NQPI News Archive 2009
Goetz research team collaborates with Interthyr Corp. on cancer drug
December 12, 2009
The National Institute of Health recently provided $2.6 million of funding for a collaboration between Interthyr Corporation and 91探花 that could result in a new drug to treat pancreatic cancer and other autoimmune diseases. For the project, Interthyr Corporation--whose CEO Leonard Kohn recently retired from the faculty of 91探花's College of Osteopathic Medicine--will work alongside an OU research team led by Dr. Goetz.
Dr. Goetz is a professor of chemical and biomecular engineering and an NQPI member. For more information about his collaboration with Interthyr Corporation, read this article from the 91探花 Office of Research Communications.
Prof. Ameenah Al-Ahmadi presents lecture on carbon nanotubes
December 9, 2009
Prof. Ameenah Al-Ahmadi from Umm Al-Qura University in Saudi Arabia visited 91探花 November 25 to present a lecture titled, "1D Exciton Fine Structure in Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes." Dr. Al-Ahmadi earned a doctorate and masters degree in physics from OU and now researches the optical properties of semiconductor colloidal quantum dots.
Dr. Lena Ivanova visits for seminar, research discussion
November 18, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
Dr. Lena Ivanova visited 91探花 in November to discuss her nanoscience research with NQPI members. During her visit she also presented her research in a seminar to students and faculty members.
Her presentation, ?Characterization of GaAsN Quantum Wells, GaInNAs Quantum Dots and GaN (1-100) surfaces by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy,? was based on findings from her doctoral work.
Dr. Ivanova received her diploma degree and PhD in solid state physics from the Technical University Berlin, Germany. Her research interests include compound semiconductors and low-dimensional structures.She is currently working with non-polar GaN surfaces and InN/GaN heterostructures using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy.
Grad student returns from SPIRE trip
November 16, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
Graduate student Greg Petersen continued his PhD research at the National Atomic Energy Commission in Buenos Aires this summer as part of the Spin-Polarized Partnership for International Research and Education (SPIRE).
During his stay in Buenos Aires, Petersen learned a new research technique that he will incorporate into his work with Dr. Sandler?parameterized tight binding.
Petersen says explaining his research to the directors at the National Atomic Energy Commission was challenging but rewarding.
?When I went there, I had to defend how I saw the research problem,? he said. ?The directors would ask me questions that would help me find holes in my understanding.?
When not researching, Petersen explored Buenos Aires and other parts of Argentina. For more on his trip, read his SPIRE blog.
Former engineering student pursues PhD at Berkeley
November 13, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
Michael Lorek spent his summer researching aspart of the NIST Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and is now pursuing a PhD at University of California Berkeley. His PhD research involves integrated circuit designs.
As an undergraduate in Dr. Savas Kaya?s group, Lorek designed ring oscillator and mixer integrated circuits using Double Gate MOSFET transistors. These novel DGMOSFETs provide more tunable electronic characteristics and could possibly extend Moore?s Law scaling due to their short channel lengths, he said.
?My research work under Dr. Kaya at OU gave me good intuition about the operation of common circuits, the operation of transistors of different types and the fabrication processes involved in making integral circuits,?he said.
This research also gave him a strong foundation for his work with CMOS circuitry at his NIST fellowship.
Briefs: News from around the Institute
November 13, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
* Physics alumnus Venkatraman ?Venki? Ramakrishnan was recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the function of ribosomes.
* Saw Wai-Hla and Greg VanPatten have returned from their sabbaticals. Each spent time researching in Germany.
* Alexander Govorov is currently on sabbatical.
* Savas Kaya sponsored the Friday science talks on OU?s local WOUB radio station on behalf of the Institute.
* Physics graduate student Yeliz Celik will defend her doctoral thesis in late November.
* Physics alumnus H. Lee Mosbacker is teaching a class in the OU College of Business this quarter, called Technology and Entrepreneurship (MGT 491).
* This fall NQPI will host Dr. Lena Ivanova, a post doctoral student at the Technical University in Berlin.During her visit, she will present her doctoral research on gallium nitride and quantum dot systems.
* Planning is currently underway for the 5th Annual NQPI Retreat, to be held this spring.
* Nancy Sandler and Sergio Ulloa were selected to deliver invited talks at a recent research workshop in Israel, titled ?50 Years of the Aharonov-Bohm Effect: Concepts and Applications.?
* Physics graduate student Swati Ramanathan received a $1,000 Sigma Xi Grant for her research in optical properties of nanoparticles.
Researchers' models help explain spin control by electrical field
October 21, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
For decades, the transistors inside radios, televisions and other everyday items have transmitted data by controlling the movement of the electron?s charge. Scientists have now discovered that transistors could use less energy, generate less heat and operate at higher speeds if they exploited another property of the electron: its spin.
In 1921, scientists discovered that each electron has spin. Since then, researchers around the world and at 91探花 have been developing electronic devices that embed data inside an electron?s spin. The emerging field of spin electronics?or spintronics?could revolutionize memory storage devices and quantum computers.
Until now, scientists in spintronics have controlled spin by attaching an external magnet directly to the devices. But with the demand for smaller transistors on the rise, a bulky magnet is not an efficient or practical way to manipulate spin?s orientation, said Sergio Ulloa, professor of physics.
?The holy grail in spintronics is to address spin with something other than magnets,? he said. ?An electrical field is portable and easy to switch on and off.?
Ulloa and graduate student Anh Tuan Ngo helped solve this issue by providing theoretical modeling for a recent experiment that was the first to successfully control an electron?s spin using purely electrical fields. These findings were published in the article, ?All-Electric Quantum Point Contact Spin-Polarizer." (Nat. Nanotechnol., 2009).
The team collaborated with an University of Cincinnati research group led by Philippe Debray and Marc Cahay. Debray conceived and designed the experiments, while the OU researchers provided calculations explaining the behavior of the electrons in Debray?s experiment and predicted how strong the electric field?s control over the spin would be.
Their models revealed one key to the experiment?that the tiny connection along which the electrons travel in the device must be asymmetrical.
Asymmetry allows the electrons to recognize which direction they are traveling along the wire. This, due to relativistic effects, helps their spin determine which way is up, thus allowing the electrons to engage in spin-orbit coupling and polarization. The coupling triggers the spin and the electron-electron interaction enhances it. This enabled the scientists to control the spin current electrically.
Controlling spin electronically has major implications for the future of novel devices such as transistors, but this experiment is only the first step of many, Ulloa said. The next step would be to rework the experiment so that it could be performed at a higher, more practical temperature not requiring the use of liquid helium.
?The fundamental physics in this experiment were already known. We used our imaginations to use the fundamentals in a different way,? Debray said. ?But to be able to have practical applications, the next step will be to go to a higher temperature with new materials.?
This research is supported by the Materials World Network and a National Science Foundation PIRE grant.
Engineer builds MOKE spectrograph
October 20, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
When Wojciech Jadwisienczak pulled an old magnetic characterization system out from the corner of his lab two years ago, he knew the equipment was outdated. For starters, the heart of the system?its electromagnet?was more than 40 years old.
?New equipment for magnetic characterization is badly needed at OU,? said Jadwisienczak, assistant professor of electrical engineering. ?We have limited capability to characterize magnetic materials at the micro or nano scale after they are taken out of the growth chamber.?
Jadwisienczak was recently awarded a DURIP grant from the Army Research Office to develop the magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) spectrograph, a modular magnetic characterization system.
Although scientists have been studying magnetism for centuries, the research field is constantly yielding new materials with optimized magnetic properties suitable for novel devices. The MOKE spectrograph will help foster magnetic ex situ research ? research that focuses on the properties of materials after their growth ? on campus.
The MOKE spectrograph?s most important?and most expensive?component is its electromagnet, which generates a magnetic field when a current passes through its coils. The researchers place a material that needs to be characterized into this magnetic field and probe it with polarized light, typically a laser beam. When this light reflects off the material, researchers can analyze the changes of polarization in the reflected beam and can then determine what characteristics in the material caused these changes.
Using the noninvasive light beam as a probe gives the system flexibility, allowing researchers to perform experiments in different configurations and for samples with different crystallographical orientations. The spectrograph will be capable of performing measurements in three geometries?polar, longitudal and transversal?and in a spectral range spanning from ultraviolet to near infrared.
The equipment will also be capable of operating at low temperatures. A special nonmagnetic cryogenics system will allow researchers to investigate materials with magnetic properties barely observable at room temperature without interfering with measurements.
Currently, OU researchers who grow magnetic materials send the samples to other universities for characterization. The new equipment will help meet the demand for magnetic characterization on campus, Jadwisienczak said.
?There is a loophole at OU. Unless we have collaboration between the people growing the material and the people characterizing the material, we cannot close that loophole,? he said.
He added that any researchers working with thin films or materials with magnetic properties will find the MOKE spectrograph useful. In the future, Jadwisienczak plans to adapt the MOKE system for use with low dimensional magnetic materials such as quantum dots.
The new system, called Nano-MOKE, will open up a new avenue for the post-growth magneto-optical characterization of these materials at OU, he said.
Physics alumnus wins Nobel Prize
October 16, 2009
Physics alumnus Venkatraman "Venki" Ramakrishnan was recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the functioning of ribosomes. Congratulations, Venki!
For more information, read 91探花's news release.
Rack group's research profiled on cover of "Inorganic Chemistry"
October 1, 2009
Congratulations to Dr. Jeff Rack and his research group for their cover article in the September 7, 2009, edition of ?Inorganic Chemistry.? The article, titled "Photochromic Ruthenium Solfoxide Complexes: Evidence for Isomerization through a Conical Intersection," can be read <a href="/" target="_blank">here</a>.
BBC News profiles Dr. Braslavsky's ice research
September 9, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
Dr. Braslavsky's work with anti-freeze proteins was recently featured in a BBC News article that discussed the use of AFPs in desserts. Check out the story <a href="/">here</a>.
Chemistry doctoral student graduates, accepts teaching position
June 3, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
Alyssa Thomas has always trusted her instincts.
?I have gut feelings. Heidelberg University was the only undergraduate school I applied to, because I knew I wanted to go there. 91探花 was the only graduate school I applied to, because I knew I wanted to go there,? said Thomas. ?And Utica College was my absolute number one choice for teaching.?
Thomas, an OU student graduating this month with a doctorate in physical chemistry, is about to set sail for New York, where she will become an assistant professor of chemistry at Utica College.
Utica is a private, liberal arts university with about 3,600 undergraduate students and four full-time chemistry faculty.
Thomas has spent her last five years at OU researching, teaching and writing her dissertation, titled Growth of Thin Film Water on a-Al2O3 (0001) and its Implications for Ice Nucleation . She defended her dissertation earlier this month and is now preparing for her move to the east coast.
Athens aspirations
As soon as Thomas enrolled at OU, she had another gut feeling?she wanted Dr. Hugh Richardson as her advisor. She has been a member of his research group ever since.
At OU, Thomas?s research involved thin film water and its absorption on alpha aluminum oxide, commonly known as sapphire. She also conducted fundamental research to help fill gaps in the understanding of water and ice.
?You may think that with water and ice, we know everything. Really, there are a lot of fundamental things we don?t understand,? Thomas said. ?One is how it nucleates.?
She also worked with the Richardson group on a second research area?the thermal and optical properties of gold nano particles.
As an advisor, Richardson pushed Thomas to step out of her comfort zone.
She attended her first conference the summer after she came to OU. Richardson urged her to write the research paper entirely on her own and submitted it to the reviewers without his editing. The reviewers accepted the paper and Thomas gained important, real-world skills.
?It threw me into the fire. It threw me into the deep end of the pool,? she said. ?But until you start doing some of those things, you don?t know the process.?
In 2006, Thomas gave an oral presentation at the ?International Conference on the Chemistry and Physics of Ice? in Germany. It was Thomas? first time traveling abroad and, although her luggage was lost for days, she still considers it one of her favorite memories of OU.
As a mentor, Richardson supported Thomas? dream of being a professor.
?He has always tried to remember that I want to teach. He allowed me to have my goals and didn?t impose his aspirations for me,? Thomas said. ?At the same time, he still pushed me to be better than I thought I could be.?
Richardson introduced her to other students who have went into teaching and helped her get a spot teaching two chemistry classes this year.
During Fall Quarter, Thomas taught Chemistry 351, a physical chemistry class geared toward students with pre-professional degrees such as pre-med and pre-dentistry. This quarter, she is teaching Chemistry 455, a physical chemistry class on quantum mechanics with only five students.
Thomas said the transition from student to teacher wasn?t difficult because teaching has always been her goal.
?I knew I?ve wanted to be a professor since I was a sophomore undergrad,? she said. ?I don?t want to be the person to publish or perish and not focus on my teaching as much as I?d like to.?
Landing the dream job
When Thomas started her job search, she knew she didn?t want to be at a large research university. She wanted her focus to be on teaching.
She found a job opening at Utica College and instantly knew it was for her. ?I teared up writing the cover letter, I wanted this job so bad,? Thomas said.
As one of four full-time chemistry faculty members, Thomas will be in charge of physical chemistry. She will also teach general chemistry with the department chair. Utica?s chemistry program is ASC accredited and undergraduate-only.
In addition to teaching, she will establish a lab group with undergraduate student researchers. She plans to build on the research she conducted at OU.
?I want to continue with thin film water research and also introduce basic research on the fundamentals of gold and silver nano particles,? Thomas said. ?I want to expose undergraduates to nanotechnology.?
In 2005, Utica was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to cover the cost of updating its equipment. The department?s instrumentation, which includes an atomic force microscopy unit, now rivals the equipment at OU, she said.
But what sealed the deal for Thomas were Utica?s values and strong student interaction.
?The university really cares about students and wants to give them skills that will make them better people,? she said. ?It?s my dream job.?
Scientist explores how anti-freeze proteins protect animals from the cold
June 3, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
Scientists have long observed that some insects, fish, bacteria, fungi and other organisms can survive extremely frigid temperatures.
Forty years ago, researchers discovered that these critters have anti-freeze proteins in their bodies that protect them from the cold.
But how exactly do these proteins work? That?s a question that 91探花 scientist Ido Braslavsky is trying to answer.
Braslavsky, an associate professor of physics and astronomy, recently received a three-year, $315,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to investigate the mechanisms of anti-freeze proteins. The potential for future applications is promising, he said, because the proteins could guard against freezer burn in foods or could ward off frost on crops. But scientists first need to better understand how and why the proteins prohibit ice growth.
Researchers know that the proteins attach to particular surfaces on an ice crystal, inhibiting growth of the crystal in those spots until the temperature reaches a certain point, he said.
?There are a set of proteins in insects which are hyperactive proteins. In much smaller concentrations, they can do a much better job at stopping ice,? Braslavsky said. ?Why are certain proteins more effective??
His research team?which includes graduate students Yeliz Celik, Yangzhong Qin and Di Xu and visiting researcher Liu Junjie?uses two techniques, fluorescence microscopy and microfluidic devices, to investigate the issue.
With fluorescence microscopy, the researchers use an anti-freeze protein that?s attached to a second protein?the Green Flourescent Protein, commonly found inside jellyfish?that has fluorescent capabilities. A fluorescent molecule has an electronic structure that facilitates the absorption and emission of light at a different wavelength, enabling the observation of its glow under certain conditions. Once the anti-freeze protein is attached to this fluorescent protein, the team is able to track its position on an ice crystal.
The researchers also use a microfluidic cell during the experiments. The cell has a channel through which the team can flow a temperature-controlled solution around an ice crystal. This method allows the team to observe if and how quickly the ice forms when anti-freeze proteins are not present in a solution.
This creates a better understanding of how these anti-freeze proteins function, Braslavsky said.
In addition to the 91探花 team, Braslavsky collaborates with experts from around the world. They include Peter Davies, from Queens University in Canada, who creates most of the anti-freeze proteins used in the experiments; John Wetlauffer, an ice expert at Yale University; Alex Groisman, who specializes in microfluidics at the University of California, San Diego; Debbie Fass, an expert in the expression of hard-to-fold proteins at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel; and Joel Stavans, an expert in pattern formation at the Weizmann Institute.
Why are so many researchers interested in anti-freeze proteins? Braslavsky points to their potential agricultural and medical applications. An ice storm can wipe out an entire harvest of fruits and vegetables. The growth of ice crystals also can damage organs preserved for medical transplants.
?Anti-freeze proteins can potentially be helpful in protecting tissues from the freezing and thawing process. But so far, it?s not proven effective. We suggest that better understanding of the protein function will prove helpful in their future usage in such applications,? said Braslavsky, who has made several outreach presentations about his research to community audiences at the Athens County Public Library and at East Elementary School.
But the proteins also have potential for use in consumer products. In fact, they already can be found in everyday items. Unilever?the manufacturer of brands such as Lipton, Slim Fast and Dove?produces an ice cream with the proteins to guard against freezer burn. Some cosmetic companies also incorporate the proteins into their makeup, claiming the proteins protect skin membranes from the cold.
Nine NQPI students win awards at Research Expo
May 20, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
NQPI students from a variety of academic departments won research awards at the 2009 Student Research and Creative Activity Expo.
More than 600 undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students participated in this year's expo, which was sponsored by the Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate College, the Office of the President and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost.
The following students were awarded research prizes at the expo:
Tianjiao Chen -- 1st place tie, physics & astronomy, session 2
Abijit Chincore -- 1st place tie, physics & astronomy, session 2
Tod Grusenmeyer -- 1st place, chemistry & biochemistry, session 1
Brian Keppler -- 2nd place, environmental & plant biology, graduate student session
Sajida Khan -- 1st place, physics & astronomy, session 5
Gcina Mavimbela -- 1st place, physics & astronomy, session 6
Gayani Perera -- 2nd place, physics & astronomy, session 5
Brianne Porter -- 1st place, chemistry & biochemistry, session 2
Yuan Zhang -- 2nd place, physics & astronomy, session 6
First NanoForum an interdisciplinary affair
May 20, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
Alyssa Thomas never realized how much her chemistry research related to Yeliz Celik?s physics research until she attended last week?s NanoForum.
?I study the interactions of water on sapphire, how it absorbs and grows on the surface. In her research, Yeliz is looking at ice from a different perspective,? Thomas said. ?The collaboration that could be possible is what makes NanoForum really cool.?
NanoForum is a series of informal research talks given by students to other students with minimal faculty participation.
Celik led the first forum, held May 5. She presented her research on anti-freeze proteins to an audience of 21 physics, chemistry and electrical engineering graduate students.
?The NanoForum is intended to be a meeting for students,? said Sergio Ulloa, professor of physics and astronomy and the program?s coordinator. ?We want to get students to communicate across fields as early and often as possible.?
Celik said she felt comfortable presenting because the audience was full of students who knew what it was like to give research talks. She also emphasized the cross-disciplinary aspect of the forum and the productive student question session at the end.
?Most of the time when people from different fields come together, they give you better ideas and point out things you wouldn?t see,? she said. ?Alyssa Thomas is also working with ice, and talking to her after the forum was very helpful.?
Thomas, who will lead the second forum, plans to tweak her presentation so that it builds upon Celik?s talk and draws comparisons between their areas of ice research. NanoForums will be held bi-weekly at 4 p.m on Tuesdays through the rest of the quarter.
?This experience was good for me,? Celik said. ?In your first few talks, you?re so nervous. The atmosphere was much more friendly than at a meeting.?
Master microscopist returns to 91探花
May 13, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
"We have a personality quirk as Americans: we segment. We compartmentalize. In Europe, people are much more interdisciplinary. Nano is forcing us to come back together and to become cross disciplinary."
-- Barbara Foster
Barbara Foster returned to 91探花 last month for the first time in 20 years. Master microscopist and founder of a successful company, The Microscopy & Imaging Place, Foster has developed her interest in microscopes ever since graduating from OU with a degree in science education.
Mala Braslavsky and I were given the opportunity to interview Foster about her transition from teaching to founding a company, her time at OU and her love for the microscope.
NQPI: You spent your early career teaching at a high school in Massachusetts. How did you end up there?
Barbara Foster: That?s actually very funny. My husband did his graduate work here at OU and when he finished, we chose 40 schools for him to apply to. Some of them we chose because they had interesting names. One of them was Long Meadow Massachusetts, and it sounded interesting. He went there and I went to teach at a high school nearby, where I taught chemistry for 13 years. I taught for one year at Athens High School before moving to Massachusetts.
NQPI: When did you get the idea for MME?
BF: The very first MME was called Microscopy/Microscopy Education, to indicate that we did application and training. I was a trainer, and I taught at defense industries and government labs and Fortune 500 companies. I actually still do train occasionally. My most recent training session was with the special investigations unit at the government labs in Alberta. Another recent one was with the people who work with space shuttles. After I left, they sent me an e-mail that said, ?The space shuttle is flying safer since you were here!?
NQPI: Let?s take one step back. Did you wake up one morning and think that you?ve had enough of teaching? How do you make this transition?
BF: In the mid-70s, I went back to do my masters work in chemistry. It was at that time I became familiar with microscopes. If it weren?t for my schooling at UMass Amherst, I would never have touched another microscope in my life. My research advisor invited a microscope society teaching team to do two one-week courses.
Since my office lab was small and the organization for the course was going on in the same room, it was impossible to do research while this was going on. I asked if I could help with the organizational part of the courses and I ended up sitting in on the classes. ?The team that came was so enthusiastic about teaching that I became infected. Those two weeks changed me. In 1979 I went to visit the group. I had just been a gopher working on the class at UMass, and I asked if I could come see how they did microscopy. ...They were so welcoming that that solidified it. I really wanted to do more with microscopy. Two years later, I taught my first class in an industrial setting.
NQPI: It seems like it all happened very quickly. At what point did you stop teaching high school?
BF: After doing another training session, I came back to my empty classroom to pick up papers to finish grading for Monday morning. I literally walk into my empty, quiet classroom in the empty, quiet building, and it was like putting on a coat that was too small. I was a master teacher and master curriculum developer and I just knew I was done. I loved microscopy. I gave my notice the next Tuesday. In the fall of 1981, I opened the original MME.
NQPI: And this career change led you in a completely different direction.
BF: As a result, I?ve had several new careers. I am a master microscopist, with specialties in light microscopy and spectroscopy, but I started off as a trainer and then a marketing manager. I became a product manager and a market researcher, and now I launch new companies and new products. And I have a new husband because I was demonstrating a microscope to him!
NQPI: You mentioned earlier that you got a strong foundation for your career while you were attending OU. Can you explain that a little more?
BF: I started off as a chemistry major. I hit my sophomore year and was carrying a lot of hours in math and science. I was in class and lab 26 hours a week. Apparently I don?t learn well in that concentration, because I went from dean?s list to almost probation. And it was all just pressure. It wasn?t that I couldn?t acquire the information; I would just freeze on tests. So I went through tests with the guidance group at OU and spoke with my father, who is a professional chemist and has been my guide and mentor my entire life. I needed something with less intensity. My father told me I was too gregarious to be stuck in the lab looking at test tubes all day long?I needed people. So science education was a logical choice. Because of that transition, I took a year of zoology, a year of botany, a geology class, a semester of astronomy ? and I ended up being able to speak science. If someone says to me, `Do you understand mitochondrial DNA versus carbon nanotube formation?? the answer is `Yes.? That foundation came from here.
NQPI: Are you originally from Ohio? What brought you to 91探花?
BF: My dad had worked for the government. He actually worked on the Manhattan project. He is one of the most gentle people you?ll ever meet. He?s a pioneer in nuclear chemistry and he holds over 40 patents. ? We moved around a lot when I was a kid and when I was eight, we moved to Cleveland. I asked him if he wanted me to continue his legacy at Ohio State, where he did his PhD work, and he said it was too big a legacy for an undergraduate student. So this was the next choice, and it was a good choice. I was very happy here.
NQPI: You mentioned a variety of job roles within your company. What does a normal workweek look like for you?
BF: I don?t have a normal workweek. What I do right now is all based in strategic consulting. We are experts in early stage market research to test the feasibility of products. ?We use that to launch new products. So we create the strategy and then implement the plan. We have a patentable business process called `Flight Plan.? What we?ll do is position their product. We?ve been doing market research since 1991, we?ve been doing new product launches since 1994 and then, in the late 1990s, I got involved with writing business plans. In 2003, I started launching companies.
NQPI: So this company has really branched outward.
BF: Yes, it has. In 1981, I had opened the original MME for training. In 1991, I reopened the original MME. People came to me early on and asked about market research, so I had to change the name to reflect the marketing component; so then Microscopy/Marketing and Education came into being. Then we started launching companies within the last five or six years, and we knew we would have to at some point change the name again, because we don?t do just marketing anymore or just education anymore. In 2007, we changed the name again, to the , because it?s the place to come when you need market research or strategic guidance or marketing plans.
NQPI: Did all this take you away from the microscope itself?
BF: It does and it doesn?t. I still teach occasionally and I write. I?m a contributing editor for American Lab. This year is the 15th year I?ve been doing that, and I love it. I actually wrote what has become a textbook in 1997. That was a grant from Zeiss to the American Society for Critical Lab Sciences. It?s called ?Optimizing Light Microscopy for Biological and Clinical Labs.? So this has taken me away from microscopy, but at the same time, I still get to teach. And since I launch products, I work with the microscope. But you?re right. My love is strong for the microscope. I launched a series of products dealing with image analysis, and the company owner wanted me to stay on in that company. Toward the end of that time, he took me out to dinner and asked me what it would take for me to stay there. And I told him that I just love microscopes too much. I wouldn?t have had my hands on a microscope. He said he would buy me a microscope and put it on my desk. And I said thanks but turned the offer down. That?s how much I love microscopes. ? So to get back to the original question, there isn?t such thing as a typical week. Some of my time is spent writing proposals for work that will launch products or companies. ? It?s almost like having little chickens when you launch a product. You watch those things flourish and grow. I never had children of my own, but I get great satisfaction when a company is doing well and is happy and when technology gets out into the world.
NQPI: There?s been a lot of talk about the future of nano. Where do you see it going in the future and what is the importance of nanoscience to current science research?
BF: I have a unique perspective on this. I?m a child of the atomic age. When I was teaching, the promise of atomic energy was great, and the promise never became real. In 1994, I got involved with biotech, and we did a lot of the early market research. I thought biotech was going to be the next big thing. Some of the promise of biotech has become a reality, but it?s at about 5 percent of what people thought it would be. So the next big science that came was nanotech, and nanotech is the first of these three sciences that has broken through and will make a big difference. People say to me, ?Is it really going to stay as a science in and of itself, or is this going to be absorbed into chemistry or into physics?? And I think it?s going to straddle. It?s going to be a science of its own. We have a personality quirk as Americans: we segment. We compartmentalize. In Europe, people are much more interdisciplinary. Nano is forcing us to come back together and to become cross disciplinary. Nanoscience is going to impact all those other sciences. I?ve already seen it. ? I look at these three scientific disciplines: atomic energy was great for nuclear fuel and that kind of stuff; biotech is great to the point that it went but is still struggling with things like data management. Nano is very flexible. It can be its own science or it can be the marriage broker that brings together other sciences. I have great hope for nanoscience.
NQPI: There are so many real-life applications for nanoscience. Do you think that is one of its main advantages?
BF: Case in point. We hit a lot of boundaries in terms of our world at large. Obama has been talking about making a major impact with the creation of energy. We?re good at that in a lot of ways, but the big challenge with electricity is transmitting it. Nanoscience has the potential of solving that problem. There are commercially compelling reasons why nanoscience is going to be increasingly important.
Annual retreat brings fresh air to nano discussion
April 29, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
The hills of Pomeroy have never seen so much nanoscience.
NQPI members gathered this weekend for the institute?s 4th annual retreat, held at the Carpenter Inn in Pomeroy. During their overnight, the scientists discussed their research, the present state of NQPI and possible future directions for the institute.
In previous years, the retreat was held at Burr Oak State Park in Glouster. This year, Mala Braslavsky, the retreat coordinator and NQPI special events and outreach coordinator, decided on the Carpenter Inn, a conference center and resort nestled in the hills of Pomeroy. Members took advantage of the natural landscape during a group walk and stayed in the center?s cabins Friday night.
Activities began Friday evening and lasted through Saturday afternoon. Director Art Smith led discussions on GERB funding, grant policies and the institute?s progress over the past year. Members brainstormed ideas for future conferences and discussed the possibility of a shared instrument facility. There was also talk about the new helium liquefier that NQPI has purchased and should receive by fall 2009.
Seven members presented their research to their colleagues in brief technical sessions. These talks emphasized the interdisciplinary potential of nanoscience, connecting the field to research in chemistry, physics, electrical engineering and plant biology. Presenters included Jeffrey Rack, Gang Chen, Allan Showalter, Horacio Castillo, Ralph Whaley, Eric Stinaff and Saw-Wai Hla.
Technical sessions and business discussions were supplemented by good food, good weather and ample social time. During free time, members from different college departments had the chance to meet each other. Many planted the seeds for collaboration with other members on future research.
Roxanne Male-Brune, director of grant development and projects, Joseph Shields, department chair of physics and astronomy, and James Rankin, associate dean of research for graduate studies and planning, also attended the retreat.
New Professor Lecture: Art Smith
April 29, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
A group of 25 students, faculty and administrators braved a torrential downpour to attend Art Smith's lecture on Wednesday in Baker. Smith's colloquium--which outlined his research as well as his work as director of NQPI--was given in honor of his recent promotion to full professor.
A full-length podcast of Smith's lecture, "Exploring Magnetic and Spintronic Materials at the Nanoscale and Beyond," is available on the university's multimedia .
Assistant professor brings 'snow day' to East Elementary
April 6, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
On a chilly February morning, while the rest of East Elementary School was busy in their classrooms, the first graders were having a snow day.
As part of a community outreach initiative, Assistant Professor of physics and astronomy Ido Braslavsky prepared a lesson entitled ?Snow Day,? which explains the physics of snowflakes. He presented the lesson at the Athens County Public Library and also in his daughter?s elementary school class. Following is a recap of Braslavsky?s activity at East Elementary.
Braslavsky?s lesson focused on the formation and structure of snowflakes, explained in a kid-friendly way with lots of visual aids. After a brief presentation, the class was divided among four hands-on work stations that enhanced the information Braslavsky explained during his power point presentation.
At the first station was a box full of marbles. Braslavsky explained to the students that the way the marbles lined up in the box mimics the tight structure within an ice crystal. At the second station, the first graders were given cotton balls. They noticed that if they pulled the cotton ball apart before throwing it into the air, it fell much slower. This connects back to snowflakes and the speed at which they fall from the sky. A third station let the students cut and make paper snowflakes.
At a final station, one of the most popular, students were given two flat pieces of plastic. The kids put paint on one piece, pressed the other piece on top and observed how the paint spread out in a pattern naturally formed between the two pieces of plastic. They then stamped the paint on a piece of paper to bring home with them.
While the students were busy at the stations, graduate student Yeliz Celik was busy growing a piece of snow flake to show the kids. Celik and the mother of one of the children in the class aided Braslavsky in the classroom.
At the end of the activities, Braslavsky conducted an experiment using dry ice. The first graders watched with amazement as vapor poured from the Styrofoam box in the middle of the table. As Braslavsky left, the students were reviewing the information they learned about snowflakes with their teacher.
Braslavsky was recently awarded a grant from National Science Foundation, which supports community outreach initiatives such as "Snow Day." Braslavsky held another kid-oriented lesson, titled ?Rainbow Day,? at the Athens library in April. Stay tuned for a recap of that program.
Director promoted to full professor
April 6, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
Dr. Arthur Smith was promoted to a full professor position this quarter, 10 years after he began teaching at 91探花 in 1998.
?Being a full professor means more is expected of you. It makes you expect more of yourself, as well,? said Smith, whose application for the position consisted of ?three big binders??one focusing on his teaching, one on his research and one on his service.
Smith might have never joined the academic world if it weren?t for his post-doctoral advisor at Carnegie Melon, who urged him to pursue teaching instead of the industrial side of physics.
After 10 years of teaching, Smith said the most challenging part is explaining a concept that is simple to him but may not be as simple to his students.
?You?re teaching things you think you know well. You do know them well, but transmitting them to other people is not as easy as you think,? he said, adding that his first course evaluations were a ?reality check.?
Although Smith enjoys teaching entry-level courses like Physics 201, graduate courses in solid state physics are some of his favorites because they are closely related to his own research.
But for Smith, the role of a mprofessor goes beyond the classroom and even the laboratory.
?People awarded you with the title [of full professor] because you have proven you have a contribution to make to the department,? Smith said. ?I ought to have concern for something other than myself.?
Service is an important component of a professor?s job description, he said. Smith has made a larger contribution by staying involved in his department and in the university as a whole.
Smith is the director for NQPI and a faculty senator on the Professional Relations Committee. He has also been involved in the university?s graduate admissions efforts and is active on the department?s advisory committee.
In his day-to-day life, Smith says he makes efforts to advance the science and technological expertise of his department and tries to stress cooperation among faculty members.
?People think professors boss everybody around, but that?s not how it should be. Their role should be guidance,? Smith said. ?All faculty have the same privileges. Professors just have more responsibility.?
In recognition of his promotion, Smith will present a lecture, titled "Exploring Magnetic and Spintronic Materials at the Nanoscale and Beyond," at 4 p.m. April 22 in Baker University Center 242. Dr. Smith's presentation is one of eight talks in the New Professor Lecture Series.
SPIRE student reflects on Hamburg
March 16, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
Graduate student Kangkang Wang reflected on his time in Hamburg, Germany on Thursday, in a presentation titled, ?My Experience with .? The presentation emphasized both the research and cultural aspects of his time abroad.
Wang spent Fall Quarter at the , working closely with nano scientists and other graduate students in order to learn new research skills. His study abroad research experience is part of the Spin-Polarized Partnership for International Research and Education (SPIRE), a program funded by the National Science Foundation. SPIRE provides an opportunity for undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral and journalism students from OU to interact with leading nanoscience specialists at universities located in Hamburg, Germany and Buenos Aires, Argentina. SPIRE students are required to present what they learned abroad once they return to Athens.
During his presentation, Wang emphasized the bonds he created with other researchers at the University of Hamburg. He also discussed the delicate situation of repairing the expensive equipment he used when it malfunctioned and the importance of learning low temperature research techniques.
The graduate student also stressed the cultural differences between Athens and Hamburg. Wang recalled that during his first few weeks in the country, he bumped his head numerous times while showering because German showers are so small.
The power point was also filled with photographs of the university, the Elbe River and other Hamburg landmarks. At the end of his speech, Wang answered questions from the audience, which consisted of about twenty students and faculty members.
For more on Kangkang's time in Hamburg, go .
Research team publishes graphene model in Physical Review Letters
March 5, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
An 91探花 research team recently published a model illustrating the effects of confinement, spin-orbit interaction and the Coulomb Interaction on an electron?s movement along a zigzag graphene ribbon?research that could have potential applications for future electronic devices.
The team?comprised of assistant professor of physics and astronomy Nancy Sandler, postdoctoral research assistants Mahdi Zarea and Carlos Busser, currently at Oakland University?recently published its findings in the paper, ?Unscreened Coulomb Interactions and the Quantum Spin Hall Phase in Neutral Zigzag Graphene Ribbons.? The paper appeared in Physical Review Letters in October and was featured in the Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and Technology.
Graphene?a single sheet of carbon that comprises graphite when layered?is considered to be the natural successor for silicon?the semiconductor used in about 99 percent of all electronics today, Zarea said.
Because the material is rigid and has high electron mobility, graphene can be used to create transistors in which electrons move without significant scattering. This high electron mobility also makes graphene a well-suited material for spintronics?a field in which researchers focus on carrying information using an electron?s spin instead of its change, Zarea said. The tiny magnet attached to electrons is called spin.
Graphene can be cut in two ways?along the zigzag edge or along the armchair edge. The type of cut alters the movement of electrons along the graphene ribbon, Zarea said.
After cutting graphene into a zigzag ribbon, the team learned that some of the electrons moving inside the ribbon moved to the outer edges. This change to the energy of electrons is produced by transversal confinement, Zarea said, adding that this effect is unique to zigzag graphene ribbons.
Once the electrons are confined to the edges of the ribbon, their path is altered again by a new type of interaction?the spin-orbit interaction.
?Take two electrons, with one jumping from atom to atom around the other one. For the electron `sitting still,? the moving electron is really a current,? Zarea said. ?Any current produces a magnetic field and because all electrons are like tiny magnets (they carry spin), then the `sitting still? electron spin is affected by the magnetic field produced by the moving electron.?
Including this interaction in the model illustrates why electrons redistribute themselves based on their spin. This redistribution means that the electrons along the upper edge of the ribbon have spin up and the electrons along the bottom edge have spin down.
These electrons are separated using only a voltage, not a magnetic field, Zarea said.
By taking into account the negative charge within an electron, the researchers learned that the Coulumb Interraction threatens to destroy the separation created during the spin Hall phase. The strong repulsion between electrons prevents the spin separation that they observed during the spin Hall phase.
The more narrow the graphene ribbon, the stronger the Coulomb Interaction between electrons, Zarea said. He added that for this reason wires made of graphene ribbons must be above certain limiting widths in order to carry spin-polarized currents.
NSF grant funds 'colorful' light absorption research
March 4, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
In a third-floor lab in 91探花?s Clippinger Laboratories, chemistry isn?t black and white. It?s purple, red, yellow, orange and ? depending on the type of laser ? even peach.
With the support of a $315,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, an NQPI research team is studying the ability of certain molecules to absorb light and change color at heightened speeds.
?The idea is to design molecules and materials that respond to light in specific and predictable ways,? said Associate Professor of Chemistry , who had the idea for the research as a graduate student and started working on it in earnest when he came to the university in 2001.
To measure a molecule?s ability to absorb light, Rack and chemistry graduate student Beth Anne McClure use laser spectroscopy. After placing a sample in front of a lamp, the team excites the molecules by hitting the sample with a laser beam. The result of the photochemical reaction is a different compound with a different color, Rack said.
?The notion of initiating substantial changes in molecules with light is very compelling,? said Rack. ?Plus, things that change color are cool.?
The research focuses on a particular family of chromophores that Rack said could improve the effectiveness of a fashion accessory seen widely around campus ?sunglasses.
Currently, the photochromic material in sunglasses is also thermochromic. This causes sunglasses to ?fatigue,? or to stay dark, he said.
?The problem with the thermochromic effect is that if you?re sitting in a very hot room, the sunglasses would start to change color regardless of how much light is there. This would be very annoying to the person wearing them,? Rack said.
The molecule the team is investigating is not thermochromic and grows lighter in color when in darker environments to enhance visibility. This molecule could potentially be used as a next generation photochromic material, he said. The research also could have industrial and military applications for pilots who need increased visibility under certain conditions, he noted.
Where do these intriguing molecules come from? The team synthesizes the molecules in its experiments by modifying the ligands on a given atom, said McClure.
By modifying ligands, McClure recently created a molecule that can change to one color and then back to its original color when hit with two separate beams of light.
Another molecule the team has tested can transform from a shade of peach to a shade of purple in a matter of minutes, McClure said. She added that the change in color indicates to what degree the molecule has absorbed the laser?s light.
The team has experimented with a variety of molecules capable of absorbing light roughly 200 million times faster than the flickering of a television screen, Rack said.
New member discusses nano confinement, energy conservation
March 4, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
Imagine a cell phone that runs on its user?s body heat or a car powered by the thermal energy emitted from its engine. Both of these rely on materials that convert waste heat directly into electricity.
These implications of energy conservation aren?t lost on , the newest member of NQPI. Chen is currently conducting research that analyzes the thermal, electrical and phase transition characteristics of confined nanoscale materials, in hopes of discovering new ways to conserve energy.
?Enhanced thermo-electric properties ?that?s why we want to study confinement,? said Chen, assistant professor of physics and astronomy. ?An ideal thermo-electric material has excellent electric conductivity but poor thermal conductivity ? exactly the opposite of diamond.? He added that by confining traditional thermo-electric materials in nanosized pores, it is possible to enhance the performance of those materials.
In the lab at OU, Chen?s research group x-rays confined nanoparticles to analyze their structure, morphology and properties. He conducts additional research in the synchrotron facility at Argonne National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy research center, located just outside of Chicago, according to the ANL website.
Confined substances can exhibit properties significantly different from their non-confined counterparts. For example, water?which usually becomes ice at 32 degrees F? does not fully freeze until -40 degrees F when confined in nanosized pores, Chen said.
Chen is currently focusing on two classes of materials: thermoelectric materials and phase-change memory materials.
These phase-change memory materials include chalcogenides, which contain chalcogen atoms such as S, Se and Te. Chalcogenides help with information storage in many devices, including Blu-Ray disks.
In a Blu-Ray disk, a laser beam carries enough energy to melt the chalcogenide inside the disk. During its transition from the liquid to solid phase, the chalcogenide has distinct electric and optical properties, which are used for data storage, Chen said.
?By confining the chalcogenide inside nanosized pores, we hope the phase transition temperature can be lowered so that it consumes less power,? Chen said, adding that there is likewise the possibility that the duration of the material?s phase transition could be shortened.
Chen?s research group is also interested in using phase-change materials for non-volatile memory?next-generation memory in computers and other electronic devices. Nanoscale confinement provides a new opportunity to modify the materials properties.
?The challenge is that we want to understand at a fundamental level how nanoscale confinement affects the properties of these materials,? he said.
Biochemistry faculty promoted after passing 'series of hurdles?
February 4, 2009
By Emily Hubbell
recently became a full professor of biochemistry, a promotion that she says validates her accomplishments in the field and in the classroom.
?The promotion means I?ve passed a series of hurdles acceptably and have met a standard valued in science,? said Kieliszewski, who has been teaching at 91探花 since 1995. ?It also makes me more confident in insisting on rigor in my classes.?
After earning a bachelor's degree in psychology from Michigan State University, Kieliszewski married and had three children. It was only after she went back to school to take nursing classes that she discovered her interest in biochemistry. She went on to earn her doctorate in the field from Michigan State.
She credits her graduate advisor at Michigan State for teaching her that no question is a dumb question. He also valued creativity and shared Kieliszewski?s love for research.
?I like working with my hands and discovering things people have never seen before,? Kieliszewski said. ?I love research, but I find teaching more and more satisfying because it makes you appreciate areas of science other than your own.?
When she taught her first class at 91探花 in 1995, Kieliszewski said she made a mistake common of new professors.
?A lot of new professors want to teach undegrads everything they know. I?m surprised there weren?t spitballs in my first 490 class,? Kieliszewski said. She added that it?s important to be realistic about the capabilities of students.
Kieliszewski enjoys teaching a biochemistry lab because it is a small class where she can interact closely with students.
In recognition of her promotion, Kielszewski will present a lecture, titled "Synthetic Genes for Glycoprotein Design in Plants," at 4 p.m. May 6 in Baker University Center 242. Her presentation is the final talk in the New Professor Lecture Series.