2009

NOVEMBER 15, 2009
Nanotube/chromophore hybrid material receives $1 million DOE grant

Materials Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Padma Gopalan and Physics Professor Mark Eriksson received a four-year $1,070,000 grant from the Department of Energy to study optical and electro-optic modulation of biomimetically-functionalized nanotubes. They will combine elements of photoswitchable molecules and carbon nanotubes to create the design and fundamental study of nanotube/chromophore hybrid material. Their system will translate knowledge about the optical switching behavior of these molecules to a system where direct electrical read-out is possible in a field effect transistor configuration. Inspired by the biological process of vision, their research will focus on the development and understanding of functionalization for optimizing electro-optic properties through a combination of a new functionalization of chemistry, device physics and modeling.

2008

DECEMBER 23, 2008
UW-Madison engineer receives presidential award

DECEMBER 3, 2008
Uncovering the real dirt on granular flow

NOVEMBER 1, 2008
Beebe named scientific editor of new biology journal

Biomedical Engineering Professor David Beebe will serve on the international editorial board of Integrative Biology, a new publication from the Royal Society of Chemistry that will launch in January 2009. No single discipline can address the complexity of biology; this journal aims to provide a home for integrative approaches to providing insights into biology. Covering topics that include cell study using micro and nanofluidics, synthetic biology, biomimetic systems, biological phenomena and processes at the nanoscale, and many more, the monthly journal will publish a mix of research articles, including full papers, reviews and perspectives. Beebe’s current research centers around creating and using microfluidic tools to study cancer biology and improve cancer diagnosis and monitoring. He is one of two scientific editors on the board, which includes recent Nobel Prize recipient Roger Tsien and is chaired by Mina Bissell.

NOVEMBER 1, 2008
Pfefferkorn and Zinn awarded Phase II STTR

In collaboration with Friction Stir Link, Inc. (Waukesha, Wisconsin), Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professors Frank Pfefferkorn and Mike Zinn received a three-year, $556,171 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award from the Office of Naval Research. Their project, “Portable friction stir welding technology for aluminum fabrication,” will develop, qualify and validate various robotic friction stir-welding processes and hardware to enable a portable friction stir welding system for naval construction and repair applications.

NOVEMBER 1, 2008
A new method to measure how strain affects semiconductors

In a finding that could lay the foundation for faster flexible electronics, a team of researchers led by Erwin W. Mueller and Bascom Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Max Lagally has developed a method that enables researchers to directly measure the effects of strain on the electronic structure of silicon. The team can induce uniform strain in extremely thin, flexible silicon nanomembranes. The researchers drew on the powerful X-ray source at the UW-Madison Synchrotron Radiation Center (SRC), which allowed them to measure conduction bands in strained silicon. By measuring nanomembranes with different percentages of strain, the researchers have determined the direction and magnitude of shifts in the conduction bands. The group published their findings in the October 10 online edition of Physical Review Letters.

NOVEMBER 1, 2008
Knezevic receives AFOSF YIP award

Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Irena Knezevic has received a 2009 Air Force Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) award for her proposal, “Semiconductor nanowire and nanoribbon thermoelectrics: A comprehensive computational study.” Knezevic will use this three-year, $395,190 award to study nanostructured thermoelectric (TE) elements that offer tremendous potential for refrigeration and conversion of heat waste into electricity. Knezevic will perform a large-scale, comprehensive computational study of the TE properties on semiconductor nanowires and nanoribbons over a large parameter space of materials compositions, dimensions, surface roughness parameters, doping densities, and temperatures, with focus on SiGe and GaN-based structures. Knezevic is among 39 researchers chosen for their exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research while still in the first five years of their careers.

AUGUST 15, 2008
Chesler receives Fulbright Scholarship to study pulmonary hypertension
With funding from the U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program, Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Naomi Chesler will conduct research at the University of Ghent, Belgium, from February through June 2009. Chesler and University of Ghent collaborator Patrick Segers will combine their knowledge of and expertise in pulmonary hypertension to develop computational models of this life-threatening disease to better understand and predict right ventricular failure. In addition, Chesler is the 2008 recipient of the Denice D. Denton Emerging Leader Award. Presented by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, the award recognizes a junior faculty member who is pursuing high-quality science or engineering research while significantly promoting diversity in his or her environment. Chesler, who is the second recipient, will accept the award at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in October.

MAY 1, 2008
Spiraling nanotrees offer new twist on growth of nanowires

2007

NOVEMBER 8, 2007
UW 2nd in science, engineering funds

OCTOBER 15, 2007
Team launches advanced-reactor materials study
Engineering Physics Assistant Professor Todd Allen, Materials Science and Engineering Assistant Professors Izabela Szlufarska and Dane Morgan, Engineering Physics Research Professor Kumar Sridharan, Associate Scientist Mark Anderson and Assistant Scientist Lizhen Tan have received approximately $890,000 from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to study the emissivity of metallic structures and fission product transport in TRISO (tristructural isotropic) fuels—both in relation to advanced very-high-temperature nuclear reactor designs. The researchers hope to determine the role of emissivity on decay heat transfer from plant structures via radiative heat loss and to predict the transport of noble and metallic fission products through the TRISO fuel form.

APRIL 15, 2007
Chang-Beom Eom wins Ho-Am Prize

JANUARY 4, 2007
World-record speed for thin-film transistors could revolutionize flexible electronics

2006

AUGUST 2, 2006
Autonomous lenses may bring microworld into focus

JULY 18, 2006
UW team invents fast, flexible, low-power 3-D comput er chips on plastic

APRIL 13, 2006
Scientists fashion semiconductors into flexible memb ranes

FEBRUARY 8, 2006
Study explains unexpected conductivity of nanoscale silicon

2005

DECEMBER 20, 2005
New technologies target food-borne illnesses

OCTOBER 14, 2005
Engineers help turn science into interactive exhibits

JANUARY 31, 2005
Researchers squeeze atomic arrangements to create superior memory material

JANUARY 17, 2005
Nanoscale electron island could lead to new efficient flat-panel displays

2004

SEPTEMBER 27, 2004
Single electron transistor created with tiny mechanical arm

SEPTEMBER 22, 2004
New UW-Madison NSF center investigates nanotechnology

AUGUST 16, 2004
Paper explains ferroelectrics memory losses

MAY 17, 2004
Method eases nanowire manipulation

APRIL 5, 2004
ECE research advances wireless communication technology

MARCH 8, 2004
MS & E faculty member wins NSF CAREER award

FEBRUARY 23, 2004
Perepezko elected to National Academy of Engineering

JANUARY 19, 2004
Engineering professor devises cutting-edge way to cut cheese better

2003

MAY 5, 2003
Engineering students win two places in the G. Steven Burrill Technology Business Plan Competition

MARCH 4, 2003
Nanotechnology in local news

A story from Channel 3 [Real Player movie] features the Nanoworld Discovery Center, a hands-on exhibit produced by the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) that celebrates the excitement and potential of nanotechnology. MSP Associate Professor Wendy Crone is interviewed in the story.

Diamond film may enable critical new sensors for bioterror — View a local broadcast by WKOW-TV, Madison channel 27


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February 17, 2003
Larbalestier named to National Academy of Engineering

December 2, 2002
Development vaults semiconductor technology eight years into the future

August 5, 2003
Research gives ligaments a real workout

July 29, 2002
Advance may lead to practical quantum computing

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