T2 Stars: Catherine Riddle — Making the World Better Through Science
T2 Stars: Catherine Riddle — Making the World Better Through Science
T2 Stars highlights people who are making a difference and leaving their mark on the federal tech transfer community. Catherine Riddle, PhD, is a distinguished research scientist at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) specializing in radiochemistry and radiochemical separations. Her work has contributed to chemical weapons and explosives identification, oil and heavy metal remediation, and more.
How did you get involved in technology transfer?
I consider myself not just a researcher but also an inventor and as such I have a number of technologies that have escaped the confines of laboratory-scale work and are now out in the market. One of my favorite technologies, which has been reduced to product and practice, is Codeac (Colorimetric Detection of Actinides), which now is a startup company by the same name, Codeac Solutions. Codeac allows the user to simply take a wipe from a packet and use it to detect uranium, plutonium, americium, and cobalt by simply wiping a surface and checking to see if turns the specific color for each of the radionuclides in seconds. This is a game-changer for first responders and the military to protect themselves and the public.
What do you love about your job?
It has always been my desire to make the world a better place and through science, I can do that. This is what I love about my work. Technologies, such as Codeac, that we’ve invented might one day be in the hands of people who could save lives, whether it’s their own or someone else’s, during what would be the worst moments of their lives during a radio nuclear event. There is no better career I could have chosen that would allow me the opportunity to help our planet and the people on it than science, and that is what I love best about my job.
What is your most valuable skill or asset at work?
Imagination, Patience, and Tenacity. All other skills can be taught, whether it is science or engineering, but imagination is what allows people to not only see a problem but envision what the solution should look like. After you have the solution in your mind, the rest is just filling in how to get there using the tools and skills you have learned in your specific craft. Patience gives you the ability to step back and see the big picture when everyone else is having a tunnel vision moment! Tenacity allows you to continue when everyone says to give up. It worked for Edison, and it has worked for me too!
What’s the biggest challenge in your position?
Getting new ideas funded and off the ground is always a challenge as I am not the only researcher with great ideas — there are thousands of us and only so much funding to go around for startup ideas that have not been proven yet. I would love to see a world where researchers in all arenas are simply paid a salary and then told to go do amazing things. In my heart, I know they would do just that, and the world would be better for it.
What do you wish more people knew about Idaho National Laboratory?
I wish people could see just how many amazing technologies are invented at INL. The public views us as a secretive place, and we are not, as I know my colleagues and I are happy to tell anyone who asks about all the technological advances that are being made at INL and how they will improve their lives and the world. This is why INL makes a great effort to advance STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in our community so we can dispel the perceived secrecy and educate all ages on the incredible work we do — not only in nuclear energy but also so many other areas of science, engineering, environmental, cyber security and so much more.
I know I have found from my many STEM workshops and shows that people will come over and tell me they never knew we produced so many technologies in so many areas. By communicating what we do and who we are to the community, we have the ability to encourage students to stay in STEM careers, and we’ve even had some parents go back to school for the degree they always wanted and then join INL. I am proud we are making a difference.
What has been your favorite FLC experience?
Having myself and my co-inventor in the FLC calendar for our technology Codeac! So very cool to be in the calendar representing INL and our amazing Codeac agent!
What do you do for fun?
I am a photographer and love viewing the world through my Nikon lens. I especially enjoy black-and-white photography and have won awards in international competitions including a first-place win last year in the Nature category for the Black & White Spider Awards, which is an international competition with thousands of entries.
I have been doing photography since I was 15 years old using a 35mm camera borrowed from school as my family could not afford one. Back then, before digital changed the face of photography, I developed my own film, printed a contact sheet, and printed the enlargements in a dark room. I still remember how amazing it was to watch the image slowly form on the paper as it developed — but I must admit, I love my digital Nikon! I have had the opportunity to take photos across the nation and the world and look forward to taking many, many more!
What advice would you give to someone who is new to the tech transfer profession?
Never give up, never surrender! I have been an inventor for 25 years now and it never gets old, as there will always be new problems to solve, and the way we do that is through new technologies.
Walt Disney said it best: “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Those words ring just as true today as they did 25 years ago when I put them on the wall of my office. Enjoy every minute of your career and never stop learning