Feature Articles

Kevin Yager, the Electronic Nanomaterials group leader at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), has articulated an overarching vision for the role of AI in scientific research. It’s called a science exocortex — “exo” meaning outside and “cortex” referencing the information processing layer of the human brain. Rather than simple chatbots and scientific assistants, the conceptualized exocortex will be an extension of a scientist’s brain. Researchers will interact with it through conversation, without the need for any invasive brain-computer interfaces.

A healthy global food supply requires healthy soil, which requires fertilizer to replace and or enhance the nutrients found in the soil. Many farmers use synthetic fertilizers, which are produced from petroleum and fossil fuels. The lack of fertilizer threatens global food security, in addition to making growing food cost-prohibitive for small scale farmers.

Nick Sokol, a member of the Innovation Crossroads program at Oak Ridge National Lab, founded Algaeo, whose technology enables farmers to efficiently grow organic fertilizers on-site from microalgae, making the entire experience of farming easier and less labor intensive while also producing healthy and good-quality food.