APS Fellowship -- Dr. Sergio Ulloa
December 3, 2007
By Mala Braslavsky
Professor Sergio Ulloa has just been named a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the primary professional association of physicists in the United States.
APS Fellowship is awarded to an elite subset of members who have made distinguished contributions to physics research and to the profession. A maximum of one-half of one percent of the society members are singled out annually for this recognition. Additional information can be found at http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/fellowships/ .
Congratulations Sergio!
Poster competition recap
November 12, 2007
By Mala Braslavsky
On November 2, 2007, BNNT hosted its second Research Poster Competition with co-sponsors NQPI and CMSS. The evening was a tremendous success. There were over 50 poster entrants in the competition representing twenty two different research groups.
Prizes were awarded in three categories:
In the Undergraduate Research category, Eric Abrams, from Ohio University, won first prize with his poster entitled “Synthesis of Chelating Sulfoxides for Picosecond Isomerization in Photochromic Ruthenium Sulfoxides.” Second prize went to Patrick Holvey from the University of Notre Dame. And third prize was awarded to Paul Ingram from Ohio University.
In the Ohio University Graduate Division, prizes were awarded in two separate categories. In the bionano category, Yao Xiong from Dr. Liwei Chen’s research group, won first place with his poster entitled “Distinguish metallic and semiconducting nanotubes in EFM.” Second place went to Mahmoud Emara from Dr. Greg Van Patten’s research group, and third place was awarded to Prithu Sundd from Dr. David Tee’s research group.
In the general nano category, first prize was awarded to Gayani Perera from Dr. Saw Hla’s research group with the poster entitled “Low Temperature STM Investigation of Molecular Kondo Effect.” Second and third prizes went to Swati Ramanathan from Dr. Eric Stinaff’s research group and Edson Vernek from Dr. Nancy Sandler’s research group, respectively.
Princeton Nanoscientist Visits OU
May 23, 2007
By Liz Leitch
Princeton University nanoscientist Ali Yazdani served as an honored guest and spoke at the Ohio University physics and astronomy department’s weekly colloquium on May 4, 2007.
In his speech titled “Quantum Tunneling of Electrons and the Riddle of High Temperature Superconductivity,” Yazdani discussed his lab group’s research on the pairing of electrons in two-dimensional superconductors during the superconducting state.
During this state, electrons combine in what are called cooper pairs. Yazdani’s lab is working to better understand this superconducting state when a magnetic field is applied.
“We have found that paring is a local phenomenon and is largely dependent on temperature,” said Yazdani who discussed that the critical temperature was not the highest temperature that contained superconductivity within nano-sized regions on the surface.
Yazdani is currently a professor of physics at Princeton University. He has studied with Donald Eigler at the IBM Almaden Research Center, and in 2000 he was the recipient of the Beckman Fellowship at the Center for Advance Study at the University of Illinois.
International Workshop to be held at Ohio University
May 16, 2007
The fifth international workshop on Nanoscale Spectroscopy and Nanotechnology will take place at Ohio University in the fall of 2008. The biannual conference will cover topics such as molecular machines and devices, semiconductor quantum dots, magnetic nanostructures and nanosensors. NQPI member Saw-Wai Hla will serve as the conference chair.
Please visit the conference Web site for regularly updated information.
NQPI Students Present at Research and Creative Activity Fair
May 9, 2007
By Liz Leitch
Athens, OHIO – NQPI graduate students and postdoctoral fellows presented their research at Ohio University’s 6th annual Research and Creative Activity fair on May 3, 2007 at the Convocation Center. Participants from NQPI included students from the departments of biochemistry, physics and astronomy, engineering and biological sciences.
“This is the unique event at Ohio University for students to present their research findings,” said Danda Acharya, a graduate student who placed first in one of the physics and astronomy grading sessions. “It is also a great opportunity to understand other student's research. You can see and feel how important the research is.”
Close to 500 groups presented their research in diverse areas such as engineering, art and theater. Posters, demonstrations and films were judged by a panel of 90 Ohio University faculty and staff and six community leaders. Participants were awarded first and second prizes worth up to $400
Other NQPI winners include Yeliz Celik and Saima Khan of physics and astronomy, and Alyssa Thomas of chemistry and biochemistry.
The fair, which nearly doubled in size from last year, is sponsored in part by the Office of the Vice President for Research.
Business Leaders, Ohio U Representatives Meet at Ohio Nanotech Summit
April 30, 2007
By Liz Leitch
AKRON, Ohio – More than 30 Ohio University representatives, including several administrators and Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute (NQPI) faculty and students attended the third annual Ohio Nanotechnology Summit April 24 and 25 at the John S. Knight Center in Akron, Ohio. The event was attended by more than 500 academics, business people, consultants, politicians and non-profit organizations who are interested in capitalizing on the nanotechnology revolution.
“Ohio ranks in the top ten states investing time and money into nanotechnology research,” said keynote speaker Jack Uldrich, president of The NanoVeritas Group. Uldrich stressed the importance of realizing that nanotechnology will significantly change our businesses, the products we use and ultimately our lives.
The summit provided a forum for representatives from the different sectors to meet and discuss research developments in areas such as nano processing, biomedicine and nano materials. Nanotechnology involves observing and manipulating particles ten thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair, in order to create new materials and products with unprecedented function.
“It was important to attend this event because it shows the state, as well as businesses that Ohio University is committed to nanotechnology research,” said Arthur Smith, director of NQPI and associate professor of physics and astronomy. “It is an opportunity to meet with entrepreneurs and universities to discuss the possibility for future nanotechnology collaborations.”
Ohio University was one among ten universities from Ohio that attended the event and presented current nano related research during the poster presentations. There were approximately 150 posters from universities, businesses and non-profit organizations such as NASA and Battelle.
Ohio University Interim Vice President of Research James Rankin and Director of Grant Writing and Special Projects Roxanne Male-Brune attended the event and met with other university representatives in Ohio about possible joint research efforts. Male-Brune has served as a member of the Nanotechnology Summit Steering Committee in past years.
Ohio University has received numerous nanotechnology grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Office of Naval Research. Nanoscience is one of the university’s core research areas.
NQPIs goal is to promote research excellence in nanoscale science and engineering through on-going and steadily growing cross-campus collaborations. The organization includes 26 faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Russ College of Engineering. The Institute was founded in 2001.
Flourescence Microscope Used in Antifreeze Protien Study
March 25, 2007
By Liz Leitch
NQPI researcher Ido Braslavsky led a recent study showing how antifreeze proteins (AFPs) from the spruce budworm are more effective at inhibiting the growth of ice crystals than AFPs from fish. AFPs protect organisms from freezing by binding to ice to further prevent its growth. The group used fluorescence microscopy to observe their findings.
To read to full Ohio University Research Communication news story, go to: Fluorescence microscopy reveals why some antifreeze proteins inhibit ice growth better than others .
Other relevant links can be found in:
NQPI Faculty Member Receives Distinguished Professor Award
February 7, 2007
By Liz Leitch
Biochemist and NQPI faculty member Tadeusz Malinski served as the distinguished speaker at Ohio University’s Founders Day on Friday February 2, 2007.
Malinski’s speech titled “Nanomedicine for the Heart” covered his research on nitric oxide and its role in the human body. Using nanosensors his lab developed in the 1980s, Malinski was able to prove by direct measurement that nitric oxide was released by a single endothelial cell.
Nitric oxide is best known as an environmental pollutant, but Malinski’s technique helped prove that it provides necessary functions in the body, such as regulating blood pressure, wound healing and helps white blood cells defend against cancer and pathogens.
“It is difficult to detect because of its size ratio compared to other molecules,” said Malinski who thinks the ideal system would include a nanoshuttle similar to a space shuttle containing a battery powered navigation system to penetrate a particular spot that researchers select. His research group has already created the world’s smallest battery, measuring about one nanometer in length.
Malinski received the Distinguished Professor Award from Ohio University in 2006 for his research and contributions to the field of science. The award is considered the university’s highest honor. In addition, Malinski’s work appears in more than 250 scholarly publications and scientific journals.