tag:nano.nd.edu,2005:/newsNDnano // NDnano2017-12-21T11:00:00-05:00tag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/829142017-12-21T11:00:00-05:002018-01-08T11:54:27-05:00Notre Dame faculty named among the top one percent of highly cited researchers<p>Two University of Notre Dame researchers – <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/mhaenggi">Martin Haenggi</a> and <a href="http://chemistry.nd.edu/people/prashant-kamat/">Prashant V. Kamat</a> – have been named to <a href="https://clarivate.com/hcr/2017-researchers-list/#">Clarivate Analytics’ 2017 Highly Cited Researchers list</a>. Clarivate’s list identifies the scholars who published the most articles that are in the top one percent of the most-cited articles.</p><p>Two University of Notre Dame researchers – <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/mhaenggi">Martin Haenggi</a> and <a href="http://chemistry.nd.edu/people/prashant-kamat/">Prashant V. Kamat</a> – have been named to <a href="https://clarivate.com/hcr/2017-researchers-list/#">Clarivate Analytics’ 2017 Highly Cited Researchers list</a>. Clarivate’s list identifies the scholars who published the most articles that are in the top one percent of the most-cited articles. It includes about 3,500 researchers world-wide, categorized into more than 20 different science disciplines.</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="Martin Haenggi 3328" src="http://research.nd.edu/assets/260222/150x/martin_haenggi_3328.jpg">Professor Haenggi</p>
<p>Haenggi, Frank M. Freimann Chair Professor of <a href="https://www.ee.nd.edu/">Electrical Engineering</a>, concurrent professor of <a href="http://acms.nd.edu/">applied and computational mathematics and statistics</a>, and affiliated member of the <a href="https://wireless.nd.edu/">Wireless Institute</a>, was ranked among the highly cited scholars for computer science. He is the editor-in-chief of the <a href="https://www.comsoc.org/twc/editor-chief">Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ </a><em><a href="https://www.comsoc.org/twc/editor-chief">Transactions on Wireless Communications</a> </em>and he directs the Emerging Wireless Architectures Laboratory. Haenggi’s research interests include wireless communications and networking, with an emphasis on cellular, ad hoc, vehicular, cognitive, and sensor networks.</p>
<p>In discussing being named to the list, Haenggi said, “To be considered amongst the most highly cited scientists is an honor and I am proud to know that my work has significantly impacted the field of wireless communications and networking, as well as the greater research community.”</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="Kamat 2 1" src="http://research.nd.edu/assets/260221/150x/kamat_2_1_.jpg">Professor Kamat</p>
<p>Kamat, Rev. John A. Zahm Professor of <a href="http://science.nd.edu/">Science</a>, concurrent professor of <a href="https://cbe.nd.edu/">chemical and biomolecular engineering</a>, and affiliated member of <a href="http://energy.nd.edu/">ND Energy</a>, was categorized as a highly cited researcher in chemistry. Kamat is currently serving as the inaugural editor-in-chief of <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/page/aelccp/editors.html"><em><span class="caps">ACS</span> Energy Letters</em></a>, a peer-reviewed journal from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en.html">American Chemical Society</a> (<span class="caps">ACS</span>), and is a leader in the field of converting solar energy to electricity and chemical energy. His research interests include nanotechnology and materials chemistry, solar energy conversion, chemical processes in heterogeneous media, and solar fuels.</p>
<p>Kamat, who has been named to the list the past three years, said, “I am humbled to see that our scientific contributions are valued and utilized by other scholars. This is also a recognition of the excellent contribution by the undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral associates at Notre Dame.”</p>
<p>To find more information about the Clarivate Analytics’ 2017 Highly Cited Researchers list and how it is compiled, please visit <a href="https://clarivate.com/hcr/2017-researchers-list/">https://clarivate.com/hcr/2017-researchers-list/</a>. </p>
<p>Contact:</p>
<p>Brandi Klingerman / Communications Specialist</p>
<p>Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame</p>
<p><a href="mailto:bklinger@nd.edu">bklinger@nd.edu</a> / 574.631.8183</p>
<p><a href="http://research.nd.edu/">research.nd.edu</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/UNDResearch">@UNDResearch</a></p>
<p>About Notre Dame Research:</p>
<p>The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in <a href="https://www.southbendin.gov/">South Bend, Indiana</a>, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see <a href="http://research.nd.edu/">research.nd.edu</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/UNDResearch">@UNDResearch</a>.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Brandi Klingerman</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://research.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-faculty-named-among-the-top-one-percent-of-highly-cited-researchers/">research.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">December 18, 2017</span>.</p>Brandi Klingermantag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/829162017-12-15T11:00:00-05:002018-01-08T12:00:58-05:00Notre Dame study uncovers keys to earliest stages of animal development<p class="image-left"><img alt="Huber Dovichi 250" src="http://science.nd.edu/assets/259762/huber_dovichi_250.jpg" /></p>
<p>Research completed at the University of Notre Dame that tracked the maturation of the frog oocyte to an egg, followed by fertilization and progression to the two-cell embryo, provides a valuable foundation for developmental biologists who study the earliest stages of animal development.</p><p dir="ltr">Research completed at the University of Notre Dame that tracked the maturation of the frog oocyte to an egg, followed by fertilization and progression to the two-cell embryo, provides a valuable foundation for developmental biologists who study the earliest stages of animal development.</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="Dovichi Huber 700" src="http://science.nd.edu/assets/259763/dovichi_huber_700.jpg">Dovichi and Huber</p>
<p dir="ltr">The study, “Phosphorylation Dynamics Dominate the Regulated Proteome during Early Xenopus Development,” was published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-15936-y" target="_blank">Nature Scientific Reports</a> last month. The study was a joint effort between the labs of <a href="http://chemistry.nd.edu/people/paul-w-huber/" target="_blank">Paul Huber,</a> professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and <a href="http://chemistry.nd.edu/people/norman-dovichi/" target="_blank">Norman Dovichi</a>, the Grace Rupley Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, as well as the program lead for the <a href="http://precisionmedicine.nd.edu/" target="_blank">Precision Medicine program</a>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Using the model organism, Xenopus laevis, researchers measured changes in the levels of proteins as well their phosphorylation, that is, amino acids to which a phosphate group is attached. Phosphorylation changes the cellular identity of proteins, and can have many effects. Not only can it change the structure or activity of a protein, it can also influence a protein’s interaction with other proteins.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“We were able to improve our sample preparation that allowed us to identify about three times more phosphorylation sites than any previous study that had been published,” said lead author, Elizabeth Peuchen, who worked in Dovichi’s lab and on Dec. 8 completed her doctoral degree in Analytical Chemistry. “Our depth of analysis is a lot greater than previous studies, allowing us to dig deeper into the biology and the biochemistry regulating fertilization.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Also, because the researchers measured both phosphorylation and the protein levels together, they were more clearly able to identify how changes in phosphorylation regulate key events in egg formation and fertilization.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In addition to the increased understanding of the role of phosphorylation in fertilization, the team also discovered that protein levels are modified less than previously expected, said Huber, who is also affiliated with Notre Dame’s <a href="http://stemcell.nd.edu/" target="_blank">Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine.</a> The study also provided evidence that micro-RNAs, which are regulatory molecules, may play a more important role during the earliest stages of Xenopus development than previously expected. The role of micro-RNAs had been somewhat controversial.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Xenopus frog model is often used for developmental biology studies because their oocytes and embryos can be easily viewed and modified. Because they are vertebrates, observations learned while using the Xenopus model can be easily translated to other vertebrates, including humans.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Our research provides a really strong database for future studies for molecular biologists to consider,” Peuchen said. “This study shows the basic trends that allow researchers to go in and look specifically at their protein or site of interest, and that’s the first step to getting any developmental biology project started.”</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Deanna Csomo McCool</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="http://science.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-study-uncovers-keys-to-earliest-stages-of-animal-development/">science.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">December 14, 2017</span>.</p>Deanna Csomo McCooltag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/824842017-12-12T08:00:00-05:002017-12-12T08:24:03-05:00Thirty years of molecular beam epitaxy stimulates international collaborations<p>In continuous operation since its beginning in 1987, more than 10,000 crystals have been grown in the Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) lab of Professor Jacek Furdyna. Materials designed and fabricated in the MBE lab led to collaborations with scientists in more than 100 institutions outside of Notre Dame, including some 35 in foreign countries, resulting in significant worldwide visibility.</p><div>
<p>For nearly thirty years, Professor Jacek Furdyna’s Molecular Beam Epitaxy (<span class="caps">MBE</span>) lab at Notre Dame has been providing crystals and materials to students and scientists across the world. In continuous operation since its beginning in 1987, more than 10,000 crystals have been grown in the lab, most in the form of “designer-materials” such as new crystal phases, quantum wells, quantum dots, and other forms that do not occur in nature.</p>
<p>Growing such crystal structures requires specific combinations of atoms from different elements. Molecular Beam Epitaxy accomplishes this by assembling these atoms into a single crystal on a substrate, atomic layer by atomic layer. Not surprisingly, this must be done under ultra-high vacuum conditions, ensuring ultra-high purity of the resulting material, with no unwanted foreign atoms present.</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="Furdyna Dobrowolska 1200" src="http://science.nd.edu/assets/259325/furdyna_dobrowolska_1200.jpg">Margaret Dobrowolska and Jacek Furdyna in the <span class="caps">MBE</span> lab at Notre Dame.</p>
<p>“The process of <span class="caps">MBE</span> allows us to create materials by assembling the atoms one-by-one, ‘on demand’. Thus we are able to form entirely new crystal phases and, more importantly, to obtain materials with entirely new atomic configurations (such as quantum wells, superlattices, quantum wires, and quantum dots) that perform specific optical, electrical, or magnetic functions that can be applied in solid state devices,” said Margaret Dobrowolska, the Rev. John Cardinal O’Hara, C.S.C. Professor of Physics and associate dean for undergraduate studies, College of Science, who works with Furdyna in the <span class="caps">MBE</span> lab (and happens to be his wife). The resulting materials are highly precise films that are widely used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, such as semiconductor transistors of various forms, light emitting diodes (LEDs), semiconductor lasers, and a myriad other components for modern-day electronics.</p>
<p>Molecular Beam Epitaxy was invented in the late 1960s at Bell Telephone Laboratories by J. R. Arthur and Alfred Y. Cho. In 1987, Furdyna came to Notre Dame from Purdue and set up the <span class="caps">MBE</span> lab in Nieuwland Science Hall. His research interests involve the preparation of new semiconducting compounds and the investigation of their physical properties. Most recently, this activity has focused on three semiconducting systems: quantum well structures for use in blue and blue-green light emitters, including semiconductor lasers; magnetic semiconductors (which combine “traditional” semiconductor phenomena with new magnetic properties, including ferromagnetism); and semiconductor nanostructures, such as self-assembled quantum dots, quantum wires, and their arrays. These systems are investigated by structural, electrical, magnetic, and optical techniques, which provide basic understanding of the electronic and magnetic structures of the new semiconducting materials, as well as the knowledge necessary for constructing electronic and optical devices based on the above materials. One should note here that, because the structures achieved by <span class="caps">MBE</span> are controlled at atomic-scale precision, this method provides one of the most effective approaches to the new wave of technology referred to as nanotechnology. </p>
<p>In addition to the spectroscopic studies carried out at Notre Dame, Furdyna together with his colleagues Dobrowolska and Xinyu Liu, associate research professor of physics, are involved in an extensive program of collaborations with other institutions in the area of structural studies, magnetic measurements, and neutron scattering on the semiconductor systems described above. Materials designed and fabricated in the <span class="caps">MBE</span> lab led to collaborations with scientists in more than 100 institutions outside of Notre Dame, including some 35 in foreign countries, resulting in significant worldwide visibility for Notre Dame.</p>
<p>“One of the most gratifying things about having the <span class="caps">MBE</span> lab here at Notre Dame is that it stimulates such extensive international collaborations,” Furdyna said. “As an illustration, in just the past five years alone we’ve had about 10 long-term visiting scientists, including graduate students and postdocs from Ireland, South Korea, Venezuela, Brazil, Poland, and Russia. Apart from getting a great deal of work done, they’ve seriously contributed to broadening our horizons.”</p>
<p>Furdyna further commented: “More than 40 Notre Dame graduate students carried out their Ph.D. research on materials provided by the <span class="caps">MBE</span> lab. Since the <span class="caps">MBE</span> lab opened in 1987, the cumulative number of refereed publications by our group is about 700, and the number of citations of these papers in the scientific literature is over 14,000. More than 120 graduate students in institutions other than Notre Dame carried out their Ph.D. research on materials provided by our <span class="caps">MBE</span> lab. This includes 90 Ph.D. students in U.S. universities and 30 students in universities abroad. In the area of new semiconductor materials, and particularly in systems involving magnetic semiconductors, our lab has become the ‘go-to place’ in research involving these research fields.” </p>
</div>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Tammi Freehling</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="http://science.nd.edu/news/thirty-years-of-molecular-beam-epitaxy-stimulates-international-collaborations/">science.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">December 08, 2017</span>.</p>Tammi Freehlingtag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/829152017-12-04T11:00:00-05:002018-01-08T11:59:12-05:00Idea Week to showcase innovation and entrepreneurship in South Bend-Elkhart region<p>The University of Notre Dame, along with the city of South Bend, the city of Elkhart and various community organizations and businesses, will host <a href="http://idea-week.com/">Idea Week</a> April 21-28 to highlight strides being made in innovation and entrepreneurship in the region and to inspire creative energy for future success.</p><p style="margin-bottom:10pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in">The University of Notre Dame, along with the city of South Bend, the city of Elkhart and various community organizations and businesses, will host <a href="http://idea-week.com/">Idea Week</a> April 21-28 (Saturday-Saturday) to highlight strides being made in innovation and entrepreneurship in the region and to inspire creative energy for future success.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:10pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in">Idea Week was announced Dec. 1 (Friday) by <a href="https://www.nd.edu/about/leadership/council/thomas-burish/">Thomas G. Burish</a>, Notre Dame’s Charles and Jill Fischer Provost; South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Scott Mereness, president of Lippert Components in Elkhart; <a href="http://provost.nd.edu/about/associate-provosts-vp-research/vice-president-and-associate-provost-for-innovation/">Bryan Ritchie</a>, Notre Dame vice president and associate provost for innovation; and Kevin Smith, president of <span class="caps">IQI</span> Balanced Intelligence and founder of the Renaissance District, during a presentation at the Studebaker 113 Building in South Bend.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:10pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in">The weeklong event is a cross between similar innovation and entrepreneurial events, in cities like Denver and Chicago, and a festival. It will include a headliner concert, workshops, speakers, a major comedian performance, the <a href="https://mccloskey.ideacenter.nd.edu/">McCloskey New Venture Competition</a>, a TEDx event and various social activities. Events will be held at Notre Dame venues and in South Bend and Elkhart and will be open to the public. A primary goal of Idea Week is to introduce entrepreneurs, developers, makers, inventors, designers and investors to each other and to highlight the economic growth and innovation that is moving the region forward.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:10pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in">“The purpose of Idea Week is to accelerate and celebrate the transformation of this region into a technology hub akin to places like Austin, Texas; Provo, Utah; Boulder, Colorado; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Gainesville, Florida,” said Ritchie.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:10pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in">More information about Idea Week is available at <a href="http://idea-week.com/">www.idea-week.com</a>. Organizations wishing to be a part of Idea Week should contact Nick Swisher, director of marketing and communications at the <a href="https://ideacenter.nd.edu/">Notre Dame Idea Center</a>, at 574-631-2984 or <a href="mailto:nswisher@nd.edu">nswisher@nd.edu</a>.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Sue Lister</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://news.nd.edu/news/idea-week-to-showcase-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-in-south-bend-elkhart-region/">news.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">December 01, 2017</span>.</p>Sue Listertag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/821542017-11-29T12:00:00-05:002017-11-29T12:09:29-05:00Close Collaboration Sheds Light on Collective Behaviors<p>From the earliest of days, researchers have been recording their observations, analyzing what they see to interpret and apply the facts before them. Today, however, imaging especially in biomedical communities requires more than the human eye or even incredibly accurate “cameras.” In cases such as the joint project between Notre Dame and Pennsylvania State University, it requires close collaboration between biologists and computer scientists using deep-learning methods for artificial intelligence to speed up and improve the process.</p><p>From the earliest of days, researchers have been recording their observations, analyzing what they see to interpret and apply the facts before them. Today, however, imaging especially in biomedical communities requires more than the human eye or even incredibly accurate “cameras.” In cases such as the joint project between the University of Notre Dame and Pennsylvania State University (<span class="caps">PSU</span>), it requires close collaboration between biologists and computer scientists using deep-learning methods for artificial intelligence to speed up and improve the process.<br>
<br>
The joint project, titled <span class="external-link">“From Cells to Societies: Mechanisms by which Microbial Parasites Control Host Phenotypes,”</span> studies the collective social behaviors of fungal cells inside host ants. Called “zombie ants,” the insects’ bodies are basically hijacked by a fungus, which compels them to act in a certain way in order to spread fungal spores.<br>
<br>
Entomologist <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://bio.psu.edu/directory/dph14" href="http://bio.psu.edu/directory/dph14" target="_blank">David Hughes at <span class="caps">PSU</span></a> had been studying the phenomenon for years, searching for clues as to how the fungus gains control over an ant’s body without infecting its brain. Hughes and his team have dissected colonies of infected ants, studying each slice to identify ant cells versus fungal cells. However, a single ant image would take months to identify and analyze.<br>
</p>
<p class="image-left"><img alt="Danny Z. Chen" src="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/assets/257992/dchencse.jpg"><br>
Danny Z. Chen</p>
<p>Enter <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/dchen/" href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/dchen/" target="_blank">Danny Z. Chen</a>, professor of <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://cse.nd.edu" href="http://cse.nd.edu" target="_blank">computer science and engineering (<span class="caps">CSE</span>)</a> at the University of Notre Dame, and <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/yzhang9" href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/yzhang9" target="_blank">Yizhe Zhang</a>, a <span class="caps">CSE</span> Ph.D. student at Notre Dame. Hughes and Chen met at the National Academies Keck Futures Initiatives Conference on Collective Behaviors in 2014. Within a year not only were they working together to find ways to better image and analyze fungal cells within ants, but they had also been awarded a 5-year National Institutes of Health Research Grant to continue their efforts. One of their first papers from this project, titled <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://www.pnas.org/content/114/47/12590.full" href="http://www.pnas.org/content/114/47/12590.full" target="_blank">“3D Visualization and a Deep Learning Model Reveal Complex Fungal Parasite Networks in Behaviorally Manipulated Ants,” </a><span class="external-link">was published in the <em>Early Edition of the</em> <em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America</em>, November 7, 2017.</span><br>
</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="Yinzhe Zhang" src="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/assets/257993/yzhangcse.jpg"><br>
Yinzhe Zhang</p>
<p>“My research team has been conducting biomedical imaging research for more than 15 years,” says Chen. “We have also been actively developing deep-learning approaches using artificial intelligence specifically for biomedical imaging problems.”<br>
<br>
According to Chen, unlike natural scene images which are commonly two-dimensional, biomedical images are often three-dimensional, so the first order of business was to process fungal cells and ant tissues (muscles) in three-dimensional images.<br>
<br>
The next challenge the team faced was to create a new machine learning model for identifying the individual cells. Chen says that using a deep-learning method to train an intelligent model to identify a specific phenomenon typically requires a large training data set. The Notre Dame team overcame the problem of having only a small training data set. Using the images and data collected by the <span class="caps">PSU</span> group, including many hours of videos recording how the infected ants functioned in nature, the Notre Dame team was able to develop a machine learning model to analyze the structure and relationships between the two types of cells, specifically how the fungal cells were able to form a network and collaboratively control the host ants.<br>
<br>
As they continue working on this particular project, Chen and Hughes are also collaborating on other projects, all focusing on collective biological systems. “There is still quite a bit of work to accomplish,” says Chen, “but we are excited to be working on these common and important biological systems in nature and health studies and believe that the deep-learning models we are developing will help overcome many biomedical imaging challenges.”</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Nina Welding</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/news/close-collaboration-sheds-light-on-collective-behaviors/">conductorshare.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">November 21, 2017</span>.</p>Nina Weldingtag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/821552017-11-29T12:00:00-05:002017-11-29T12:11:47-05:00Notre Dame professors named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science<p><a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/kchristensen">Kenneth T. Christensen</a>, professor and collegiate chair in fluid mechanics and chair of the <a href="https://ame.nd.edu/">Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering</a>, and <a href="http://physics.nd.edu/people/faculty/umesh-garg/">Umesh Garg</a>, professor of experimental nuclear physics have been named fellows.</p><p class="image-right"><img alt="Kenneth Christensen" src="http://news.nd.edu/assets/257814/kenneth_christensen_300x250.jpg">Kenneth Christensen</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:10pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in">Two University of Notre Dame faculty members have been named fellows of the <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science (<span class="caps">AAAS</span>)</a>.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:10pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in"><a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/kchristensen">Kenneth T. Christensen</a>, professor and collegiate chair in fluid mechanics and chair of the <a href="https://ame.nd.edu/">Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering</a>, is being honored for contributions to the field of experimental fluid mechanics, particularly laser-based measurements of turbulence interactions with complex topography.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:10pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in">Christensen’s expertise includes an emphasis on flows central to a range of energy, environmental and geophysical applications.</p>
<p class="image-left"><img alt="Umesh Garg" src="http://news.nd.edu/assets/257815/umesh_garg_300x250.jpg">Umesh Garg</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:10pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in"><a href="http://physics.nd.edu/people/faculty/umesh-garg/">Umesh Garg</a>, professor of experimental nuclear physics, is being honored for his contributions to the study of nuclear matter, particularly for the study of nuclear incompressibility and quantal rotation.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:10pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in">Garg studies the “breathing mode” of nuclei, a kind of vibration in which the nucleus expands and contracts. He also studies exotic quantal rotation, phenomena associated with the rotation of atomic nuclei that have the shape of an ellipsoid with three unequal axes.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:10pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in">Election as an <span class="caps">AAAS</span> fellow is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers. This year’s <span class="caps">AAAS</span> fellows will be formally announced in the <span class="caps">AAAS</span> News & Notes section of the Nov. 24 issue of Science.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in"><strong><em>Contact:</em></strong><em> Jessica Sieff, assistant director of media relations, 574-631-3933, <a href="mailto:jsieff@nd.edu">jsieff@nd.edu</a></em></p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Jessica Sieff</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://news.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-professors-named-fellows-of-the-american-association-for-the-advancement-of-science/">news.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">November 20, 2017</span>.</p>Jessica Siefftag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/819202017-11-17T08:40:00-05:002017-11-17T08:40:50-05:00Researchers to study the impact of toxic properties on the environment<p>More advanced manufactured materials are being produced in the 21st century, including, for example, engineered nanoparticles whose exact impact on the environment and human health are unknown, but whose effects could be quite negative. To better understand such threats, researchers are using the <a href="https://environmentalchange.nd.edu/resources/nd-leef/">Notre Dame Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility</a> (ND-LEEF) to study how these engineered nanoparticles will move and spread in the natural environment.</p><h3>Notre Dame ecosystem facility offers unique opportunity to develop more accurate models</h3>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="5" src="http://research.nd.edu/assets/257603/200x/5.6.16_diogo_bolster_3303_2_.jpg">Professor Diogo Bolster</p>
<p>Although the United States had its industrial revolution in the 1800s, other countries are now experiencing their manufacturing boom in the 21<sup>st</sup> century. This means that more advanced manufactured materials are being produced, including, for example, engineered nanoparticles whose exact impact on the environment and human health are unknown, but whose effects could be quite negative. To better understand such threats, researchers are using the <a href="https://environmentalchange.nd.edu/resources/nd-leef/">Notre Dame Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility</a> (ND-<span class="caps">LEEF</span>) to study how these engineered nanoparticles will move and spread in the natural environment.</p>
<p>In explaining this research, <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/dbolster">Diogo Bolster</a>, associate professor and Frank M. Freimann Collegiate Chair in Hydrology and associate director of the <a href="http://environmentalchange.nd.edu/">Environmental Change Initiative</a>, said, “When it comes to understanding how the natural environment works, it is imperative to realize how small differences can create very complex settings that profoundly impact how air or water flows through nature. For this study, we will develop models that can account for these complexities and still relay accurate data as it pertains to such small in size, yet significant, environmental contaminants.”</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="Kyle Doudrick 1" src="http://research.nd.edu/assets/257604/200x/kyle_doudrick_1_.jpg">Professor Kyle Doudrick</p>
<p>For the project, Bolster and <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/kdoudrick">Kyle Doudrick</a>, assistant professor of <a href="https://ceees.nd.edu/">civil & environmental engineering & earth sciences</a>, will use ND-<span class="caps">LEEF</span>, a globally unique research facility that houses two artificial experimental watersheds which each consist of a pond, streams, and wetland. This will provide the <a href="http://research.nd.edu/">Notre Dame researchers</a> the control needed to gather realistic data.</p>
<p>Bolster continued, “Experiments are vital to validating any theory, but when it comes to the natural environment, laboratories impose a level of control which limits the impact of your results. On the other hand, the limitation of using an actual stream or river is that you do not know enough about the body of water to make inferences about your theory. ND-<span class="caps">LEEF</span> provides the best of both: you can conduct large-scale experiments in a natural environment and also know the composition of all of the materials in the stream.”</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="Tile Facility Leef" src="http://research.nd.edu/assets/189428/tile_facility_leef.jpg">Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility</p>
<p>By utilizing this facility as well as laboratory experiments, the objective is to get more accurate results than a lab study could on its own. Subsequently, the research, which is funded by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1705770&HistoricalAwards=false">National Science Foundation</a> for more than $300,000, could also help inform environmental regulation agencies and contribute to the development of any new environmental legislation.</p>
<p>“As someone who focuses mostly on mathematical models, my research often benefits from partnerships with those who are more focused on field and lab experiments,” said Bolster in reference to his collaboration with Doudrick. “To me, this is one of ND-LEEF’s greatest successes because the facility creates a collaborative environment for not only those with differing research backgrounds but also provides a platform for cross-disciplinary conversations.”</p>
<p>ND-<span class="caps">LEEF</span>, which is part of the Environmental Change Initiative, is based in South Bend’s St. Patrick’s County Park. It hosts two replicated watersheds that each contain a linked stream, pond, and wetland that can be manipulated to test ecologically motivated hypotheses.</p>
<p>In addition to the aquatic resources, ND-<span class="caps">LEEF</span> has several shallow-groundwater monitoring wells. There are also several acres available for terrestrial research and a large gravel lay-down area for mesocosm experiments. Further, a newly constructed pavilion offers a venue for education and outreach programs.</p>
<p>ND-<span class="caps">LEEF</span> is available to Notre Dame researchers, other academic institutions, and industry. For more information, please visit <a href="http://environmentalchange.nd.edu/">eci.nd.edu</a>.</p>
<p>Contact:</p>
<p>Brandi Klingerman / Communications Specialist</p>
<p>Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame</p>
<p><a href="mailto:bklinger@nd.edu">bklinger@nd.edu</a> / 574.631.4166</p>
<p><a href="http://research.nd.edu/">research.nd.edu</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/UNDResearch">@UNDResearch</a></p>
<p>About Notre Dame Research:</p>
<p>The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in <a href="https://www.southbendin.gov/">South Bend, Indiana</a>, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see <a href="http://research.nd.edu/">research.nd.edu</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/UNDResearch">@UNDResearch</a>.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Brandi Klingerman</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://research.nd.edu/news/researchers-to-study-the-impact-of-toxic-properties-on-the-environment/">research.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">November 16, 2017</span>.</p>Brandi Klingermantag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/816902017-11-08T14:00:00-05:002017-11-08T14:54:58-05:00Irish and Notre Dame STEM students encouraged to apply for a Naughton Fellowship<p><span style="background:white"><span style="text-justify:inter-ideograph">The University of Notre Dame has opened its annual competition for the Naughton Fellowships. The prestigious international fellowships provide funding for exceptional Ph.D., masters, or undergraduate students with an aptitude for the STEM disciplines to complete research or study in Ireland or at Notre Dame.</span></span></p><p>The University of Notre Dame has opened its annual competition for the Naughton Fellowships. The prestigious international fellowships provide funding for exceptional Ph.D., masters, or undergraduate students with an aptitude for the <span class="caps">STEM</span> disciplines to complete research or study in Ireland or at Notre Dame.</p>
<p>The following fellowship opportunities are currently open for applications.</p>
<p><a href="applewebdata://1EBA2AA4-032C-4DB6-900D-A7336FD5353B/ph-d/"><em>PhD</em></a></p>
<ul>
<li>Faculty from the University of Notre Dame (ND) and either <a href="http://dcu.ie/">Dublin City University</a> (<span class="caps">DCU</span>), <a href="http://www.ucc.ie/en/">University College Cork</a> (<span class="caps">UCC</span>), <a href="https://www.ucd.ie/">University College Dublin</a> (<span class="caps">UCD</span>), the <a href="http://www.nuigalway.ie/">National University of Ireland, Galway</a> (<span class="caps">NUIG</span>), or <a href="http://www.tcd.ie/">Trinity College Dublin</a> (<span class="caps">TCD</span>) should submit a joint proposal, identifying co-advisors and the research plan. Two fellowships of $120,000 <span class="caps">USD</span> will be awarded to the faculty advisors for the students’ period of study. <strong>All applications are due by Friday, February 2, 2018.</strong>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="applewebdata://1EBA2AA4-032C-4DB6-900D-A7336FD5353B/masters/"><em>Masters</em></a></p>
<ul>
<li>ND students can apply for a taught or research master’s degree at <span class="caps">DCU</span>, <span class="caps">NUIG</span>, <span class="caps">TCD</span>, <span class="caps">UCC</span>, or <span class="caps">UCD</span>. Fellowships include a full tuition waiver, as well as a $20,000 <span class="caps">USD</span> stipend for living expenses, plus cultural enrichment programming. <strong>All applications are due by Friday, February 2, 2018.</strong>
</li>
<li>Irish students from <span class="caps">DCU</span>, <span class="caps">NUIG</span>, TCD, <span class="caps">UCC</span>, or UCD can apply for a master’s degree in Notre Dame’s Engineering, Science, and Technology Entrepreneurship Excellence Master’s (<span class="caps">ESTEEM</span>) Program. Fellowships include a full tuition waiver, a full health insurance subsidy for the sponsored student insurance plan, and a $17,000 <span class="caps">USD</span> stipend for living expenses, plus access to cultural enrichment programming. <strong>All applications are due by Thursday, March 1, 2018.</strong>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="applewebdata://1EBA2AA4-032C-4DB6-900D-A7336FD5353B/undergraduate/"><em>Research Experience for Undergraduates</em></a></p>
<ul>
<li>Ten-week research experiences for ND students are available at <span class="caps">DCU</span>, <span class="caps">TCD</span>, <span class="caps">UCC</span>, or <span class="caps">UCD</span>. Fellowships include airfare, accommodation, a stipend, and cultural enrichment programming. <strong>This program will open for applications in the coming weeks; please check </strong><a href="http://naughton.nd.edu/"><strong>naughton.nd.edu</strong></a><strong> for further details.</strong>
</li>
<li>Ten-week research experiences for Irish students from <span class="caps">DCU</span>, <span class="caps">UCC</span>, <span class="caps">UCD</span>, and <span class="caps">TCD</span> are available at the University of Notre Dame. Fellowships include airfare, accommodation, cultural enrichment programming, and a stipend for travel and living expenses. <strong>This program will open for applications in the coming weeks; please check </strong><a href="http://naughton.nd.edu/"><strong>naughton.nd.edu</strong></a><strong> for further details.</strong>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Naughton Fellowship Committee Chair and Rev. John A. Zahm Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, <a href="http://chemistry.nd.edu/people/brian-m-baker/">Brian Baker</a>, encourages all interested students to apply, stating, “The goal of the Naughton Fellowship program is to facilitate broad cross-cultural training for exceptional students, to stimulate collaborative research amongst the faculty, and to forge deeper, stronger ties between Ireland and the United States. This, coupled with time spent in either country makes for an exceptionally enriching program. I encourage all faculty members and undergraduate or graduate students who are interested in achieving these goals together with us to apply.”</p>
<p>The Naughton Fellowships allow students with a background in, or aptitude for, STEM fields to experience international research and educational opportunities through a funded exchange program involving the University of Notre Dame and some of Ireland’s leading research universities. Irish undergraduates, master’s students, and Ph.D. candidates can come to Notre Dame on the fellowship, while Notre Dame undergraduates, master’s students, and Ph.D. candidates can travel to Ireland to study and complete research. For more information, including full application details on each of the available programs, please see <a href="http://naughton.nd.edu/">naughton.nd.edu</a>.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Joanne Fahey</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://naughton.nd.edu/news-and-social/news/irish-and-notre-dame-stem-students-encouraged-to-apply-for-a-naughton-fellowship/">naughton.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">November 06, 2017</span>.</p>Joanne Faheytag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/815842017-11-07T13:00:00-05:002017-11-07T13:34:06-05:00Additive manufacturing may hold key to transforming nanomaterials into multifunctional devices<p>Yanliang Zhang and his team in the Advanced Manufacturing and Energy Lab are developing an innovative and highly scalable additive manufacturing process that may hold the key to transform the nanomaterials into multifunctional devices. Their work aims to fabricate high-performance and flexible energy harvesters, sensors and electronic devices.</p><p>Nanomaterials have been widely studied and proven to have unique properties that make them more suited to a variety of applications. However, there is still a need to better understand their structure and property evolutions from nanoscale to macroscale as well as transform nanoscale materials into functional devices using scalable and low-cost manufacturing processes <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/yzhang10" href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/yzhang10" target="_blank">Yanliang Zhang</a>, assistant professor of <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://ame.nd.edu" href="http://ame.nd.edu" target="_blank">aerospace and mechanical engineering </a>and participating faculty member in the <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://nano.nd.edu" href="http://nano.nd.edu" target="_blank">Center for Nano Science and Technology</a> and the <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://energy.nd.edu" href="http://energy.nd.edu" target="_blank">Center for Sustainable Energy at the University of Notre Dame</a>, is working to do both. He and his team in the <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://ame.nd.edu/research/faculty-research-labs/zhanglab" href="https://ame.nd.edu/research/faculty-research-labs/zhanglab" target="_blank">Advanced Manufacturing and Energy Lab </a>are developing an innovative and highly scalable additive manufacturing process that may hold the key to transform the nanomaterials into multifunctional devices. Their work aims to fabricate high-performance and flexible energy harvesters, sensors and electronic devices, an area that is undergoing tremendous growth.</p>
<p class="image-left"><img alt="Yzhangadditive" src="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/assets/256195/yzhangadditive.jpg"></p>
<p>Zhang and his team are focusing their efforts on two projects in particular, one funded through a National Science Foundation (<span class="caps">NSF</span>) <span class="caps">CAREER</span> Development Award and one funded through the U.S. Department of Energy (<span class="caps">DOE</span>) — both targeting additive manufacturing to convert colloidal nanocrystals into functional devices of unprecedented performances.<br>
<br>
Through the <span class="caps">NSF</span> project, they will be studying the additive printing and sintering processes of colloidal nanocrystals to control thermoelectric and electronic properties in printed structures. They are working to establish a scalable and cost-effective additive manufacturing process to fabricate flexible thermoelectric and electronic films. These films offer a range of applications from energy harvesting and cooling to flexible electronics and devices. The fundamental research outcomes they develop will not only significantly advance the manufacturing processes for flexible thermoelectric and electronic materials but also generate new knowledge of processing-structure-property relationships in the additive printing of a variety of functional colloidal nanocrystals.<br>
<br>
Zhang’s team is also developing advanced 3D conformal sensors using additive manufacturing through a <span class="caps">DOE</span> project. The goal of the project is to develop an additive manufacturing approach to directly print sensors onto nuclear fuel components and measure the thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity is one of the most important nuclear fuel properties driving the heat transfer performance. Printing the sensors directly onto components enables high measurement accuracy with minimal intrusion. This research has the potential to establish a new sensor manufacturing paradigm for a broad range of industrial applications.<br>
<br>
For more information, visit the <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://ame.nd.edu/research/faculty-research-labs/zhanglab" href="https://ame.nd.edu/research/faculty-research-labs/zhanglab" target="_blank">Advanced Manufacturing and Energy Lab.</a></p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Nina Welding</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/news/additive-manufacturing-may-hold-key-to-transforming-nanomaterials-into-multifunctional-devices/">conductorshare.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">November 03, 2017</span>.</p>Nina Weldingtag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/810422017-10-26T08:00:00-04:002017-10-26T08:57:29-04:00Networking and collaboration in soft materials and polymers at the heart of annual ND-Purdue symposium<p>What started as a small event in 2014 among Notre Dame’s community of soft matter and polymer researchers, has now grown into an annual regional symposium that includes faculty presentations and student posters from four universities.</p><p>What started as a small event in 2014 among Notre Dame’s community of soft matter and polymer researchers, has now grown into an annual regional symposium that includes faculty presentations and student posters from four universities.</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="2017 ND-Purdue Soft Matter Symposium Group" src="http://nano.nd.edu/assets/254696/450x/group2.jpg"></p>
<p>This year’s Notre Dame-Purdue Symposium on Soft Matter & Polymers was held on September 16 at Purdue’s campus in West Lafayette.</p>
<p>“The symposium functions as a platform to share research between schools in Indiana and neighboring research universities, to network between research groups, and to seek opportunities for collaboration,” said Haifeng Gao, associate professor in the department of chemistry & biochemistry at Notre Dame.</p>
<p>More than 120 faculty, postdocs, and students attended, including researchers from Indiana University Bloomington and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="2017 ND-Purdue Soft Matter Symposium Ruilan Guo" src="http://nano.nd.edu/assets/254697/175x/guo2.jpg">Prof. Ruilan Guo</p>
<p>Dr. Gao and Dr. Jianguo Mei, assistant professor of chemistry at Purdue, are co-organizers of the event.</p>
<p>The research presented by faculty during the morning and afternoon technical sessions covered polymer synthesis, characterization, and computation. The research touched on various applications of polymer materials in batteries, solar cells, sensors, nanomedicines, tissue scaffolds, and membrane separation.</p>
<p>“The symposium was a great event and provided an excellent platform for researchers from both universities to network and share their cutting-edge research in the field of polymers and soft materials,” said Dr. Ruilan Guo, assistant professor.</p>
<p>“The strong presence of junior researchers at the event made it an excellent opportunity for young researchers to network and to begin developing collaborations within the state of Indiana," added Dr. William Phillip, associate professor. Both Guo and Phillip are faculty members in Notre Dame’s department of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and presented at the symposium.</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="2017 ND-Purdue Soft Matter Symposium William Phillip" src="http://nano.nd.edu/assets/254699/175x/phillip2.jpg">Prof. William Phillip</p>
<p>From among the 65 poster presenters, best poster awards were given to Yuichi Hirai and Tanner Corrado (ND); Qian Li, Monessha Nambiar, Shane Russell, and Aristide Gumyusenge (Purdue); Ziyuan Song (UIUC), and James Dobscha (IU).</p>
<p><a href="http://nano.nd.edu/assets/254942/2017_notre_dame_purdue_smp_symposium_agenda_and_posters_web.pdf">A complete list of presentations and posters is attached.</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="image-left"><img alt="2017 ND-Purdue Soft Matter Symposium Poster Winners" src="http://nano.nd.edu/assets/254700/750x/poster_winners2.jpg">Poster winners Yuichi Hirai, Monessha Nambiar, Tanner Corrado, Shane Russell, Aristide Gymyusenge, James Dobscha, and Ziyuan Song, with event organizers Prof. Jianguo Mei and Prof. Haifeng Gao.</p>Heidi Deethardttag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/802102017-09-28T09:00:00-04:002017-09-28T09:52:43-04:00A New Class of Spin-Wave-Based Devices May Improve Overcrowded Electromagnetic Spectrum <p>Grocery stores. Coffee shops. Even some cities offer public WiFi. Add to those access points the number of private WiFi networks that exist and it’s easy to understand why the allocation and usage of the electromagnetic spectrum — the number of “channels” available for wireless communication — is stretched to its limits. The impending demand of machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices will put even more of a strain on spectrum usage. Possible solutions to this problem, such as dynamic spectrum access and cognitive radios, have been proposed but their success is based upon a more efficient use of the spectrum.<br>…</p><p>Grocery stores. Coffee shops. Even some cities offer public WiFi. Add to those access points the number of private WiFi networks that exist and it’s easy to understand why the allocation and usage of the electromagnetic spectrum — the number of “channels” available for wireless communication — is stretched to its limits. The impending demand of machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices will put even more of a strain on spectrum usage. Possible solutions to this problem, such as dynamic spectrum access and cognitive radios, have been proposed but their success is based upon a more efficient use of the spectrum.<br>
<br>
A team of researchers led by <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/wporod" href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/wporod" target="_blank">Wolfgang Porod</a>, the Frank M. Freimann Professor of <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://ee.nd.edu" href="http://ee.nd.edu" target="_blank">Electrical Engineering</a> and director of the <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://nano.nd.edu/" href="http://nano.nd.edu/" target="_blank">Center for Nano Science and Technology</a> at the University of Notre Dame, is putting a new “spin” on this issue, one that could significantly improve the efficiency of radio spectrum utilization [access and processing] while at the same time providing improved energy efficiency within devices. It’s a new way of processing millimeter-wave and microwave information using spin waves in magnetic thin films.</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="callout"><strong>“Spin” is a property of electrons that makes them act like tiny bar magnets (or compass needles) the size of individual atoms.</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Just about every modern electronic device – such as computers, printers, smart TVs and, of course, cell phones – has the built-in capability to communicate wirelessly. Today, nearly all electronics are based on electrical, rather than magnetic, interactions. The Notre Dame team is pioneering the use of magnetic phenomena for information processing, exploiting the unique properties of spin waves.</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="callout"><strong>Magnetic materials are like a room full of closely spaced bar magnets. If a magnetic field changes on one edge of the room, the effect is felt throughout the room in the form of a “spin wave.”</strong><br>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Spin waves operate at the same frequencies as the electrical interactions used for wireless communications, and they employ much less space than would be required for conventional electronics. This offers the possibility of very compact devices, low-energy processing, and high signal integrity. Initial results indicate that this new technology could enable the replacement of today’s bulky passive electromagnetic systems with smaller [chip-scale], lower-power, higher performance devices.</p>
<p><a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-09485-7" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-09485-7" target="_blank">An article in the most recent issue of <em>Scientific Reports</em> describes the Notre Dame team’s design of a nanoscale spectrum analyzer based on spin-wave interference.</a> The results of simulation studies of that design suggest that all performance figures of the team’s magnetoelectric device (speed, area, and power consumption) are potentially order(s) of magnitude better than what is achievable in a purely electrical system at room temperature.</p>
<p class="image-left"><img alt="Schematic layout of the proposed Notre Dame spin-wave-based spectrum analyzer." src="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/assets/251803/424x/spinwavebasedanalyzer.jpg"><br>
<strong><em>Schematic layout of the proposed Notre Dame spin-wave-based spectrum analyzer. </em></strong></p>
<p>Based upon this proposed device concept, the team has been awarded a $690,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (<span class="caps">NSF</span>) to build a prototype micromagnetics-based real-time spectrum sensor that is low-cost, high-performance, and chip-scale. This experimental team includes <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/bgary" href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/bgary" target="_blank">Gary Bernstein</a>, the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Electrical Engineering and Research Professor <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/aorlov" href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/aorlov" target="_blank">Alexei Orlov</a> and Assistant Professor <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/jchisum" href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/jchisum" target="_blank">Jonathan Chisum</a>, also in the Department of Electrical Engineering.<br>
<br>
In addition to the research, the <span class="caps">NSF</span> award will support the training of students in this new technology and graduate students exploring commercialization through University of <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://ideacenter.nd.edu/innovation-park/" href="https://ideacenter.nd.edu/innovation-park/" target="_blank">Notre Dame’s Innovation Park</a> and the <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://esteem.nd.edu/" href="https://esteem.nd.edu/" target="_blank">Engineering Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Excellence Master’s Program</a>. Local high-school teachers and faculty from the South Bend campus of Ivy Tech Community College will also participate in the work through an <span class="caps">NSF</span> Research Experiences for Teachers program.<br>
<br>
While much of this work will occur on campus, this project is being conducted in collaboration with Professor <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/gcsaba" href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/gcsaba" target="_blank">György Csaba</a> at the <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://ppke.hu/en" href="https://ppke.hu/en" target="_blank">Pázmány Péter Catholic University</a> in Budapest, Hungary, and is based on the doctoral thesis of <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/apapp" href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/apapp" target="_blank">Adam Papp</a>, a Hungarian student who is the first in a new joint Ph.D. program between the Notre Dame and the Pázmány Péter Catholic University.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Nina Welding</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/news/a-new-class-of-spin-wave-based-devices-may-improve-overcrowded-electromagnetic-spectrum/">conductorshare.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">September 27, 2017</span>.</p>Nina Weldingtag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/795842017-09-12T08:00:00-04:002017-09-12T08:14:46-04:00Join Notre Dame Research for the 2017 Core Facility Fair<p><a href="http://research.nd.edu/">Notre Dame Research</a> invites faculty, staff, post-doctoral scholars, graduate and undergraduate students, as well as external customers to attend the Core Facility Fair on Wednesday, September 20, 2017.</p><p class="image-right"><img alt="Cff Pic" src="http://research.nd.edu/assets/249588/cff_pic.jpg"></p>
<p><a href="http://research.nd.edu/">Notre Dame Research</a> invites faculty, staff, post-doctoral scholars, graduate and undergraduate students, as well as external customers to attend the Core Facility Fair on Wednesday, September 20, 2017. From 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the <a href="http://mccourtneyhall.nd.edu/">McCourtney Hall</a> B01 Auditorium, attendees will be able to learn how state-of-the-art instrumentation and expertise available via the University of Notre Dame core facilities can help take their research to the next level. </p>
<p>Those who attend the Core Facility Fair will have an opportunity to enjoy refreshments, receive giveaways, and visit with the following core facilities:</p>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://ame.nd.edu/facilities-centers/engineering-machine-shop">Engineering Machine Shop</a></li>
<li><a href="https://crc.nd.edu/">Center for Research Computing</a></li>
<li><a href="http://csr.nd.edu/">Center for Social Research</a></li>
<li><a href="http://drugdiscovery.nd.edu/services/">Chemical Synthesis and Drug Discovery Facility</a></li>
<li><a href="http://edcf.nd.edu/">Engineering and Design Core Facility</a></li>
<li><a href="http://biology.nd.edu/people/athanasia-panopoulos/">Flow Cytometry Facility</a></li>
<li><a href="http://freimann.nd.edu/">Freimann Life Science Center</a></li>
<li><a href="http://genomics.nd.edu/">Genomics and Bioinformatics Facility</a></li>
<li><a href="http://massspec.nd.edu/">Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mcf.nd.edu/">Material Characterization Facility</a></li>
<li>
<p><a href="http://imaging.nd.edu/">Notre Dame Integrated Imaging Facility (<span class="caps">NDIIF</span>)</a> </p>
</li>
<br>
<li><a href="http://environmentalchange.nd.edu/resources/nd-leef/">Notre Dame Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility</a></li>
<br>
<li><a href="https://www3.nd.edu/~ndnf/">Notre Dame Nanofabrication Facility</a></li>
<br>
<li><a href="http://nmr.nd.edu/">Magnetic Resonance Research Center</a></li>
<br>
<li><a href="http://physics.nd.edu/research/machine-shop---physics/">Physics Machine Shop</a></li>
<br>
<li><a href="http://rad.nd.edu/facilities/machine-shop/">Radiation Laboratory Machine Shop</a></li>
</ul>
<p>During the event, <a href="http://chemistry.nd.edu/people/bradley-d-smith/">Bradley D. Smith</a>, director of the <span class="caps">NDIIF</span> and the Emil T. Hofman Professor of <a href="http://chemistry.nd.edu/">Chemistry and Biochemistry</a>, will speak briefly about his expertise as a director of a core facility and how his research program has benefitted from the use of many <a href="http://research.nd.edu/our-research/facilities-and-resources/">core facilities</a> across campus. Information about the above groups, as well as other facilities and resources, key research areas, and research in the colleges and schools can be found at <a href="http://research.nd.edu/our-research/">http://research.nd.edu/our-research/</a>. </p>
<p>Contact</p>
<p><a href="http://research.nd.edu/staff/kara-l-primmer/">Kara Primmer</a> / Research Technologies Program Director</p>
<p>Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame</p>
<p><a href="mailto:khuegel1@nd.edu">khuegel1@nd.edu</a> / 574.631.2178</p>
<p><a href="https://research.nd.edu/">research.nd.edu</a> /<a href="https://twitter.com/UNDResearch">@UNDResearch</a></p>
<p>About Notre Dame Research</p>
<p>The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see <a href="https://research.nd.edu/">research.nd.edu</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/UNDResearch">@UNDResearch</a>.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Brandi Klingerman</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://research.nd.edu/news/join-notre-dame-research-for-the-2017-core-facility-fair/">research.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">September 11, 2017</span>.</p>Brandi Klingermantag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/791672017-08-30T09:00:00-04:002017-08-30T09:12:28-04:00Lu named undergraduate research coordinator<p>Xuemin (Sheryl) Lu is named the undergraduate research coordinator for the College of Science.</p><p>Xuemin (Sheryl) Lu is named the undergraduate research coordinator for the College of Science, replacing Dominic Chaloner, who has taken the position of director of undergraduate studies for Environmental Sciences.</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="Xuemin Lu 700" src="http://science.nd.edu/assets/247973/xuemin_lu_700.jpg"></p>
<p>Lu, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, has broad research and training experience in developmental biology, molecular genetics and cancer genomics, including innovative research with two Nobel Laureates.</p>
<p>“Professor Lu’s experiences will be invaluable as she leads undergraduates through the process of obtaining scientific research experiences,” says Mary Galvin, the William K. Warren Foundation Dean. “I would also like to thank Dominic Chaloner for 10 years of excellence in guiding numerous students toward successful scientific careers through our undergraduate research program.”</p>
<p>Lu believes a team effort among students, faculty and administration is the best way to drive the undergraduate research program to excellence. “Undergraduate research is the best way to learn science and understand the process of scientific discovery,” she says. “Moreover, the problem-solving skills, ability to communicate research results through presentation and writing, team work, and persistence when encountering difficulties are all essential traits for future success no matter what career path the students choose. These all can be potentially gained through participation in undergraduate research.”</p>
<p>Though new in her role, Lu already has several suggestions for students as they decide to pursue undergraduate research. First, students should seek out labs whose research aligns well with their own interests, Lu says. Then, students should study the lab’s most recent publications and reach out to professors to ask about possible opportunities. “Of course, the most important quality a professor looks for when he or she selects undergraduate students is whether the student seems committed to research,” Lu says.</p>
<p>Lu joined the University in 2016 after various teaching and mentoring experiences at Princeton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Baylor College of Medicine, among others. She earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Princeton in 2010.</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Deanna McCool</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="http://science.nd.edu/news/lu-named-undergraduate-research-coordinator/">science.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">August 29, 2017</span>.</p>Deanna McCooltag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/789982017-08-24T08:00:00-04:002017-08-24T08:28:36-04:00The Rise of Nanotechnology Research at Notre Dame<p>Notre Dame’s nanotechnology research efforts date back to the 1980s. In the three decades since, research at the University’s Center for Nano Science and Technology (ND<em>nano</em>) has grown and evolved in a forward-thinking and distinctive way.</p><h3>Researchers at ND<em>nano</em> look two steps ahead to stand apart in a competitive field</h3>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="Vt1k8651" src="http://research.nd.edu/assets/247076/vt1k8651.jpg">Professor Porod in the lab with a graduate student</p>
<p>Notre Dame’s nanotechnology research efforts date back to the 1980s, when the studies were mostly simulation-based and focused on computation advancements. In the three decades since, research at the University’s <a href="http://nano.nd.edu/">Center for Nano Science and Technology</a> (ND<em>nano</em>) has grown and evolved in a forward-thinking and distinctive way.</p>
<p>To differentiate and accelerate their work, <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/wporod">Wolfgang Porod</a>, the Frank M. Freimann Professor of <a href="https://www.ee.nd.edu/">Electrical Engineering</a> and Director of ND<em>nano</em>, and his colleagues turned to Moore’s Law – an observation that states the number of components per integrated circuit, or a microchip, doubles approximately every two years – as their strategy for standing apart in a competitive and fast-paced discipline. In explaining this, Porod said, “My colleague, <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/bgary">Gary Bernstein</a>, the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Electrical <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/">Engineering</a>, wanted to carve out our own area of expertise and we knew that wherever the current technological capabilities were, the more crowded the field would be. So instead, we looked beyond the popular topics and focused not just on device physics, but also on how our advancements could be applied to a variety of technologies.”</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="6" src="http://research.nd.edu/assets/247075/6.29.10_clean_room_14_1_.jpg">A Notre Dame researcher working in the <span class="caps">NDNF</span></p>
<p>This strategy allowed <a href="https://research.nd.edu/">Notre Dame researchers</a> like Porod, Bernstein, and <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/clent">Craig Lent</a>, the Frank M. Freimann Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering, and others to leverage developments to not only attract new faculty, but also to fund research centers, including the <a href="https://mind.nd.edu/">Midwest Institute for Nanoelectronics Discovery</a> (<span class="caps">MIND</span>) and the <a href="https://least.nd.edu/">Center for Low Energy Systems Technology</a> (<span class="caps">LEAST</span>), which were both directed by <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/aseabaugh">Alan Seabaugh</a>, the Frank M. Freimann Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering. This growth of nanotechnology also supported the eventual construction of the <a href="https://www3.nd.edu/~ndnf/">Notre Dame Nanofabrication Facility</a> (<span class="caps">NDNF</span>), a 9,000 square foot cleanroom that opened in 2010 and allows researchers to use a wide range of materials and a variety of processes and techniques.</p>
<p>“Not only has our state-of-the-art cleanroom advanced the kind of research we can do on campus, but it is also a great benefit to all levels of students,” said Porod. “Currently, undergraduate engineering students have the option to take a fabrication course with <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/gsnider">Greg Snider</a>, professor of electrical engineering, in the <span class="caps">NDNF</span>. In the class, the students begin with blank silicon wafers and ultimately create integrated circuits that contain thousands of individual devices. This course focuses on repeatability and yield, which is essential for real-world applications when these students enter the workforce.” </p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="Mc1 6159 1" src="http://research.nd.edu/assets/247077/mc1_6159_1_.jpg">A silicon wafer being developed at the <span class="caps">NDNF</span></p>
<p>One of Porod’s current projects, which is supported by a gift from the Joseph F. Trustey Endowments for Excellence, is a collaboration with Bernstein that focuses on electromagnetic radiation to detect infrared (IR) and terahertz (THz) frequencies. The THz frequency range is much faster than gigahertz, which is what cell phones and radar currently operate on. THz, therefore, has the potential to improve broadband communication systems, but there are few electronic devices that operate on it. For this research, the Notre Dame researchers are developing nanoscale antennas; as the THz currents heat up the antennas, thermo-electronic detection is used to identify the current at that frequency.</p>
<p>“Since the term nanotechnology really refers to a scale of size rather than a specific type of technology, it brings together not only experimentalists and theorists like Bernstein and me, but also all kinds of research across campus,” said Porod. “At ND<em>nano</em>, our researchers are working on everything from developing new materials, to energy harvesting technologies, to cancer diagnostics – ultimately working to use their research as a powerful means for doing good in the world.”</p>
<p>ND<em>nano</em> is a world-class, collaborative research center that includes faculty from departments across the Colleges of Engineering and Science. The Center is focused on developing, characterizing, and applying new nanotechnology-based materials, processes, devices, and solutions that will better society. To learn more about ND<em>nano, </em>please visit <a href="http://nano.nd.edu/">nano.nd.edu</a>.</p>
<p>Contact:</p>
<p><a href="http://nano.nd.edu/people/#staff">Heidi Deethardt</a> / Administrative Assistant </p>
<p>ND<em>nano</em> / University of Notre Dame</p>
<p><a href="mailto:deethardt.1@nd.edu">deethardt.1@nd.edu</a> / 574.631.0279</p>
<p><a href="http://nano.nd.edu/">nano.nd.edu</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/NDnano">@NDnano</a></p>
<p>About Notre Dame Research:</p>
<p>The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in <a href="https://www.southbendin.gov/">South Bend</a>, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see <a href="https://research.nd.edu/">research.nd.edu</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/UNDResearch">@UNDResearch</a>.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Brandi Klingerman</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://research.nd.edu/news/the-rise-of-nanotechnology-research-at-notre-dame/">research.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">August 23, 2017</span>.</p>Brandi Klingermantag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/787492017-08-14T13:00:00-04:002017-08-14T13:36:32-04:00Engineering Faculty Awarded DURIP Grants for Tunable Laser System and Transonic Wind Tunnel Research<p>Highly competitive, the annual DURIP awards process is a merit competition conducted jointly by the Army Research Office (ARO), Office of Naval Research (ONR), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). This year the DoD received more than 685 proposals. Approximately 160 of the proposals have been or will be funded. To date Notre Dame faculty — David Bartels, David Go, and Scott Morris — have received two Department of Defense (DoD) Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) grants for 2017, totaling more than $773,000.</p><p>Research, the fundamental work that lays the foundation for game-changing innovations, takes time and dedication. It also requires cutting-edge equipment to enable those breakthrough discoveries and that requires funding. Every year faculty across the country submit proposals as part of the Department of Defense (DoD) Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (<span class="caps">DURIP</span>) program. These “asks” outline the rationale for the request while describing the nature of the research and the state-of-the-art equipment required to conduct it. </p>
<p>Highly competitive, the annual <span class="caps">DURIP</span> awards process is a merit competition conducted jointly by the Army Research Office (<span class="caps">ARO</span>), Office of Naval Research (<span class="caps">ONR</span>), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (<span class="caps">AFOSR</span>). This year the DoD received more than 685 proposals requesting $283 million in funding for research in materials, structures, and manufacturing science; quantum and nanosciences; computing and networks; electronics, electromagnetics, and electro optics; acoustics; neuroscience; fluid dynamics; robotics and artificial intelligence; and environmental, ocean, and life sciences and engineering. Approximately 160 of the proposals, representing 84 institutions, have been or will be funded for a total of $47 million, with individual award amounts ranging from $53,000 to $1.4 million.</p>
<p>To date Notre Dame faculty — David Bartels, David Go, and Scott Morris — have received two Department of Defense (DoD) Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (<span class="caps">DURIP</span>) grants for 2017, totaling more than $773,000.</p>
<p>With funding for the proposal titled “A Tunable Laser System for Interfacial Electron Transfer Measurements in Reactive Gas/Liquid Systems,” Go and Bartels will purchase a tunable laser that will be used for high fidelity measurements of the absorption spectrum of plasma-solvated electrons in different solvents and in a variety of gaseous environments. The funding from the <span class="caps">ARO</span>, which totals $277,075, will allow Go, Bartels, and their team to characterize the basic properties of these electrons, including their structure, environment, and chemical behavior, in order to answer multiple unresolved questions about the nature of plasma-solvated electrons and their unique interfacial qualities.</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="2davidbgo" src="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/assets/244877/2davidbgo.jpg"></p>
<p><a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/dgo" href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/dgo" target="_blank">Go</a>, the Rooney Family Associate Professor in the <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://ame.nd.edu" href="http://ame.nd.edu">Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering</a>, explores a wide variety of topics in low-temperature plasma generation and chemistry, microfluidics and sprays and thermal management with applications in electronics cooling, energy conversation, biosensing and fuel reforming. A recipient of the <span class="caps">NSF</span> Early Career Development Award, the <span class="caps">AFOSR</span> Young Investigator Research Award, and the Electrochemical Society Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship, Go is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.<br>
<br>
</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="Dbartels" src="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/assets/244876/dbartels.jpg"></p>
<p><a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://rad.nd.edu/people/faculty/david-m-bartels/" href="http://rad.nd.edu/people/faculty/david-m-bartels/" target="_blank">Bartels</a>, a professor in the <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://rad.nd.edu/" href="http://rad.nd.edu/" target="_blank">Notre Dame Radiation Laboratory</a>, studies the kinetics of radiation-induced chemistry — including free radical reactions in high-temperature solution — and radiation-enhanced corrosion. Solvated electrons are common in this chemistry, making their solvation structure in various environments of particular interest.</p>
<p><a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/smorris" href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/smorris" target="_blank">Morris</a> was awarded $496,801 by the <span class="caps">ONR</span> for his proposal titled “Continuous, Transonic Wind Tunnel with 2,700oF Core Flow for Turbomachinery Materials Research and Testing.” The equipment that will be purchased as the result of this award — a direct-fired gas heater and quenching system for testing up to 2,700oF — will augment the existing system in the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory. This will allow for the continuous component testing of aero-propulsion systems, replicating conditions [flow speed, pressure, temperature and spatial gradients] of an engine, and testing new engine components, at extreme spatial temperature gradients.</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="1smorris" src="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/assets/244875/1smorris.jpg"></p>
<p>Morris, a professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, also serves as director of research at the Notre Dame <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://turbo.nd.edu/" href="http://turbo.nd.edu/" target="_blank">Turbomachinery Laboratory. </a>He studies turbomachinery and acoustics, with a focus on improving components of gas turbine engines for propulsion and power system applications.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Nina Welding</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/news/engineering-faculty-awarded-durip-grants-for-tunable-laser-system-and-transonic-wind-tunnel-research/">conductorshare.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">August 07, 2017</span>.</p>Nina Weldingtag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/787262017-08-14T09:10:00-04:002017-08-14T09:10:52-04:00Nine Faculty Members awarded Inaugural Mexico City Collaboration Grants<p>Notre Dame International is providing funding to build, sustain, and encourage academic and research collaboration with leading universities in Mexico.</p><p>Notre Dame International is providing funding to build, sustain, and encourage academic and research collaboration with leading universities in Mexico. This grant program supports the University’s broader strategy to engage Mexico and Latin America by building upon existing partnerships and creating new opportunities for research, scholarship, and graduate training.</p>
<p>“Thanks to the generosity of University benefactors, Notre Dame International is pleased to support these high-quality initiatives to promote and enhance our faculty’s research and scholarship in Mexico and Latin America,” said Warren von Eschenbach, associate vice president and assistant provost for internationalization. “Our hope is that these projects not only will strengthen partnerships throughout Mexico but through intellectual inquiry allow scholars and researchers to make a contribution to the region.”</p>
<p>Faculty based in the Colleges of Science, Engineering, and Arts and Letters have been awarded grants for the following research projects during the 2017-18 academic year:</p>
<p><a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/hchang" target="_blank">Hsueh-Chia Chang</a>, Nanotechnology: “The Nanotech Collaboration Initiative”<br>
<em> Research Partner: Tec de Monterrey</em></p>
<p><a href="http://biology.nd.edu/people/john-grieco/" target="_blank">John Paul Grieco</a>, Biological Sciences: “Evaluation of Novel Spatial Repellents Against <em>Aedes</em> spp. in Chiapas, Mexico”<br>
<em> Research Partner: Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Pública</em></p>
<p><a href="http://chemistry.nd.edu/people/paul-helquist/" target="_blank">Paul Helquist</a>, Chemistry and biochemistry: “Synthesis of Cholesterol-Bodipy Conjugates”<br>
<em> Research Partner: University of Guanajuato</em></p>
<p><a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/rnerenberg" target="_blank">Rob Nerenberg</a>, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences: “Biofuel Production with the Photoactive Membrane Biofilm (P-MBfR): Effect of Biofilm Accumulation on Process Efficiency"<br>
<em> Research Partner: Instituto Tecnológico de Educación Superior de Monterrey</em></p>
<p><a href="http://physics.nd.edu/people/faculty/graham-peaslee/" target="_blank">Graham Peaslee</a>, Physics: “Ion Beam Analysis Studies of Cultural Heritage Artifacts and Cross-laboratory Calibration and Collaboration"<br>
<em> Research Partners: Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México</em></p>
<p><a href="http://chemistry.nd.edu/people/rich-taylor/" target="_blank">Richard E. Taylor</a>, Chemistry and Biochemistry: “Expanding Upon Scientific Connections in Mexico City: Collaborations in Drug Discovery”<br>
<em> Research Partners: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional</em></p>
<p><a href="http://politicalscience.nd.edu/faculty/faculty-list/guillermo-trejo/" target="_blank">Guillermo Trejo</a>, Political Science: “Democracy and Criminal Violence: The Political Foundations of Drug Wars in Mexico”<br>
<em> Research Partner: Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas</em></p>
<p><a href="http://physics.nd.edu/people/faculty/mitchell-wayne/" target="_blank">Mitchell Wayne</a>, Physics: “CMS Outreach and Science for Masterclass Institutes Collaborating in the Americas”<br>
<em> Research Partners: Universidad de Colima, Universidad Iberoamericano</em></p>
<p><a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/jwhitmer" target="_blank">Jonathan K. Whitmer</a>, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: “Promotion of Discourse through Engineering Matierals Opportunities for Students”<br>
<em> Research Partners: Tecnológico de Monterrey, Universidad de Guanajuato, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana</em></p>
<p>Notre Dame International provides several collaboration grant opportunities for international research. More information can be found at international.nd.edu/nd-faculty-resources.</p>
<p><em>Contact: Warren von Eschenbach, associate vice president and assistant provost for internationalization, at <a href="mailto:wvonesch@nd.edu">wvonesch@nd.edu</a>.</em></p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Joya Helmuth</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://international.nd.edu/about/news/nine-faculty-members-awarded-inaugural-mexico-city-collaboration-grants/">international.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">August 01, 2017</span>.</p>Joya Helmuthtag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/790002017-08-12T08:00:00-04:002017-08-24T08:42:15-04:00Webber Named One of 35 Under 35 by AIChE<p>Assistant Professor Matthew Webber,has been named one of the 35 under 35 inaugural class of professionals by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.</p><p>The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and the Young Professionals Committee, with support from the AIChE Foundation, has decided to annually recognize its young professional members for their outstanding contributions as well as their tremendous promise. <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/mwebber/" href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/mwebber/" target="_blank">Matthew Webber</a>, assistant professor of <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://cbe.nd.edu" href="http://cbe.nd.edu" target="_blank">chemical and biomolecular engineering</a> and director of the <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://www.webberlab.com/" href="http://www.webberlab.com/" target="_blank">Supramolecular Engineering Laboratory</a> at the University of Notre Dame, has been named one of the elite 35 individuals who are part of the inaugural Class of 2017. According to the AIChE, these young professionals exemplify the best of the profession and its breadth and are already changing the face of chemical engineering. Webber and the other recipients are highlighted in the <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://www.aiche.org/chenected/2017/07/aiche-35-under-35-bioengineering?utm_source=social&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=35U35_bioengineering_blog&utm_content=AIChE%2035%20Under%2035:%20Bioengineering" href="https://www.aiche.org/chenected/2017/07/aiche-35-under-35-bioengineering?utm_source=social&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=35U35_bioengineering_blog&utm_content=AIChE%2035%20Under%2035:%20Bioengineering" target="_blank">August issue of <span class="caps">CEP</span> magazine</a> and will be honored during an awards reception at the AIChE Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minn., later this year.<br>
<br>
Webber also holds appointments in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Harper Cancer Research Institute, Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics at Notre Dame, Warren Center for Drug Discovery and the University’s Center for Nano Science and Technology. He was selected as honoree specifically for his efforts in bioengineering and will continue his efforts to advance therapeutic strategies on the molecular level in hopes to affect clinical applications and human health. “I would love to look back on my career and be able to point to a technology originating from my lab that directly made a meaningful impact on improving healthcare for people,” he says. In accepting the award, Webber cited his passion for mentoring and advising students toward forming leaders of the future. Webber presently has nine trainees working in his lab, including many Notre Dame undergraduates, and hopes to inspire in them a desire to offer creative solutions to complex problems.<br>
<br>
In some of his recent work, Webber and his team developed a new way to improve the stability of common protein drugs and extend their shelf life, increasing their effectiveness from approximately 14 hours to more than 100 days. He is also evaluating new strategies rooted in molecular engineering to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of cancer drugs while reducing side-effects, and others that can sense and respond to disease indicators for smarter therapies.<br>
<br>
He was also recently named to the Class of 2017 Emerging Investigators by Biomaterials Science and has received the National Institutes of Health (<span class="caps">NIH</span>) Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (2013), the Dudley Childress Award (2012) from Northwestern University and <em>Acta Biomaterialia</em> Student Award (2011).<br>
<br>
A faculty member since 2016, Webber received his doctorate (2011) and master’s in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University and his bachelor’s (2006) in chemical engineering from Notre Dame. Prior to returning to the University, he served as an <span class="caps">NIH</span> Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he conducted research in drug formulation and delivery.<br>
<br>
</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Nina Welding</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/news/webber-named-one-of-35-under-35-by-aiche/">conductorshare.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">August 11, 2017</span>.</p>Nina Weldingtag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/787272017-07-28T09:00:00-04:002017-08-24T08:43:49-04:00Webber Named to Class of 2017 Emerging Investigators<p><em>Biomaterials Science</em> has named Matthew Webber, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and director of the Supramolecular Engineering Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame, to its 2017 Class of Emerging Investigators.</p><p><em>Biomaterials Science</em> has named <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/mwebber/" href="https://engineering.nd.edu/profiles/mwebber/" target="_blank">Matthew Webber,</a> assistant professor of <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://cbe.nd.edu" href="http://cbe.nd.edu" target="_blank">chemical and biomolecular engineering </a>and director of the Supramolecular Engineering Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame, to its <a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2017/bm/c7bm90033c?page=search" href="http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2017/bm/c7bm90033c?page=search" target="_blank">2017 Class of Emerging Investigators</a>. Chosen for their outstanding work in the field of biomaterials, each of the 31 young researchers is highlighted in the July issue of the journal, which includes articles ranging from findings in nanomedicine to biomimetic materials to molecular delivery systems for applications including cancer therapy, imaging and tissue engineering.<br>
<br>
<a class="external-link" data-mce-href="http://www.webberlab.com/" href="http://www.webberlab.com/" target="_blank">Webber and his team</a> focus on using supramolecular principles [exploiting dynamic interactions between molecules] to develop new materials and engineered devices. In the work highlighted for the <em>Emerging Investigators</em> issue, the team, led by postdoctoral researcher Jugal Kishore Sahoo, describes a new family of short peptides with sequence-dependent control of nanostructure. By changing only one amino acid in a three amino acid sequence they observed a dramatic change to the underlying nanostructure of five different sequences. They found that when a more hydrophilic amino acid was selected, spherical nanoparticles emerged. However, as they changed the properties of that amino acid, they were able to observe two-dimensional sheets, tubes and long, thin fibers. In the cases where long fibers were observed, the team was able to form three-dimensional materials that enabled the culture of cells. The ability to have sequence-dependent control of properties affords opportunity in creating a suite of materials for use in medicine: Those that form spheres might have use as drug carriers while those that form fibers could be used to help engineer new tissues.<br>
<br>
Located in <a href="https://mccourtneyhall.nd.edu/">McCourtney Hall</a>, Webber continues to advance molecular engineering at the University, including designing and teaching a new undergraduate course titled “Principles of Molecular Engineering” in which he provides an overview of this growing field. He also has a strong interest in developing new approaches to target and transport drugs and other therapeutic agents to improve the practice of medicine.<br>
</p>
<p class="image-left"><img alt="Matt Webber2" src="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/assets/243672/matt_webber2.jpg"></p>
<p>In addition to his duties in the classroom, Webber also serves on the faculty of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Harper Cancer Research Institute, Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics at Notre Dame, Warren Center for Drug Discovery and the University’s Center for Nano Science and Technology.<br>
<br>
He has received the National Institutes of Health (<span class="caps">NIH</span>) Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (2013), the Dudley Childress Award (2012) from Northwestern University and Acta Biomaterialia Student Award (2011).<br>
<br>
Webber, who joined the Notre Dame faculty in 2016, received his doctorate (2011) and master’s in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University and his bachelor’s (2006) in chemical engineering from Notre Dame. Prior to returning to the University, he served as an <span class="caps">NIH</span> Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.<br>
</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Nina Welding</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="http://conductorshare.nd.edu/news/webber-named-to-class-of-2017-emerging-investigators/">conductorshare.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">July 27, 2017</span>.</p>Nina Weldingtag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/781342017-07-17T09:25:00-04:002017-07-17T09:26:28-04:00Notre Dame research funding reaches record-breaking levels<p>The University of Notre Dame has received $138.1 million in research funding for fiscal year (FY) 2017, surpassing the previous record of $133.7 million set in FY 2015.</p><h4>Awards nearly double from just over 10 years ago</h4>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="Notre Dame Research" src="http://news.nd.edu/assets/242419/mc_10.3.16_mccourtney_labs_06_300x200.jpg" title="Notre Dame Research"></p>
<p>The University of Notre Dame has received $138.1 million in research funding for fiscal year (FY) 2017, surpassing the previous record of $133.7 million set in FY 2015. Additionally, the University also broke its monthly record receiving $27.6 million in June alone.</p>
<p>“Our scholarly, robust faculty can take pride in this milestone,” said <a href="http://president.nd.edu/about-the-president/">Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.</a>, the University’s president. “It advances Notre Dame’s reputation as a national research university, and it represents a welcome infusion of spending in South Bend. Congratulations to <a href="https://www.nd.edu/about/leadership/council/robert-bernhard/">Robert Bernhard</a>, our vice president for <a href="https://research.nd.edu/">research</a>, and most of all to our talented and hardworking faculty for an achievement that is all the more remarkable in a time of government retrenchment.”</p>
<p>Approximately 57.8 percent of the research awards came from federal funding, while 26.9 percent came from foundations or other sponsors, and 15.3 percent came from industry.</p>
<p>Notre Dame’s continued commitment to growing and expanding its research programs is paying off locally as well, with approximately 75 percent of external research funds expended in the local community. For example, the <a href="https://turbo.nd.edu/">Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory</a> (<span class="caps">NDTL</span>), which opened in downtown South Bend’s Ignition Park in 2016, continues to grow and bring benefits to the area. In FY 2017, <span class="caps">NDTL</span> brought in nearly $7 million in research awards. Further, it has hired over 40 employees — recruiting technical experts from both the Michiana region as well as internationally — and has plans to continue to grow its staffing levels.</p>
<p>The community theme continues in a number of other large research grants to the University, including a $1.6 million award from the Lilly Endowment to the <a href="http://theology.nd.edu/">Department of Theology</a> to study sacred music in the revival of the community and the church, as well as nearly $1 million to the <a href="http://physics.nd.edu/">Department of Physics</a> to continue its Quarknet program.</p>
<p>Speaking about the record-breaking year, Bernhard said, “This year’s success is tied directly to the dedication of our faculty who worked harder than ever in this difficult funding environment to compete for grants. In fact, Notre Dame researchers submitted over 1,200 proposals this year, representing a 30 percent increase in proposal value since last year. I look forward to seeing many of these proposals — especially those that continue our important collaborative relationship with the city of South Bend, such as the Wireless Institute’s proposal for a city-scale platform for advanced wireless research — become actively funded research projects.”</p>
<p>Among some of the largest awards to each College and School:</p>
<ul>
<li>A $6.7 million grant from the Microelectronics Advanced Research Corporation and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (<span class="caps">DARPA</span>) to the <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/">College of Engineering</a> for continued support of the <a href="http://least.nd.edu/">Center for Low Energy Systems Technology</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A $2.5 million award to the <a href="http://science.nd.edu/">College of Science</a> from the National Institutes of Health for continued support of VectorBase, a bioinformatics resource for invertebrate vectors of human pathogens.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A $1.6 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to the <a href="https://al.nd.edu/">College of Arts and Letters</a> for training Catholic thought leaders to engage in dialogue between science and religion.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>More than $1 million from the U.S. Department of State to the <a href="http://keough.nd.edu/">Keough School of Global Affairs</a> for the <a href="https://peaceaccords.nd.edu/">Peace Accords Matrix</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Faculty from the University’s other Colleges and Schools, as well as Centers and Institutes, contributed to the record-breaking total, which grew from $71 million in 2006.</p>
<p><em><strong>Contact</strong>: Jessica Sieff, 574-631-3933, <a href="mailto:jsieff@nd.edu">jsieff@nd.edu</a></em></p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Joanne Fahey and Brandi Klingerman</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="http://news.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-research-funding-reaches-record-breaking-levels/">news.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">July 17, 2017</span>.</p>Joanne Fahey and Brandi Klingermantag:nano.nd.edu,2005:News/779302017-07-10T16:45:00-04:002017-07-10T16:45:46-04:00Prakash Nallathamby joins NDnano to strengthen University's research collaborations<p>Prakash Nallathamby has joined Notre Dame’s Center for Nano Science & Technology (NDnano) as a research assistant professor to facilitate the use of nanoparticle-enabled technologies in research labs across campus.</p><p class="image-right"><img alt="Prakash Nallathamby" src="http://nano.nd.edu/assets/241719/nallathamby175x225.jpg"></p>
<p>Prakash Nallathamby has joined Notre Dame’s Center for Nano Science & Technology (ND<em>nano</em>) as a research assistant professor effective July 1, 2017. </p>
<p>As an adaptable nanoparticle engineer with interdisciplinary expertise in nanotechnology, analytical chemistry, cancer biology, and biomedicine for academia as well as an industry setting, Dr. Nallathamby will focus on facilitating the use of nanoparticle-enabled technologies in research labs across campus.</p>
<p>Since his arrival at Notre Dame in 2014, he has successfully worked on a spectral library of nanoparticle contrast agents for X-ray, magnetic resonance, and fluorescent imaging. Recently, he successfully applied his nanoparticle-enabled solutions to solve a diverse range of real-world scientific challenges posted on InnoCentive, thereby joining the exclusive club of InnoCentive Solvers with his creative and out-of-the-box ideas.</p>
<p>“Through his association with Notre Dame's department of aerospace and mechanical engineering, Prakash has hit the ground running, having already initiated over a dozen research collaborations with faculty across campus, many of whom are affiliated with our sister centers and institutes,” said Dr. David Balkin, ND<em>nano</em> managing director. “We anticipate that Prakash's expertise will create ever more important research synergies at ND as we strive to grow our impact for good.”</p>
<p>Dr. Nallathamby received his bachelor's degree in industrial biotechnology in 2003 from Anna University, Chennai, India, followed by his Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, in 2010. As a Gordon Battelle fellow at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2011, he took the lead in engineering and modifying nanoparticles for the Multi-Scale Toxicology Initiative project by Battelle for collaborators at Lawrence Livermore, Brookhaven, Pacific Northwest, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.</p>
<p>He has more than 1400 citations through 25 peer-reviewed journal publications, one book chapter, and two patent applications, and will continue to build on his strong interdisciplinary research under the ND<em>nano</em> umbrella, collaborating with affiliated faculty from a wide field of research areas and in related institutions nationally and internationally.</p>
<p>Dr. Nallathamby’s main research interest is to use nanoparticles as tools in: (1) biomedical research and development, (2) anisotropic modular platform technologies, (3) scaled up industrial applications, (4) environmental cleanup, and (5) computational modeling. Please feel free to contact him for collaborative and partnership opportunities:</p>
<p>office: 145 Multidisciplinary Research Building<br>
email: <a href="mailto:Prakash.D.Nallathamby.1@nd.edu" target="_blank">Prakash.D.Nallathamby.1@nd.edu</a><br>
Phone: 574-631-5735<br>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakashdn/">LinkedIn</a></p>Heidi Deethardt