Headlines
Articles
12 December: Darlene
Taylor Moves to NCCU
Dr. Darlene K. Taylor, having served as R.I.C.H.E.S. outreach manager for
three years, has recently accepted a new tenure-track position that continues
her service to higher education students. Now, as Assistant Professor in the
Chemistry Department at NC Central University, Taylor is teaching courses in
Physical Chemistry and starting a research program focused on the design and
characterization of materials for solar cell devices. Prof. Taylor will continue
to be actively involved with RICHES where she will focus on coordinating the
summer programs and also continue serving as editor of CERSP News. Prof. Taylor
can be reached in the new Mary M. Townes Science Complex at NC Central,
TEL:(919) 530-6463, Email: dtaylor@nccu.edu
(although she still answers email at dkt@unc.edu.
06 December: Dr.
Anastas Named Scientific American
The American Chemical Society's Green Chemistry Institute and its director, Paul
T. Anastas, have been named to the 2005 Scientific American 50 - the magazine's
annual list recognizing outstanding leadership in science and technology. Dr.
Anastas is a member of our External Advisory Board.
While Scientific American officially recognizes GCI and Dr. Anastas, the editors
feel strongly that the honor belongs to all who work in the fields of green
chemistry and green engineering. It is through their tireless efforts and
creativity that the innovations of green chemistry and green engineering have
been realized over the years. And it is their successes that are proving
now more than ever that the best scientific breakthroughs of our day can be
found in the works of green chemists and green engineers.
Please visit the links below for more
information:
ACS Press Release
Scientific American 50
05 December: Safety
Reminder
An explosion occurred recently in a laboratory at Stanford University,
seriously injuring a post-doc. We are reminded that, often, the explosive nature
of a chemical is discovered, unfortunately, by an explosion in the laboratory.
Given that, perhaps a more risky situation is routine hazardous operation.
Familiarity can breed contempt...or at least lack of respect.
Make sure you take appropriate precautions (safety shields, hood sashes,
goggles, etc.) whenever running a reaction. Also, make sure your lab mates are
aware (and someone else present) whenever you are running a potentially
hazardous reaction. This, of course, includes any reaction involving high
pressure.
08 November: Activities of Green
Chemistry Institute
Check out recent announcements of GCI under our
External Events Calendar.
24 October: Conductive Plastics
Conductive plastics have long been a dream of scientists. Prof. Lynn Loo at
UT-A is doing something about that! Click here
for a verbal summary or click
here to hear Prof. Loo
describe some of her dreams for conductive plastics.
21 October: Dr. Eleanor Enthoven Hasse Joins EAB
Dr. Eleanor Enthoven Hasse has joined CERSP’s External Advisory
Board. She is a science consultant with the Secondary Division in Curriculum
and School Reform at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
Previously she taught high school sciences, mathematics and technology in North
Carolina, Belize and California and served as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in
Belize and Nepal. She received her Ph.D. in Science Education from North
Carolina State University in 2003, her M.Ed. from Stanford University and her
BA in Biology from Harvard University.
10 October 2005: National Cancer Institute Award
Researchers at UNC have received an award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) expected to total approximately $20 million over five years. The UNC research team includes a very diverse mix of scientists and physicians from at least seven disciplines and includes researchers from Duke, NC State and UC San Francisco.
A key contributor to this effort is Prof. Joe DeSimone, William R. Kenan Jr. distinguished professor of chemistry and chemical engineering at UNC and N.C. State and also a UNC Lineberger member. Research done by Joe and his group in the NSF Science and Technology Center for Environmentally Responsible Solvents and Processes (CERSP) led to the development of a feasible method to produce solvent-resistant organic polymer nanostructures. The breakthrough discovery in this process is a crosslinkable liquid fluoroelastomer of a type first made in CO2. Patents underlying the proposed NCI work were based on work partially supported by CERSP and include both nanoparticles and microfluidic devices.
This technology, called Particle Replication in Non-Wetting Templates (PRINT), makes it possible to produce nanoparticles uniform in size and shape. These nanoparticles can be "loaded" with X-ray or MRI contrast agents or medicines. The nanoparticles are "smart" in that they will be formulated to interact with receptors on specific cell types and release their "cargo" on contact. One possible result is better, more targeted delivery of drugs in the body.
"We are thrilled to be part of NCI’s team of nanotechnology centers," DeSimone said. "This support will enable our vision to dramatically improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer by tapping into technologies from the electronics industry traditionally used for the fabrication of highly uniform nanoscale transistors and applying them to the fabrication of highly precise, shape-specific nanoscale vehicles for the direct delivery of therapeutics and imaging agents to individual cancer cells."
To read the full press release click here
UNC Lineberger receives one of seven large NCI grants for small science
CHAPEL HILL -- The National Cancer Institute has named the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center as one of seven institutions nationwide in the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer.
The funds for the first year of this five-year award total $3,899,965 and will establish the Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence. Officials said the grant would fund projects to harness emerging developments in nanotechnology to improve cancer diagnostics and imaging and therapy, and create new jobs for North Carolina.
Dr. Rudy Juliano, professor of pharmacology in UNC’s School of Medicine and UNC Lineberger member, has been contributing to this field for more than two decades and is principal investigator of the grant.
"The UNC group of investigators is diverse and comes from across campus and disciplines. Chemists, physicists, engineers, tumor biologists, pharmacologists, oncologists and radiologists are all working together to translate opportunities created by new developments in nanotechnology into better care for cancer patients. Our faculty was joined by collaborators from North Carolina State University, Duke and the University of California at San Francisco."
Cancer nanomedicine results from a convergence of the biological and physical sciences. Scientists have learned that cells function as assemblies of biological nanomachines, and abnormalities of cancer and other diseases often are based on malfunction of those nanomachines.
In the physical sciences, the properties of matter on the nanoscale differ greatly from matter on a normal scale. "Nano" usually is defined as less than 100 nanometers in size (about 0.000004 inches). Despite this tiny size, complex nanoscale devices now can be created and manipulated. Such nanodevices produced by physicists, chemists and engineers can be used to sense or to manipulate events around, on or even within, cells.
This offers the possibility of bringing the power of physical science to bear on problems of biomedical research, with implications for therapy, diagnosis, and early detection of cancer and other diseases.
"Our inclusion in this NCI program with some of the world’s premier physical science universities is a tribute to UNC’s ability to put together teams across academic boundaries," said Dr. Shelton Earp, UNC Lineberger director. "This synthesis of engineering, material science and medicine is both the future of patient care and attractive to industry at all levels."
"With recent ratings placing the Research Triangle as a top region for startup companies, large grants such as this one attract scientists and fuel economic development. New companies will be spawned as technologies mature and need to be developed and marketed to the health-care industry. This result is one small way of validating the state’s tremendous investment in the university and UNC Health Care System."
Several promising technologies will shape the research, including new developments in nanoparticle fabrication, X-ray nanotechnology and nanofluidics.
Dr. Joe DeSimone, William R. Kenan Jr. distinguished professor of chemistry and chemical engineering at UNC and N.C. State and also a UNC Lineberger member, is developing "smart" nanoparticles. Through a technology he developed at UNC called Particle Replication in Non-Wetting Templates (PRINT), he is able to make nanoparticles uniform in size and shape. These nanoparticles can be "loaded" with X-ray or MRI contrast agents or medicines. The nanoparticles are "smart" in that they will be formulated to interact with receptors on specific cell types and release their "cargo" on contact. One result is better, more targeted delivery of drugs in the body.
"We are thrilled to be part of NCI’s team of nanotechnology centers," DeSimone said. "This support will enable our vision to dramatically improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer by tapping into technologies from the electronics industry traditionally used for the fabrication of highly uniform nanoscale transistors and applying them to the fabrication of highly precise, shape-specific nanoscale vehicles for the direct delivery of therapeutics and imaging agents to individual cancer cells."
Dr. Otto Zhou, professor of physics and astronomy in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences and a UNC Lineberger member, is developing a new method of medical X-ray imaging based on pulsed nanofibers. The pulsed emission nanofiber system captures images of the body or a specific organ while they are moving. The result, Zhou said, is more precise and sensitive X-rays providing earlier detection of tumors before they get too large to treat, as well as an easier procedure for the patient.
Dr. John Ramsey, professor of chemistry in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences, is working on "nanofluidics" devices perhaps more easily understood as "labs on a chip." Using this technology, a "nanofluidics" machine the size of a playing card will analyze one drop of blood and have almost instantaneous results on a vast array of blood measurements.
Other institutions named as Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence are: the California Institute of Technology, the University of California at San Diego, Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Northwestern University and Washington University in St. Louis.
For more information about UNC’s ongoing research in nanotechnology, visit
http://research.unc.edu/endeavors/fall2005/zhou.php and
http://research.unc.edu/endeavors/fall2005/desimone.php
For more information regarding this NCI award, visit
http://nano.cancer.gov/alliance_awards/press/pr_2005_10_03.asp
For more information on nanotechnology in cancer treatment, visit http://nano.cancer.gov/
29 September: NSF 2005 Site Review
The NSF Site Review is scheduled for October 12, 2005. Click for
agenda and
titles of posters. Focus of
the morning session will be Strategic Plan and Diversity. Technical sessions are
in the afternoon in the Sonja Haynes Stone Center.
28 September: On-Line Ethics Training
NSF has asked its Science and Technology Centers to provide training in Science
Ethics as part of their overall education processes. In fact, it required an
Ethics module for STCs starting in 2002. The Center on Materials and Devices for
Information Technology Research (CMDITR), headquartered at the University of
Washington, has produced an excellent on-line course in three modules. We ask
that you complete this during the course of this academic year. You may complete
this course at your own rate, entering multiple times to pick up where you left
off. It should take no more than a couple of hours to read the material and take
the test. Click here to access
the site.
19 September: Innovation Day Symposium
A recent publication of the Chemical Heritage Foundation (Report on the First
Annual SCI-CHF Innovation Day Warren G. Schlinger Symposium) summarizes "new
frontiers in chemical innovation". Prominently featured in the Green Chemistry
session is a report on CO2 work done by Prof. Joseph M. DeSimone and his group.
Of even broader interest are the key categories highlighted as being critical
future innovation targets: Energy sources (fuel cell membranes are specifically
mentioned), Health Materials, Green Chemistry, Bioindustrial Technologies,
Nanomaterials, Photonics and Optoelectronics. CERSP has programs at least
touching on all of these areas. To read more about this symposium and the
Chemical Heritage Foundation see
http://www.chemheritage.org.
14
September: Computer Resource for NC High Schools
The Shodor Education Foundation Center for Computational Science Education has
launched a dedicated computer server that is capable of running research-level
calculations on small to medium-sized chemical molecules. The server, funded by
the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation and the SMT Center, will provide N. C. high
school students and teachers with free access to software for studying
individual molecules, reaction mechanisms, and other chemical phenomenon.
For more information click here.
09
September: Draft Plan On-line
CERSP participants: Our draft
2006 Strategic Plan is now
up on the website. If you have comments on it please respond to
baucome@email.unc.edu by Oct 1.
Thanks.
08 September: Post-doc position at NCA&T
State University
Interested candidates click here.
22 June: DeSimone Recognized by
CEDNC
Prof. Joseph M. DeSimone received two significant honors from the Council for
Entrepreneurial Development of North Carolina (CEDNC) at its June 15, 2005
meeting.
First, DeSimone and his team at Liquidia Technologies received the 2005
Entrepreneurial Excellence Award for Life Science Spin-Out of the Year in
recognition of its enormous potential. Liquidia Technologies is a UNC-CH/NC
State spin-out company that has licensed IP that was generated through partial
support from our NSCSTC.
Liquidia provides an enabling material platform: fluoropolymers that are liquids
at room temperature, but cure to elastic solids when exposed briefly to light.
The resulting material combines appealing properties of silicone elastomers and
glass – outperforming each, individually – and makes revolutionary applications
possible. Liquidia's products will be solvent- and chemically resistant
microfluidics and high performance imprint lithographic materials and processes.
In addition, a process innovated by Liquidia Technologies and based on the
Liquidia Material Platform enables continuous fabrication of shape-specific
isolated objects of a specific size. This discovery promises to revolutionize
the generation, efficacy and FDA regulation of nano- & micro-particles for drug
delivery and discovery, as well as other markets including catalysts.
Second, DeSimone was elected to a three-year term on CEDNC’s Board of Directors.
Founded in 1984, CEDNC was the brainchild of several forward-thinking business
leaders seeking to establish a network for the exchange of information among
entrepreneurs, investors, and service professionals and to increase the amount
of venture capital available to young North Carolina companies. For its role in
developing a strong entrepreneurial economy, CEDNC has received several national
awards. It is now the largest entrepreneurial support organization in the
country, having grown to approximately 3,500 active members representing over
1,000 companies and institutions. CEDNC has benefited from committed and able
leadership that understands the importance of a thriving entrepreneurial economy
to NC’s overall economic well-being.
Professor DeSimone’s selection to join the Board of Directors of CEDNC gives
greater visibility to our NSFSTC’s economic development goals.
17 June: DOE Funds CERSP Spin-off
A proposal entitled "Proton Exchange
Membranes for Next Generation Fuel Cells" has been funded by DOE at $900,000
over three years. The work proposes to explore pioneering approaches to the
fabrication of two new classes of high performance polymer electrolyte membranes
(PEMs) and will exploit heretofore unprecedented levels of morphologic control.
The two novel approaches include (1) development of curable liquid precursors to
very high acid-containing PEMs and (2) exploitation of new modular design using
self-assembled block co-polymers. These PEMs will be integrated into robust fuel
cells designed for next generation power sources; e.g., operating at >120C and
low relative humidity.
Principle investigator is
Prof. Joseph M. DeSimone, William R. Kenan Jr.
Distinguished Professor at Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill and Department of Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State
University. Co-investigators include Prof. Maurice Brookhart, et al., at
UNC-Chapel Hill; and Prof. Frank S. Bates, et al., at the University of
Minnesota-Twin Cities. Dr. Thad Adams, et al., of the Savannah River National
Laboratory will collaborate in this effort.
15 June: UNC Joins Fuel Cell Alliance
UNC researchers, led by distinguished chemist Joseph DeSimone, are among the
newest participants in the N. C. Fuel Cell Alliance, formed in 2004 to explore
renewable and efficient energy sources.
Fuel cells directly produce power by converting chemical energy into electrical
energy. UNC researchers are concerned with Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel
cells; these use hydrogen or methanol as fuel. Unlike a battery that discharges,
a fuel cell will continue to operate as long as it receives fuel. For details
click here.
27 May:
Samulski Named
Jefferson Science Fellow
Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice introduced Dr. Edward T Samulski as a new Jefferson Science
Fellow at a May 24 ceremony held in the State Department's Benjamin Franklin
Room. In this capacity Prof. Samulski will offer science advice to the
Department of State. Dr. Samulski, Cary C. Boshamer professor of chemistry in
the College of Arts and Sciences at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, is
one of five tenured professors nationwide to receive the prestigious U.S.
Department of State honor. Congratulations to Ed for this outstanding honor!
26 May: Immersion Lithography Webcast Available
SI's Managing Editor, Aaron
Hand, would like to invite you for a panel discussion examining recent progress
in 193 nm immersion lithography: Semiconductor International's 2004 Immersion
Lithography webcast
Originally broadcast April 5th, speakers detailed the use of 193 nm immersion lithography in a production environment, as well as issues still to be tackled during a session at the 2005 Electronics Manufacturing Summit.
The webcast is complimentary. Register Now.
19 May: New Safety Information Available
New MSDS information regarding fluoropolymers, -oligomers and
intermediates is now available. Click
here to access.
16 May: DeSimone Elected to Academy of Arts and Sciences
Prof. Joseph M. DeSimone has been elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in recognition of "preeminent contributions" in his field. This brings the total number of UNC faculty members who have been elected to academy membership to 27. Among the 196 fellows and 17 foreign honorary members named to the academy this year are U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, painter Jeff Koons, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Eric Cornell, journalist Tom Brokaw and Nobel Prize-winning Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska.
DeSimone is Kenan distinguished professor of chemistry and chemical engineering in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences and at N.C. State University. He has been a member of the college's faculty since receiving his doctorate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1990. He received his bachelor's degree from Ursinus College in 1986.
DeSimone, who holds more than 100 U.S. patents, has been widely recognized as an innovative polymer scientist and for discovering revolutionary ways to use carbon dioxide in place of conventional organic solvents for environmentally responsible manufacturing, cleaning and processing. Earlier this year, DeSimone was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest honors in the field. He is the youngest member of NAE.
In addition, he directs the National Science Foundation's Science Technology Center for Environmentally Responsible Solvents and Processes, a collaborative endeavor with five universities. DeSimone also directs UNC's new Institute for Advanced Materials, Nanoscience and Technology, an interdisciplinary endeavor drawing on UNC research strengths in polymer science, nanomaterials and nanobiosciences, and involving faculty from the curriculum in applied and materials sciences, and the departments of chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics and astronomy.
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780 by our nation’s leaders to cultivate the arts and sciences. It is one of the oldest learned societies in the country and is unique in its breadth and scope. Throughout its history it has gathered individuals with diverse interests and perspectives to participate in studies and projects focusing on critical social and scholarly issues. Prof. DeSimone will be inducted in ceremonies to be held on October 8, 2005 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Excerpted in part from May 2, 2005 General Alumni Association Newsletter
26 April:
DeSimone in
Fuel Cell Initiative
UNC researchers, led by distinguished chemist
Joe DeSimone, are among the newest participants in the N.
C. Fuel Cell Alliance, formed last summer to explore renewable and efficient
energy sources. Fuel cells directly produce power by converting chemical energy
into electrical energy. UNC researchers are oncerned with Proton Exchange
Membrane (PEM) fuel cells; these use hydrogen or methanol as fuel. Unlike a
battery that discharges, a fuel cell will continue to operate as long as it
receives fuel. Researchers have installed a fuel cell test station in the
Department of Chemistry. The station is allowing researchers to test the heart
of the fuel cell, the "membrane-electrode assembly," and its
components. Pending grants from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
($2.2 million) and the U.S. Department of Energy ($2.3 million) will, if
approved, complement existing support through the National Science Foundation
(NSF) Science and Technology Center for Environmentally Responsible Solvents and
Processes. These grants could provide $5 million for operating expenses over
three years.
"We think Carolina can have a big impact by making breakthroughs in basic science that can fundamentally transform the way power is harnessed from fuel cells," said DeSimone, W. R. Kenan, Jr. distinguished professor of chemistry and chemical engineering at UNC and N. C. State University. DeSimone also directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) Science and Technology Center for Environmentally Responsible Solvents and Processes and the new Institute for Advanced Materials, Nanoscience and Technology at UNC. First devised in 1839, fuel cells are not currently used widely in commercial industry. Researchers believe they have the potential to provide energy for a wide range of applications, such as powering laptops, providing light and heat to homes and running automobiles.
Fuel cell markets are currently valued at nearly $1 billion and are expected to grow to more than $13 billion in the next decade, according to projections cited by the N. C. Fuel Cell Alliance. "You can use fuel cells anywhere you use batteries. For example, if you used a fuel cell in a laptop it could last about a week, instead of lasting a few hours with batteries," said Everett Baucom, Deputy Director of the NSF Science and Technology Center and adjunct professor of chemistry at UNC. "Then, instead of recharging the cell you would simply replace the fuel cartridge."
UNC's fuel cell research will focus on portable uses for the technology, including laptops, cellular phones and U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security applications, DeSimone said.
Fuel cells offer high automotive fuel efficiency, low emissions and silent operation. UNC researchers are taking this field in a new direction, said DeSimone. "Most of the PEMs used in fuel cell manufacture are solid materials. We are pioneering liquid precursors. Having a liquid precursor can open new ways of fabricating fuel cells."
By Mary Catherine Hendrix, a senior with a double major in
psychology and journalism and mass communications.
16-Mar-2005 UNC Arts and Sciences News
08 April: Varun Dhanuka Receives
Award
UT-A undergraduate, Varun Dhanuka, has received the prestigious
and rare University Coop/George H. Mitchell Award for ChE. The amount of the
award ranges from $2,000 to $20,000. Dhanuka did research for three years in the
NSFSTC; during his senior year, he started a new research program in highly
concentrated CO2/oil emulsions for enhanced oil recovery which lead
to a manuscript and a PhD project.
23 March: Dr. Mary Louise Bellamy
to Receive NCSU Award
Dr. Mary Louise Bellamy will receive an NC State University Outstanding
Extension Service Award in recognition of her work with the Center for
Environmentally Responsible Solvents & Processes. She will also be inducted into
the Academy of Outstanding Faculty Engaged in Extension. Chancellor Oblinger
will present the awards at a dinner on April 27th.
11 March: "Fueled by UNC/NCSU
technology, startup raises $2.2M" article by Leo John from
Triangle Business Online
DURHAM – A startup armed with technology licensed from the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University has raised
$2.2 million in first round financing, money the company will use to move into
new offices and hire seven employees.
Liquidia Technologies was founded to commercialize a new type of material developed by Joe DeSimone, a chemistry and chemical engineering professor at both UNC and NCSU, and Edward T. Samulski, a chemistry professor at UNC.
They hope to raise another $300,000 to close the round at $2.5 million.
Investors funding the round include individual angles, CTI Molecular Imaging, a Knoxville, Tenn.-based medical device company, and Firelake Capital Management, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based investment firm.
The capital should allow the company to sustain development for a year, says Bruce Boucher, Liquidia’s president. Boucher says a local venture fund – he declined to say which one – is considering topping off the round with $300,000.
“We ended up turning other investors down,” says Boucher, a former finance chief of Magellan Laboratories, which was sold to Cardinal Health in 2002. Magellan co-founder Lowry Caudill has signed on as a member of Liquida’s board of directors.
In an e-mail response, DeSimone wrote that he is not prepared to discuss the company’s financing.
Liquidia plans to deploy the money to set up operations. The seven hires would bring the employee roster to 12 for the company, which plans to move into 4,400 square feet of office space at Keystone Park in May.
Besides being an investor in the company, CTI Molecular Imaging could be a boost in another way. CTI, which sells medical equipment such as positron emission tomography, or PET, machines, in December licensed Liquidia’s material to develop its own devices. Liquidia will earn royalties from any product sales.
Liquidia’s material – a liquid at room temperature – becomes a powerful solid when exposed to light for a few minutes. The resulting material combines properties of silicon and glass and makes new application possible, the company says.
Possible uses for Liquidia’s technology are in microfluidics, a technology applied to create the flow of liquids in miniature applications – such as ink in a printer cartridge. It also might be used to create molds during the manufacture of microchips and to produce large quantities of nanotech particles.
Boucher says Liquidia’s material can be used to improve existing products as well as to create new ones.
For DeSimone, Liquidia Technologies is his third technology venture. In 1995, he launched Micell Technologies, a company that developed a novel technology to dry clean clothes. He also founded BioStent, which in 2003 was bought by Guidant Corp. in a two-phase deal worth $16 million.
21 February: UNC
Tops for Science Post Docs
Article from Sciences @ Carolina
16 February:
DeSimone
Elected to National Academy of Engineering
Article from Sciences @ Carolina
14 February:
Hall and
DeSimone Selected for NAE
Two members of CERSP, Profs. Carol Hall and Joe DeSimone, have received
official notification that they have been elected to the National Academy of
Engineering. As you all know, this is among the highest honors that an
engineering faculty member can receive. It is indeed a rare occurrence that
two members of the same faculty, let alone the same STC, would be elected to
the NAE in the same year. Congratulations, Carol and Joe!
13 February:
Desmond
Harvey's Work Recognized
Desmond Harvey's presentation placed third in the Chemistry Division of a
recent conference sponsored by Southern University at New Orleans Program
for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Computer Technology and the
National Science Foundation. The 2005 National Research Conference for
Historically Black Colleges and Universities -Undergraduate Programs (HBCU-UP)
was held February 10-13, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Desmond reported on
his 2004 CERSP summer project done under the mentorship of Prof. Ed Samulski.
He will also present the research at Beta Kappa Chi's National Research
Conference next month. Best wishes can be sent to Desmond at
desmondharvey@hotmail.com
10 Feburary:
Green
Chemistry Summer School
The American Chemical Society is sponsoring a summer school on green
chemistry at McGill University in Montréal. The speakers are a veritable
who's who in the green chemistry community. We strongly encourage graduate
and post-doctoral associates to apply. All costs are covered.
What: ACS Summer School on Green Chemistry
Who: Graduate and post-doctoral students
Where: McGill University in Montréal, Québec, Canada
When: July 6-14, 2005
Cost: Transportation, housing and meals are provided
Application Deadline: February 28, 2005
URL:
http://chemistry.org/greenchemistry/summer.html
The American Chemical Society is holding a Summer School on Green Chemistry
for graduate and post-doctoral students. Participants will have the
opportunity to discuss and practice green chemistry within an interactive
study environment. Leading educators, researchers, and experts in green
chemistry will present lectures, workshops and experiments.
Deadline for receipt of applications is February 28, 2005. Notification of
acceptance will be made on or before April 4, 2005. The ACS Summer School on
Green Chemistry is open to graduate and post-doctoral students studying in
the Americas. Applicants should be interested in developing collegial
relationships through the Summer School that will result in future
collaborations on
research projects, conferences and workshops. See the Web site for more
information: http://chemistry.org/greenchemistry/summer.html
06 February:
Kropp
Receives Teaching Award
Prof. Paul Kropp, UNC-CH Chemistry Department, advised undergraduate
researchers in the STC for the past five years. He has been selected to
receive the 2005 Johnston Award for Excellence in Teaching. Paul was
recognized in a half-time presentation at
the February 3rd UNC-NCSU men's basketball game. Congratulations, Paul!
03 February 2005:
Qian
Zhao Recognized
Congratulations to Qian Zhao, who has been selected as the Second Place
Competitor in this year's Richard D. Gilbert Award Symposium. He will be
honored Thursday evening, February 10, 2005 (posters at 5:30 PM, dinner at
6:00 PM and oral program starts at 7:00 PM), where he will make a
presentation on his research to the Polymer Discussion Group. Also at that
time, our sponsor the Lord Corporation, will present a check for $400.
30 January 2005:
Saunders Recognized by
Nanotech Foundation
The Nanotechnology
Foundation of Texas (NFT) has selected Aaron Saunders of the University of
Texas at Austin to receive the 2004 George Kozmetsky Award for Outstanding
Graduate Research in Nanotechnology. The award carries a grant of $5,000. A
scientific review board composed of recognized experts in nanotechnology
research rated 18 submissions representing diverse fields, including
medicine, engineering and natural science.
Saunders’ research has focused on two areas: developing very high quality solutions-phase nanocrystal syntheses and understanding spontaneous nanocrystal self-assembly into superlattices. His work bears directly on developing a new class of materials and the processes involved in nanocrystal assembly. His Ph.D. advisor, UT professor Brian Korgel, said his research is “based on his own independent innovations and observations in the laboratory and are remarkable for a graduate student at this point in his studies.”
In a key paper Saunders et al describe the single-step self-organization of nanocrystal superlattice films infused with spatially ordered arrays of micrometer-size pores. In a humid atmosphere, water droplets condense on the surface of evaporating thin-film solutions of nanocrystals. Nanocrystals coated with the appropriate ligands stabilize the water droplets, allowing them to grow to uniform size and ultimately pack into very ordered arrays. The droplets provide a temporary template that casts an ordered macroporous nanocrystal film. This process could serve as a reliable bottom-up self-assembly approach for fabricating two-dimensional waveguides with tunable optical properties for single-chip integration of photonic and electronic technologies.
Details of the NFT and Kozmetsky Award
The NFT established the George Kozmetsky Award for Outstanding Graduate Research in Nanotechnology as a result of generous donations from the public. It is given annually to the top two graduate students in the state of Texas to recognize excellence in nanotechnology research. The awarded funds will be used for stipend, travel, lab supplies, books, equipment and other direct costs associated with the student’s research. The winners will also have an opportunity to address the 2005 Nano Summit that takes place on July 28, 2005.
The
Graduate Research Awards are the first awards of their kind to be offered in
the U.S. to students working in fields related to nanotechnology. According
to Conrad Masterson, founder and president of NFT, “These awards
recognize the great work underway at Texas universities. Our goal is to help
attract the brightest young people in the nation to conduct nanotechnology
research; make groundbreaking discoveries; and commercialize products that
derive from their work in this state."
NFT is a publicly funded non-profit research initiative founded in 2001. It
seeks to accelerate nanotechnology research in Texas by recruiting the most
qualified graduate students and post doctoral researchers into the field of
nanotechnology; providing funding to help current nanotechnology researchers
expand their fields of investigation; and sponsoring annual Nano Summit
conferences designed to encourage collaboration among Texas nanotechnology
researchers; educate corporations, universities and private research
companies about the research being underway in the state; and generate
broader funding sources for Texas-based research.
28 January 2005:
UT
Startup in Business Week
InnovaLight, a startup based upon nanoparticle technology invented by STC
scientists Brian Korgel and Keith Johnston at UT-Austin, was recently
highlighted in Business Week Online. Click
here to
read the article
12 January 2005 :
Uitenham to Active
Duty
Professor Leonard
Uitenham, chair of the Mechanical and Chemical Engineering Department at
NCA&T State University, has been called to active duty. Professor Uitenham
has been a key member of CERSP management team for the past two years.
However, he has been a key member of another team--the United States Marine
Corps--for many more years. Col. Uitenham has headed up the USMC Reserves in
the Southeastern US, leading reservists in eleven states. We wish him the
best and trust that his active duty will be limited to one year as promised.
06 January 2005:
Summer Research
Experience
Undergraduates and advanced high school students interested in summer
research experiences check out opportunities at National Science Foundation
Science and Technology Centers: Brochure Part I &
Part II. Check
also the Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Green Chemistry at
www.che.ncsu.edu/reu.
04 January 2005:
DeSimone Featured
Entrepreneur
Characteristics of a successful entrepreneur are discussed in this article
in Chemical Pilot Magazine. Professor Joe DeSimone is featured as a prime
example of an inventor/entrepreneur. He describes some of the factors
required in a successful startup, primarily the willingness to take prudent
risks. Click here to read the
article.