Nanotechnology research may focus on the microscopic, but Thomas McKean is using it to make a monumental impact.

A native of Vermont, McKean's time outdoors fostered a love for nature — and a desire to protect it through his academic work. McKean saw an opportunity to do that through solutions such as alternative energy and clean water. When considering the best field of study that is making a difference in those areas, nanotechnology — and the university's Materials Science and Engineering Program — caught his attention.

"Nanotech stood out to me," he said. "The Materials Science and Engineering Program felt like a good way to take some of the high-tech chemistry and other material techniques that are being used develop these very small nanoscale solutions, then take and implement them in some of the engineering ways I had learned about as an undergraduate."  

In the program, McKean is developing innovative membrane technologies that could revolutionize water treatment in local bodies of water and beyond. Specifically, McKean's lab has developed a filter that removes 99.9 percent of a toxin produced by harmful algal blooms present on Lake Fayetteville that is dangerous to humans, one that has restricted swimming at the lake for years.

"The central theme of this project and the others I'm working on is membrane technology and looking at membranes as kind of a polymer base and platform that we can chemically tune to enhance some sort of separation or purification that we're doing," he said. "There's so many applications for membranes in terms of water treatment, catalysis and even energy storage devices."

McKean came to the U of A in 2017, first earning a master's degree in micro-electronics and photonics before starting a doctorate in the then-newly established MSEN Program. The entrepreneurial mindset of the program has helped him look deeper at the real-world applications of his research.

"There's a lot of emphasis on how research is commercialized," he said. "They give you the perspective of not only how research can be used in the real world, but also what the next steps are to take your technology from the lab scale to a smaller company and how it would look to go from there to a larger company. The faculty and mentors I've had have all done a great job of instilling that mindset in me."

That mindset has led McKean to think beyond Lake Fayetteville for his water filtration project. The toxin released by the algae has been detected in bodies of water across the United States, including New York, Florida, Ohio and Washington, and even in countries like England and China. Upscaling his technology will bring treatment options to these areas. 

"Our technology could be an effective tool to fight back against these harmful algal blooms by capturing the toxins they produce before allowing them to spread and contaminate entire bodies of water," he said. 

McKean also presented his research in the 3 Minute Thesis competition hosted by the Graduate School and International Education, in which students must present their research in a concise, compelling way in just three minutes.

"3MT was a great experience," he said. "The response I got was overwhelmingly positive. People were able to gain a new appreciation for the work I was doing, not only when I presented during the competition but also when I practiced with friends and family. That was a cool opportunity to go through and do well and reaffirm myself that 'Yes, these are skills that I've developed.'"

McKean's passion for research has led him to work with undergraduate engineering students as well and helping them find opportunities to get involved with research projects.

"When a lot of undergrads think about doing research in a lab, they're thinking about doing this extremely complicated, world-refined, expert-only procedure and they're just along for the ride. They may feel they're not quite ready to contribute and be a member of the team working toward these new ideas," he said. "Research in my experience has been the opposite — we really want to make it achievable, step-by-step, defined and something where we can very clearly set the outcomes that we want to reach based on the end user and what they'll be used for."

"It's very rewarding to see them wrap their brains around that and make research more achievable for themselves and get to a place where it's not something they're scared of," he added.

After graduation, McKean plans to find work in industry where he can implement the emerging technologies he's working with as a doctoral student.

"I hope for a role that involves industry-academic connections in a way that I'm able to work in something similar to what I'm doing now, except it's on the industry side of the coin," he said. "I want to help undergraduates and other researchers understand how their research can make a difference in a real-world application and setting. It would be rewarding to see how devices, processes and other types of things are implemented in the field and know I had a hand developing those kinds of processes and procedures."