Nexus234 Innovation Café
Nexus234 Innovation Café: Coffee-Derived Artificial Micromotors for Sustainable Low-Cost Water
We invite our community to explore an exciting frontier in science and engineering. In this free public talk, attendees will learn about artificial micromotors—tiny particles, often smaller than a grain of sand, that can move through water using energy from their surroundings and hold tremendous promise for applications ranging from medicine to environmental cleanup. Dr. Jeff Moran will introduce this emerging field and share the story of CoffeeBots, a novel technology developed at George Mason University that transforms spent coffee grounds into magnetically controlled micromotors capable of removing pollutants such as oil, microplastics, textile dyes, and herbicides from water.
The Innovation Café is a free monthly evening seminar series at Nexus234 designed for a broad public audience, including students, families, working professionals, and lifelong learners. Each program features an engaging presentation from a leading expert followed by an opportunity to meet the speaker and participate in an interactive Q&A. No technical background is needed—just curiosity and a desire to learn. Through approachable and inspiring conversations on topics such as space, new medicines, and emerging technologies, the Innovation Café helps make science, technology, and entrepreneurship more accessible while strengthening the community’s connection to innovation.
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Date
- Oct 20 2026
Time
- 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Location
- 9101 Prince William Street, Manassas, VA 20110
- 10:00am-5:00pm
- http://www.manassasva.gov/things_to_do/manassas_museum/
- 703-368-1873
Organizer
Speaker
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Jeff MoranAssistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, George Mason UniversityI am an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, USA. My research leverages microscale transport phenomena to enable new solutions to fundamental problems including clean energy generation and storage, water desalination and remediation, and targeted drug delivery. One major research focus is the capabilities and applications of active colloids, which are micrometer-size particles (50 times smaller than the width of a human hair) that can propel themselves through liquids, like tiny submarines. These particles show promise for microscale manufacturing, oil/water separation, and even cancer treatment.
Outside of research, I have conducted outreach activities in Washington, D.C., local science museums, and lectured at both general and technical levels in the United States and internationally.
When I’m not in the office or the lab, you can find me playing jazz on my upright bass, competing in a triathlon, or hiking in Shenandoah National Park.
