Mariana Goldin is inspired by technologies that can make a difference in peoples’ lives. She says it was the potential to help move such technologies from the research lab to the marketplace that first drew her to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.
Goldin says she first became aware of Jefferson Lab while working nearby at NASA Langley Research Center. NASA Langley, Goldin notes, is a larger facility with a broader array of study.
“At NASA, I was introduced to the world of tech transfer, and I was focused on one specific program,” she said. “Once I started to learn about the potential of some of the technologies being developed, I wanted to do more to get those technologies into the hands of companies or organizations that could use them for the greater good.”
When she heard that Jefferson Lab was expanding its technology transfer program, she saw an opportunity to have a bigger impact in moving a broader array of potential technologies to the marketplace. She began excitedly checking the lab’s website weekly, hoping to see a job posting for a position that could make use of her skillset and passion.
“I was working in the Small Business Innovation Research program at NASA when I heard that Jefferson Lab was growing its tech transfer efforts,” Goldin said. “I knew I wanted to at least visit. I wanted to see it all and be a part of it, if I could.”
Now, Goldin is hard at work in the lab’s Research and Technology Partnerships Office (RTPO), where she is an account manager for commercialization and partnerships.
Inspired by the hope of cleaner water
An example of the lab’s potential technology transfer that particularly inspires Goldin involves applying the lab’s expertise in particle accelerators on removing contaminants from water.
“I am from Mexico City, and access to clean water is a huge problem there. When I learned that technology was being developed at the lab that can clean water, to me that’s it. That’s the future,” she shared.
The water-purifying technology Goldin references could involve installing a process in municipal water treatment facilities whereby contaminated water would cascade through beams or particles propelled by a compact accelerator. When the beams zaps the water, it creates free radicals in the water that target contaminants, such as forever chemicals. The contaminants are broken apart or turned into less harmful byproducts that are more easily removed.
Such a system could help communities ensure reliable access to clean water for all residents, on demand. The technology could be life-changing for residents of communities who are facing shortages of clean water.
“In Mexico City, I grew up being conscious of not wasting water because there were people who needed access to it. There were times that water stores were critically low,” Goldin recalled. “I knew there were people nearby who did not have water for three days a week. Not so long ago, I was reading that Mexico City is close to Day Zero—no available clean water.”
Another of the lab’s contributions beyond its basic science mission that Goldin finds inspiring is its cryogenic technologies.
The lab’s particle accelerators rely on a material that is most efficient when it is blisteringly cold. To operate, these accelerator components need to be kept within a few degrees of absolute zero every minute of every day for months on end, which engendered a need for cryogenic expertise and innovation.
“In trying to answer fundamental physics questions, we generate new technologies,” she said.
And sharing that expertise has benefitted research far beyond the lab’s own science mission.
“We know that space, for example, is really cold. So, we’ve had collaborations with NASA in which we have provided our cryogenics expertise. In our own way, we have contributed to NASA’s mission of going to the moon and exploring outer space!” Goldin said.
Applying technology to solve real-world problems
Innovation, said Goldin, is a byproduct of the pursuit of knowledge.
“In order to bring Jefferson Lab technology to the outside world, we partner with businesses and agencies that can apply our innovations to solve real-world problems,” Goldin explained. “We want to put the technology in the hands of companies that can grow it and apply it to make the world a better place.”
For Goldin, enabling partnerships between trailblazing technologies and those who can implement them is a fulfilling way to have a lasting impact on the world.
“When I realized the potential of what we do here, I thought, ‘Wow! This is something that goes to a different level,’” said Goldin. “While I am not a scientist, I feel like I can contribute if I can manage the administrative needs of a partnership. Scientists and engineers think really hard about the technology, and I want to be the other part to bring that technology outside of the lab.”
By Carrie Rogers