 years he has conducted research in polymer physics, concentrating on structure-property relations in high-performance organic materials. He is internationally known for his research in high-performance rigid-rod polymer fibers, X-ray scattering studies of fibers and liquid crystalline films, polymer dispersed liquid crystals, and theoretical studies of ultimate polymer properties. He has written more than 200 publications on these topics, including several review articles and two edited books, has four patents (one licensed), and has given over 700 technical presentations. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Air Force Research Laboratory. Dr. Adams also retired from the Air Force Reserve in the rank of Colonel in 1998.

Dr. Lisa Regalla

Lisa Regalla is the Science Editor for DragonflyTV and developed science content for this season of DragonflyTV Nano. She was in charge of the scientific accuracy of the production as well as the accompanying educational materials in collaboration with science museums and research institutes. Lisa obtained her PhD in Chemistry in 2007 from the University of Florida. She has had several years of experience in science outreach. Prior to graduate school, she was employed for two years as the Manager of School Partnerships and Outreach Program Coordinator at The Discovery Center of Science & Technology in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Following her graduate career, she was an Education Associate at the Museum of Science, Boston, specializing in educating the public in nanoscale science and technology.

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