WEEKLY MEMO, March 3, 2008 **************** 1. Announcements **************** 1.1: BNC-all mailings: Please note that I received a request to post a message ³from a frustrated mailman list user²: ³ALL... and may I repeat that... ALL mailman lists managed by Purdue have links at the end of the message to go to the list's mailman site. At that site you can do things like edit your options to receive a digest instead of every message, and even unsubscribe. There is no reason to send and unsubscribe message to the entire list.² Please note that all users and occupants are required to remain on these lists. 1.2: TOUR TRAINING: A make-up tour training session has been scheduled for Wednesday March 5th, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. If you could not make the first training session, this is your next opportunity to attend. The session will be held in MRGN 121. Please RSVP to Valerie Lawless, lawlessv@purdue.edu. In addition, all training materials have been posted: <http://www.purdue.edu/dp/trainingGuide.php>. Check out this site for lots of information regarding visits: they¹ve even included an events calendar. Feel free to join any of the posted tours. Lastly, a Discovery Park video made available during the training session is posted on the Discovery Park homepage: <http://www.purdue.edu/dp/index.php> 1.3: Would you like exceptional undergraduates participating in your research? DURI project deadline is Monday, March 10, 2008; for additional information, please visit http://www.purdue.edu/dp/duri. 1.3: CLEANROOM AND LAB PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE: MONDAY, 03.31.08 TO FRIDAY, 04.04.08 Monday, 03.31.08, 10:00 AM: All materials must be removed from cleanroom solvent hoods. Monday, 03.31.08, 4:00 PM: All materials must be removed from the remaining cleanroom hoods. CLEANROOM CLOSED. Tuesday, 04.01.08 7:30 AM: No ultrapure water available. No acid processing in laboratories. No hazardous gases available. CLEANROOM CLOSED. Wednesday, 04.02.08, all day: No ultrapure water available. No acid processing in laboratories. No hazardous gases available. Wednesday, 04.02.08, 4:00 PM: All materials must be removed from laboratory hoods (including biosafety cabinets; all bio materials must be removed from exhausted enclosures). Thursday, 04.03.08, 8:00 AM: Cleanroom will re-open, barring unforeseen circumstances. All solvent hoods and processes will remain down for general exhaust upgrades. LABORATORIES CLOSED. Thursday, 04.03.08 Friday, 04.04.08, 8:00 AM: Laboratories will re-open and Cleanroom general exhaust should be operational, barring unforeseen circumstances. Questions or comments? Contact Mark Voorhis (mvoorhis@purdue.edu) ******************** 2. TOURS/VISITORS ******************** 2.1: Monday, 03.03.08, 1:00-3:00: Purdue¹s for Me visitors admitted students and parents; please make them feel welcome. 2.2: Thursday, 03.06.08, 10:00: Council for Manager Development 2.3: Thursday, 03.06.08, 9:45: EDPS105S Class, Div. 1 2.4: Thursday, 03.06.08, 2:15: EDPS105S Class, Div. 2 2.5: Friday, 03.07.08, 2:00: Emily Beemsterboer and father. ******************** 3. SEMINARS ******************** 3.1: Monday, March 3, 2008, 6:00PM, MRGN 121: Bioethics Seminar, ³Nanotechnologies and Medical Ethics,² by Nigel M. de S. Cameron 3.2: Tuesday, March 4, 2008, 6:00-9:00PM, CL50: Movie Showing and Panel Discussion, ³Sicko,² with Michael Moore; panel discussion featuring Dr. James Anderson, Professor of Sociology and Communication; Jennifer Coddington, MSN, RN, CPNP, Director of Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program; Dr. Steven Witz, Director for the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering. 3.3: Friday, March 7, 2008, 3:30 refreshments; 3:45 seminar, ARMS 1010: ³Processing of bulk nanostructured oxide ceramics with novel magnetic and optical properties,² by J. E. Garay, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, and Engineering Program, University of California, Riverside. ABSTRACT: Nanocrystalline ceramics display significantly different properties and behaviors than their microcrystalline counterparts, yet they have been difficult to produce in bulk sizes so that some of the underlying property-microstructure relations are not entirely clear. One technique that has proven effective for producing high quality material with very small grain sizes is based on the application of large current densities and mechanical pressures to consolidate nano-powders. After an overview of the processing method, I will discuss several nanocrystalline oxide materials that we have been working on for structural-optical and magnetic applications. Properties presented will include improved visible light transmittance, altered thermal and electrical conductivity and highly temperature dependent magnetization. The results will be discussed in terms of crystal length scale effects, grain boundary structure differences and proximity of nanoscale phases. SHORT BIO: Prof. Garay received his B. S. in Mechanical Engineering (1999), M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering (2002) and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering (2004) all from the University of California, Davis. During his doctoral studies he also worked in the Physics Directorate of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In 2004 he was appointed assistant professor in the Bourns College of Engineering at UCR where his research focuses on advanced material processing and synthesis. His laboratory is equipped with state of the art material processing and testing equipment including high vacuum chambers, a PVD system, furnaces, tensile testers, hardness testers and a novel electric current consolidation apparatus. Recently Prof. Garay¹s interests have been in producing nanostructured materials with tailored properties for optical, electrical/magnetic and structural applications. He, his students and co-workers also conduct fundamental studies on material defects and electric current effects on material processes. In 2005 he received the Army Research Office Young Investigator Award (ARO-YIP) for research on nano-crystalline oxide materials. ********** 4. KUDOS ********** 4.1: Congrats to Kalapi Biswas for her first-place award in the Engineering Sciences Graduate Student Poster Competition, sponsored by Sigma Xi. First-place winners were awarded $200. The judges were unanimous in their praise of the posters and presentations. 2008 Graduate Student Poster Competition Results Behavioral Sciences 1st Place: Megan K. Macpherson 1st Place: David Vachon Honorable Mention: Nicole L. Rheaume and Ana Paz G. Martins Engineering Sciences 1st Place: Jianming Li 1st Place: Kalapi Biwas Honorable Mention: Hui Ouyang and Navneet R. Singh Life Sciences 1st Place: Timothy J. Smyser 1st Place: Kristin Hamann Honorable Mention: Ningxia Du and Mi Zou Physical Sciences 1st Place: Thomas Dautermann Honorable Mention: Emre Unal For information regarding future competitions, please contact Brian F. French, Assistant Professor, frenchb@purdue.edu. ********************* 5. LIFE ON THE OUTSIDE ********************* 5.1: Name change: please note that Melissa Lane is now known as Melissa MARRIS; her e-mail address remains unchanged (lanem@purdue.edu) and she still is that smiling face as you enter the front doors of Birck J