Kit Parker is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve and has served multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan. Even when he’s not in uniform, this Harvard University bioengineer makes it his mission to protect the men and women of the U.S. armed forces. Parker and his team are developing next-generation nanofibers at the Harvard Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). The unlikely inspiration for Parker’s team is none other than the cotton candy machine. They use their own version of that technology to spin a wide range of polymers, both natural and synthetic, into new fabrics and materials for military use. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”