Nurmikko elected to Finnish Academy of Science and Letters

Professor Arto Nurmikko was recently elected to the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters is the largest general scientific and academic society in Finland. It is a learned society covering the full range of academic disciplines which is devoted to the promotion of scientific and scholarly research and serves as a bond uniting researchers engaged in these activities at the highest level. It functions as a traditional learned society in the sense that its membership is limited and it selects its new members on their academic and scientific merits. For more information on the Academy: http://www.acadsci.fi/frontpage.htm

Science News highlights aerial gymnastics of fruit flies

Science News 12 April 2010
Fruit flies make abrupt turns

Postdoctoral research associate in engineering Attila Bergou is part of a research team that discovered that fruit flies’ aerial gymnastics are driven by wing joints that act like wind-up toys, letting the bugs whirl around almost automatically.
Learn more here:
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/58108/title/Fruit_flies_turn_on_autopilot

Flies "swim" when they're flying from Science News on Vimeo.

Science Nation profiles NSF collaborative project on bat flight mechanics

Brown University engineer Kenny Breuer and biologist Sharon Swartz are profiled in this week's Science Nation, a science video series commissioned by the NSF Office of Legislative and Public Affairs.
Since 2001, Swartz and Breuer have teamed up to study the mechanics of bat flight. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the two scientists from very different disciplines set up a special facility, including a wind tunnel, to study bats in flight.

Learn more about the project here:
http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/index.jsp

Gao and his research team discovers new principle in Material Science

A research team led by Brown University engineers has discovered a new mechanism that governs the peak strength of nanostructured metals. The team found that the deformation of nanotwinned metals is characterized by the motion of highly ordered, necklace-like patterns of crystal defects called dislocations. The finding, published in Nature, could lead to stronger and more ductile metals.

Full press release here:
http://news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2010/04/nanotwins

Hurt and Webster publish "Business and Safety Issues in the Commercialization of Nanotechnology"

Professors Bob Hurt and Tom Webster just published the book "Business and Safety Issues in the Commercialization of Nanotechnology," Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, Volume 1209, 2010. Editors are: L. Tsakalakos, L. Merhari, S. Mao, J. van Schijndel, T. J. Webster, H. Liu, and R. Hurt. (H. Liu is a recent Ph.D. graduate from Brown engineering).

More information on the book can be found at: http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/sec_subscribe.asp?CID=24653&DID=271618

Yang and Taylor earn STAR awards from the Society for Biomaterials

Lei Yang (co-advised by Professors Tom Webster and Brian Sheldon) and Erik Taylor (advised by Professor Tom Webster) were just selected for STAR awards from the Society for Biomaterials. They will give their award winning talks during the Society for Biomaterials' Annual Meeting April 21st - 24th in Seattle, WA. This is one of the highest honors for graduate students presenting at the Society for Biomaterials. Erik was chosen based on his abstract and research "Decreasing Biofilm Formation Through the Use of Magnetic Nanoparticles". Lei was chosen based on his abstract and research "Osteoblast Responses on Nanocrystalline Diamond Modified by Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Ammonium Plasmas".

Collaborative project highlighted in premier neuroscience journal

The February issue of the journal Neuron features a cover story highlighting the joint work between Professors Arto Nurmikko and Barry Connors. Neuron is a premier journal in Neuroscience.

This is another illustration of the collaboration between Engineering and Biology and Medicine here at Brown. Arto Nurmikko's group has successfully led the initiative to bring the ‘optogenetics’ methodology to Brown.

Prof. Webster and Erik Taylor's implant research highlighted

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Almost 1 million people go under the knife every year for a knee, hip or shoulder replacement. Surgeons say those metal implants can become playgrounds for bacteria, leading to potentially deadly infections like MRSA. It happens to nearly 20,000 people every year. One scientist has developed a tiny solution that could kill the infection without removing the implant.

Dr. Webster is creating a nano-sized solution to fight implant infections. He manufactured iron-oxide nanoparticles -- tiny warriors that zero in on the implant, penetrate the bacterial shield, and kill the bacteria. In lab tests, an injection of the specially-designed nanoparticles eliminated 74 percent of the bacteria on an implant in 48 hours. When repeated three times over six days, the nanoparticles killed 100  percent of the bacteria.

Entire article and a TV clip airing across the country summarizing some of Professor Webster's and graduate student Erik Taylor's research (make sure to click play in the first image):

http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=23473

NSF Career Awards to Dworak and Reda

Two young faculty members in the Division join the ranks of our faculty that have been awarded the NSF CAREER Awards, Jennifer Dworak and Sherief Reda. The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization.

Enhancing Quality through Probabilistic On-Chip Test
Jennifer Dworak

Future integrated circuits will contain tens, hundreds, or possibly even a thousand cores per chip. However, the scaling techniques that will make this possible also make the underlying circuit fabric less reliable—leading to increased wearout and defects that cannot be detected at manufacturing. In response, the PI proposes fundamental research for generating new test sets on-chip to identify failing cores. The tests will be created “on-the-fly” and dynamically targeted to the most critical areas of a core. Some key portions of the proposed research involve the creation and verification of hardware monitors for determining which faults are most important for the user’s applications, the diagnostic use of online error detection hardware to pinpoint locations that caused previous failures, and the analysis and development of protocols to efficiently create and transport tests in a network-on-chip environment.

The great performance advantages of future multi-core devices will remain unrealized if the reliability of those devices cannot be trusted. The proposed research investigates critical tools for promoting that reliability. The integrated education plan provides research opportunities for students at multiple levels—from high school to graduate school—including students from underrepresented groups. In addition to recruiting undergraduates from Brown, the PI plans to work with the CRA-W DREU (Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates) program to host visiting female undergraduates for summer research. The PI will also recruit high school students from the Providence Public Schools, many of whom are members of underrepresented groups, for summer research through the Brown GK-12 program.

Link: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0915302

Transcending the Thermal Management Challenges of Tera-Scale Computing

Sherief Reda

Elevated temperature is a major problem for the reliability, performance, power consumption, and packaging costs of integrated electronic devices.

Temperature is a main physical barrier limiting the performance benefits of future technologies that promise tera-scale integration. To meet the thermal management challenges of future many-core processors, this research program envisions a new class of intelligent dynamic thermal management systems that explore the vast search space of possible control parameter settings and decide the optimal temperature and performance targets. This research program also investigates new cooling system designs that enable the thermal management system to target directly hot spots at the micro scale. Directly targeting hot spots alleviates the thermal constraints on performance.

The proposed research program will lead to transformative solutions and tools that address the fundamental thermal management challenges of computing systems and ensure their scalability. The proposed program will lead to the training of a diverse workforce of undergraduate and graduate students to be well prepared to deal with tomorrow’s thermal management challenges. The educational component of this program includes (1) research experiences for undergraduates; (2) integrated approach to entrepreneurship education with research; (3) hands-on training through the development of educational laboratories based on a state-of-the-art infrared camera; and (4) continuous education through the development of high-quality educational materials and an interactive technical Web site.

Link: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0952866

Clyde Briant elected to the National Academy of Engineering

Congratulations to Clyde Briant on his election to the National Academy of Engineering.

Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature," and to the "pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education."

CLYDE LEONARD BRIANT, Otis E. Randall University Professor and vice president for research, Brown University, Providence, R.I. For elucidation of microstructural effects on high-temperature mechanical performance of metals.

See NAE Press Release.

2010 Collaborative Research Awards program awards two engineering projects

The Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC) last week announced the awardees of the 2010 Collaborative Research Awards program. This year, out of the 38 projects submitted for review, six projects that featured multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional research with follow-on funding promise were chosen.

Here are two projects which feature Brown Engineering:

Project 3: Development of Durable Silicon Thin-Film Anodes and New Electrolytes for Lithium Batteries
This team proposes to develop new and highly durable anode architecture for lithium batteries complemented by the development of new electrolytes that will form a stable solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. This STAC grant will help RI align with the Department of Energy’s Energy Strategic Goal and contribute to cutting-edge advances in lithium battery technology.

Collaborators:
Pradeep Guduru, Ph.D, Brown University
Christopher Bull, Ph.D, Brown University
Brett Lucht, Ph.D, University of Rhode Island

Project 4: Early Cancer Detection and Treatment Using Advanced Three-Dimensional Surface Texture Visualization and Modeling
This project aims to develop 3D imaging technology to address limitations in visualization of the current minimally invasive surgical procedures that are rapidly replacing open surgeries. The team will focus primarily on the problem of identifying early-state bladder cancer, the third-most prevalent cancer that ranks fourth in incidence.

Collaborators:
Gabriel Taubin, Ph.D, Brown University
George E. Haleblian, M.D, Rhode Island Hospital
Jason D. Harry, Ph.D, Lucidux Corporation, LLC
Gyan Pareek, M.D; Rhode Island Hospital

For more information, visit the RI Science and Technology Advisory Council.

Zia honored at White House

Assistant Professor Rashid Zia was honored with a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) at the White House last week. President Obama honored 100 winners with the PECASE, the highest award bestowed by the U.S. Government upon scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers.

More about the award from the White House blog.

Society of Critical Care 2010 Citation Award

Keiko Tarquinio, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, from Professor Tom Webster's biomedical engineering lab group just received the 2010 Citation Award from the Society for Critical Care last week in Miami out of over 1100 presentations at the Society for Critical Care Medicine's 39th Critical Care Congress. This was for the presentation "Inhibition of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Growth on Chemically Etched Polyvinyl Chloride Endotracheal Tubes: An in vitro Model" (authors: Keiko Tarquinio, Nathan Rubien, and Thomas Webster) funded from the RI STAC fund. The purpose of the work is to limit infection of endotracheal tubes.

Professor Franck studies cellular movement

Our cells are more like us than we may think. They’re sensitive to their environment, poking and prodding deliberately at their surroundings with hand-like feelers and chemical signals as they decide whether and where to move. Such caution serves us well but has vexed engineers who seek to create synthetic tissue, heart valves, implants and other devices that the human body will accept.

To overcome that obstacle, scientists have sought to learn more about how cells explore what’s around them. While numerous studies have looked at cellular movement in two dimensions and a few recent experiments involved cellular motion in three dimensions, scientists remained unsure just how much cells interacted with their surroundings. Now, a study involving Brown University and the California Institute of Technology has recorded for the first time how cells move in three dimensions by measuring the force exerted by cells on their environs. The research gives scientists their most complete assessment to date about how cells move.

To read more of the release, click here. Also, posted here.

Freund honored by ASME for his contributions to materials engineering

Lambert Ben Freund, Ph.D., the Henry Ledyard Goddard university processor and a professor of engineering at Brown University (Providence, R.I.), was honored by ASME with the Society's Nadai Medal. He is being recognized for fundamental contributions to the mechanics of solids, dynamic fracture, stress waves in solids, computational mechanics, mechanics of thin films and mechanics of biological systems.

The Nadai Medal, established in 1975, recognizes significant contributions and outstanding achievements which broaden the field of materials engineering. The award was presented to Dr. Freund during the 2009 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Nov. 13 through 19.

Read more here.

Deoni using MRI imaging to study neurodevelopment in children

Two Brown Faculty To Study Brain Development in Infants and Children With Bipolar Disorder

Sean Deoni, assistant professor of engineering, and Dr. Daniel Dickstein, assistant professor of psychiatry, have each received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health to study brain development in children with bipolar disorder. They will collaborate on each other’s projects.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Two Brown University faculty members have received federal funding for innovative new neuroscience research projects focusing on brain development in infants and bipolar disorder in children.

Sean Deoni, assistant professor of engineering, plans to use his $2.5-million grant to study neurodevelopment throughout infancy and early childhood, from 2 months to age 5, using an MRI imaging technique at Brown he previously developed with colleagues.

Read more here.

Today Show highlights sleep meter invention

NBC's Today Show highlights a group of Brown students that developed a sleep meter now available on the market.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Graduate Student Profiles

In an effort to highlight the remarkable graduate student research here at Brown Engineering, we are creating a series of profiles that will highlight their work. Below are previews, to see the full profile details, click here."The catchphrase of our lab is “Atoms to Autos,” which means that we work on incorporating basic scientific research that begins at the atomic scale into larger and larger scale models eventually making improvements to the design of new GM automobiles."

"My research interests concern the exploration of multiprocessing techniques for low-power embedded systems (like smartphones, game consoles, etc.), and the development of design methods to improve the yield of 3D integrated circuits."

"BrainGate2 is an investigational device that we hope will one day enable people with paralysis to control external devices, such as a computer cursor, simply by mentally attempting the motion, essentially turning thought into action."

"Lead is added to Sn solder in electronic devices to inhibit defects (called “whiskers”) which result in failures and a shorter product life. I’m trying to understand how lead prevents defects and to find an environmentally friendly replacement that works equally well."

"The end goal of the influenza project is to develop a small, low cost, sensitive microfluidic assay to detect the presence and type of influenza in patient samples. Ideally, this device would integrated several tasks normally done in a laboratory such that it could be used at the point of care."

To see the full profile details, click here.

RI Elevator Pitch Competition

Professor Eric Suuberg reports that students from his ENGN 1930G Entrepreneurship course performed well in the Rhode Island Business Plan Competition’s Elevator Pitch Contest this week. The event took place at the new R.I. Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and is considered a preview to the 2010 Rhode Island Business Plan Competition.

The winner, Adam Leonard, a student in Suuberg's ENGN 1930G course is mentored by Dr. Jason Hack of the Brown Medical School in the development of a device to treat pediatric needle pain. In addition, there were three students presenting from the Program in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship, and two students, Matt Doherty and Michael Kreitzer, were in the group of winners. Each of these teams is expected to do well in the actual business plan competition next semester.

More details are available here.

Providence Business New online edition that also described the outcome of the competition: See http://www.pbn.com/stories/46634.html

Undergraduate Research Profiles

Sharon Makava started at Brown as an engineer with health-related interests. Her initial interests led her to biomedical engineering, but she is now pursuing Chemical and Biochemical Engineering degree. Her interactions with her former concentration advisor, Professor Tripathi, led her to her current work in his lab. She is working on K103N mutation in the HIV virus with graduate student Kenny Morabito. They are working to isolate and amplify the mutation at low sample concentrations. The end goal is to develop a test diagnostic which will allow doctors to look for a drug resistance amongst their patients. Her current research will give her a strong foundation to pursue industry or academic directions in the future, but for now she says “she can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
Eli Fine understands the importance of being aware of your intentions when you speak. He gained this appreciation through a linguistics class he took as part of Brown's open curriculum elective options. He has not only gained a greater appreciation for the scientific world, but also anthropology, philosophy, psychology, and linguistics. His collaborative spirit fits well with the interdisciplinary group of mathematicians, engineers and biologists he researches with in his multiple research projects at Brown.
Carmichael Ong is an intricate mix of biologist, biochemist, and bioengineer. He has the network to prove it. Carmichael has worked on two large interdisciplinary research projects at Brown in his undergraduate career. He believes that the intimate atmosphere within Brown Engineering and the approachable faculty are major benefits to his future. He plans to continue as a researcher in his future career either in industry or academia. Regardless of which direction he chooses, he will understand how to network with top rate researchers in an interdisciplinary setting because of his experience at Brown.
Ben Howard understands what it would take to be a Mythbuster on the Discovery Channel. He understands engineering and science principles and appreciates photography and video production. As a cinematographer for BTV (Brown’s Television Station) he produces his own tv show. Beyond just being inspired to record the world around him in unique ways, Ben is a design-oriented engineer. He found his way to Professor Breuer’s lab after having him for Thermodynamics class. His summer work extended into a larger research project to create a prototype that can create liquid droplets out of oil – a humidifier of sorts for oil. In Breuer’s lab, they have learned to use photography to study the aerodynamics of bat flight. They can record two flash photographs and record the velocity based on the distance the droplets have traveled around the bat’s wings. Most of the science is stumped on how bats accomplish their flight patterns. The Mythbusters wouldn’t even be able to figure it out, but Ben and other Brown engineers will eventually.
Juri Minxha works at the interface between engineering and neuroscience. He came to Brown uncertain of what he hoped to accomplish during his four years here. He found that the introductory engineering courses gave him a chance to test drive all of the related engineering fields. He also used the open curriculum to his advantage and took neuroscience courses. This background led him to Professor Palmore’s lab where he works at the interface of electrical engineering and neuroscience. He understands the importance of this research and hopes to continue his scholarship in a graduate program.

Many of our students are awarded annually with Halpin awards for their interdisciplinary research. To read more about the Halpin awards and the students profiled, click here.