Monday, July 31, 2006Volume 6, Issue 4
MRI ANNUAL PICNIC
Friday, August 18, 2006
12:00 noon - 4:30 p.m.
Tussey Mountain Lodge
Great food served 12:30p.m. - 2:00p.m.
Activities
Par 3 Golf
Driving Range
Batting Cages
Go-Karts
Volley Ball
Horse Shoes
Paddle Boats
Directions to Tussey Mountain can be found at http://www.tusseymountain.com/home/directions.html
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHTS
- A group in the Center for Dielectric Studies has developed a better way to analyze the submicroscopic defects that predict the failure of multilayer electronic parts. The result will be a boon to the multibillion dollar electronics industry. Read the full story at New Probe and Microscopy Technique Illuminates Defects in Materials.
For the full story:
http://www.mri.psu.edu/articles/New_Probe/index.asp
- There may not be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but there appears to be nanocrystalline diamonds at the end of a process to produce and store hydrogen using anthracite coal.
For the full story:
http://live.psu.edu/index.php?sec=vs&story=18401&pf=1
FACULTY GET-TOGETHER
With the goal of stimulating collaborative multi-investigator proposals and programs, and hopefully a new center, MRI will convene an informal presentation and technical discussion on Metamaterials.
We will begin the meeting with short presentations from facilitators: Elena Semouchkina, Doug Werner, and Akhlesh Lakhtakia followed by discussion and a social hour with light refreshments. The Metamaterials initiative is in the formative stages and we welcome your interest and contributions to the effort.
Faculty Get-together on Metamaterials
Thursday, August 24th
4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Nittany Lion Inn - Faculty Staff Club
VISITING FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Raul Martin-Palma, a professor of applied physics from Madrid, is visiting central Pennsylvania for the summer with his family as a short-term scholar. While here he hopes to help Penn State researchers create a more functional biomolecular sensor.
Read more about his research here:
http://www.mri.psu.edu/articles/RaulMartinPalma/
MRI FACULTY HONORED
Professor Robert E. Newnham is the recipient of the 2005 UFFC (Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control) Achievement Award of the IEEE. He will receive the award at the 15th International Symposium on The Applications of Ferroelectrics at Sunset Beach, NC on August 1-3, 2006. The Achievement Award is the highest Society-wide award given in recognition of outstanding technical performance and service to the Society. The citation on Dr. Newnham's award reads:
"For his pioneering work on piezoelectric composite transducers, and for his distinguished service to the teaching of structure-property relations in electroceramics to the national and international engineering communities"
OUTREACH
ASM International's materials summer camps introduce "young people to the excitement of materials, science, and engineering careers." Penn State's first ASM materials camp was held in July, their only camp nationwide devoted to nanotechnology. Read what the campers thought and view photos from their poster session at Web Slingers and Science Nerds at ASM Nano Camp.
CONFERENCE NOTICE
The Commercialization of NanoMaterials 2006 conference will be held September 18-20, 2006 in Pittsburgh, PA. This conference is a Pennsylvania Initiative for Nanotechnology showcase event and will highlight Pennsylvania nanomaterial activities to a national audience. As highlighted in the advance brochure, keynote addresses will be given by Celia Merzbacher from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President; Jim Williams representing the National Materials Advisory Board; and Paul Ziegler representing the American Chemistry Council.
Attendees will benefit from... a unique dialogue among industry, small business, academia and government to understand each others' needs and the potential for nanomaterials solutions.
Presentations will cover... case studies of successful nanomaterials developments; near-term industrial nanomaterials opportunities; and commercialization issues including environmental, health and safety, and intellectual property.
Organizers include... Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center, Pennsylvania Initiative for Nanotechnology, Atlantic NanoForum, American Chemistry Council, and TMS.
You may register online at http://www.tms.org/nanomaterials2006.html
If you have any questions, please contact Todd Osman, TMS Technical Director, at (724) 776-9000, ext. 237, (800) 759-4TMS, or tosman@tms.org
MEETING OUTCOME
The National Academy of Engineering held its Northeastern Regional Meeting at Penn State June 15-16, 2006. Organized by local NAE members led by Prof. Rustum Roy (NAE — 73), the meeting focused on the use of microwave fields as the energy sources for the most energy intensive industries, including all high temperature materials processing. To read more see the article US Government and Industry Urged to Catch Up to the Benefits of Microwave.
WUN VIDEO CONFERENCE OUTCOME
Participants from Penn State, Leeds, Sheffield, and Southampton took part in a Worldwide University Network video seminar on the production of high value nanoparticles. Iain Crosley, business director for Hosokawa Micron, a Japanese corporation doing 42 billion yen (~$359M) in business annually, discussed his company's approach to the production of high value nanoparticles for specialty uses such as high performance brakes at LeMans raceway, ceramic coatings on metal particles, nanoparticles for quick release oral drug delivery, and nanosprays that, because of their small size, deliver drugs deeper into the lungs. His company is also introducing a line of skin care new to the US market, called NanoCrysphere, that uses nontoxic nanoparticles to penetrate the skin and deliver nutrients that can help reduce age spots and wrinkles.
SURFACE ANALYSIS SHORT COURSE AVAILABLE
Do you seek elemental and chemical state information of solid surfaces on a nano- or micro-scale?
CONTRACT AND GRANTS:
Materials research accounted for more than $14.2 million in contracts and grants for the months of May and June! The largest of these contracts and grants (those greater than $200K) are listed below, along with a link to the complete list of contracts and grants. These data are provided by OSPs Strategic Information Management System.
Agrawal, Dinesh K; Roy, Rustum; Microwave-Assisted Technology in Materials Processing: Ceramic Proppants, Pretreatment of Coal and Oil Sands, Carbides and Phase Manipulation by E&H Fields, Industry
Castleman, JR, Albert W; An instrument for the production and study of deposited cluster assembled, nanoscale materials, U.S. Department of the Air Force
Eklund, Peter C; Crespi, Vincent H; Tadigadapa, Srinivas A; Foley, Henry C; Zhu, Jiyue; Mahan, Gerald D; Jain,
Jainendra K; Peterson, Rebecca M; Bortiatynski, J M; NIRT: Electronic and Mechanical Devices from Graphene Films, National Science Foundation
Ewing, Andrew G; Analytical Techniques for Exocytosis, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Ewing, Andrew G; Microfluidic Systems to Address Networks of Neurons, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Fonash, Stephen J; Hallacher, Paul M; Mark, Melvin M; ATE Regional Center for Nanofabrication Manufacturing Education, National Science Foundation
Hancock, William O; Molecular Mechanism of Kinesin-2 Motility, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Horn, Mark W; Dickey, Elizabeth C; Allara, David L; Ashok, S; Gopalan, Venkatraman; Jackson, Thomas N;
Trolier-Mckinstry, Susan E; Growth, Characterization and Modeling of Monolithic Silicon Microbotometer Materials for Uncooled Infrared Detectors, U.S. Department of the Army
Koopmann, Gary H; Rahn, Christopher; Jonson, Michael L; Peltier, Leonard J; System Control Architecture and Transducer Concepts for Underwater Port Protection, U.S. Department of the Navy
Mallouk, Thomas E; Chan, Moses H; Crespi, Vincent H; Weiss, Paul S; MRSEC: Center for Molecular Nanofabrication and Devices, National Science Foundation
Mallouk, Thomas E; Redwing, Ronald D; Photoelectrochemistry of Semiconductor Nanowire Arrays, U.S. Department of Energy
Mench, Matthew M; Satellite Lab for Fuel Cell Excellence at Penn State, Industry
Mohney, Suzanne E; Contact Reliability, Industry
Painter, Paul C; Coleman, Michael M; Specific Interaction in Polymer Systems, National Science Foundation
Redwing, Joan M; Dickey, Elizabeth C; Mohney, Suzanne E; Mayer, Theresa S; NIRT: Semiconductor Nanowire Electronics, National Science Foundation
Redwing, Joan M; Stress Evolution During Group III-Nitride Heteroepitaxy, National Science Foundation
Smid, Ivica; Cohen, Paul H; Tough-Coated Hard Powders (TCHP) Process Control via Consolidation, Sintered Properties, and Tool Testing, Industry
Wang, Chao-Yang; Experimental Study of Engineering Science in PEFC Cold Start, Industr
Winograd, Nicholas; Surface Chemistry Studies with Ion Beams and Lasers, National Science Foundation
For a complete list of the contracts and grants for May and June go to:
http://www.mri.psu.edu/awards.asp?awardperiod=0606
