WEEKLY MEMO, February 4, 2008
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1. Announcements
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1.1: TOUR TRAINING !!!! Candiss Vibbert, Associate Director for Discovery Park Engagement and Associate Vice Provost for Engagement, invites you to a workshop designed to provide you with the information and materials necessary to host a wide variety of guests at Discovery Park. This workshop will be offered on February 12 from 1:30–3:30, in Burton Morgan 121. If you cannot attend at that time, but could attend a morning session on that same day from 9:00-11:00, please RSVP with that information.
Since last July, over 1500 individuals have visited Discovery Park and many of you have been tapped for assistance. This workshop will provide you with a DVD of a video that you can use for a broad overview as well as one-page handouts and a list of key talking points for audiences with whom you would like to highlight the key characteristics of Discovery Park. We have a broad range of supplemental materials, guides to assist you in considering what areas to stress for differing audiences, a brochure about our facilities, and a website where these materials can be found. A script for tours of both Bindley and Birck have been developed with stopping points and key information on posters, so that it will be easy for everyone to host groups.
Candiss’s goal is to create a large group of FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENTS who are confident that they can host visitors at Discovery Park and will convey a consistent message to these guests. This workshop should be a big step toward this end.
If you cannot attend a session on the 12th, but are interested in hosting guests to Discovery Park, please send your name so that other sessions may be held.
Please RSVP to Valerie Lawless at (lawlessv@purdue.edu) and Deborah Starewich (dstarewi@purdue.edu).
1.2: Blood-borne Pathogen Training: Friday, 02.08.08, 2:00PM, BRK 1099.
1.3: The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and TechPoint will host the Indiana Collegiate Entrepreneur Bootcamp in Indianapolis at the Indiana Roof Ballroom on Thursday, March 20 (2:00–8:00PM). The program is specifically designed for undergraduate and graduate students with the desire to become the next wave of successful Indiana entrepreneurs. This highly interactive program features practical tips and advice from some of the best entrepreneurs and investors in Indiana, as well as renowned business coach Bill Joos, Principal at Silicon Valley-based Go to Market Consulting. The Bootcamp teaches students the art and science of creating and managing a high growth venture. Joos will put participants through the paces of business positioning, refining the “elevator pitch,” and avoiding the most common business planning mistakes. The program will conclude with interactive round tables at dinner where groups of students will have the opportunity to get feedback on their big idea as well as network with entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. The dinner will also provide an opportunity for 10-15 students to pitch their big idea and receive immediate and candid feedback from a panel of investors. The top pitches will win $1,000, $500, or $250. There is no cost for attendance thanks to the generous support of Indiana Secondary Market for Education Loans (www.ismloans.org). Visit www.indianabootcamp.org for additional information and to sign up.
1.4: Dr. Richard Kuhn, Director of the Bindley Bioscience Center, is pleased to announce the establishment of the Bindley Strategic Council (BSC). The following Purdue faculty members will be serving 3-year terms as advisers to the administrative and scientific leadership of the BBC: Clint Chapple (Biochemistry); Rebecca Doerge (Statistics); Jim Fleet (Foods and Nutrition); Michael Gribskov (Biological Sciences); Tony Hazbun (Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology); Catherine Hill (Entomology); Scott Jackson (Agronomy); Richard Kuhn (Biological Sciences); and Phil Low (Chemistry)
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2. TOURS/VISITORS
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2.1: Monday, 02.04.08, 11:25-11:55AM: Purdue Women’s Club. A group of 30 women of various ages; most are affiliated with Purdue in some way. The tour is part of the Purdue Women’s Club Lecture Series. They are interested in learning about the current technology and research at Purdue as well as seeing the facilities.
2.2: Tuesday, 02.05.08, 12:45PM: NASA personnel and Purdue research group.
2.2: Friday, 02.08.08, 10:00-11:00AM: Dr. Mildred Dresselhaus, College of Science’s Centennial Distinguished Lecture Series speaker.
2.3: Friday, 02.08.08, 11:00-11:30AM: Dr. Barbara Karn, Discovery Lecture Series speaker.
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3. SEMINARS
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3.1: Wednesday, 02.06.08, 2:30PM, EE317: “Heat Transfer Across Solid Contacts Enhanced with Nanomaterials,” by Timothy S. Fisher, Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University.
ABSTRACT: This presentation will describe thermal transport processes at solid-solid material interfaces. An overview of applications in the electronics industry will serve to motivate the subject, and then the basic diffusive constriction theory will be developed. The addition of carbon nanotube arrays to solid-solid interfaces has been shown to improve heat transfer significantly, and these materials will serve as an example of enhanced transport with nanomaterials. Experimental techniques and results will be reviewed, and a model that employs ballistic transport principles will be introduced to interpret these results.
BIO: Timothy S. Fisher received Ph.D. and B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University in 1998 and 1991, respectively. He joined the Purdue's School of Mechanical Engineering and Birck Nanotechnology Center in 2002 after several years at Vanderbilt University. He is currently serving as a Visiting Professor in the Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bangalore, India.
3.2: Thursday, February 7, 2008, 4:30PM, Physics 114: “The Potential of Nanostructured Materials to Address the Challenge of a Sustainable Energy Resource,” by Professor Mildred Dresselhaus, Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Reception prior to seminar, 3:30, Physics 242.
Mildred Dresselhaus received her PhD degree at the University of Chicago in 1958. Following her doctoral studies, Dr. Dresselhaus spent two years at Cornell University as an NSF postdoctoral fellow, and then seven years as a staff member of the MIT Lincoln Laboratory in the Solid State Physics Division. She joined the MIT faculty in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 1967 and the Department of Physics in 1983, and was named an Institute Professor in 1985. She served as the Director of the Office of Science at the US Department of Energy in 2000-2001. Professor Dresselhaus is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has served as President of the American Physical Society (1984), President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS 1997), Treasurer of the National Academy of Sciences (1992-96), and Chair of the Board of the American Institute of Physics (2003-2008).
3.3: Thursday, February 7, 2008, 5:00PM, POTR 118: “Gen-Nano Competition Call Out,” WITH PIZZA SERVED. Learn more about generation-nano project and competition details.
Invent the Best Gen-Nano Game and win up to $300 in cash! The competition is open Jan 16, 2008 with a deadline for proposal submission of Mar 15, 2008. Bring in your creativity and expertise into this growing e-learning project for kids!
Competition Overview: The Network for Computational Nanotechnology (NCN) is accepting proposals from students on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus interested in designing a storyboard for an interactive K-12 learning activity to be published within one of the learning modules of the generation-nano.org website, which aims to excite middle school children about science by teaching them nanotechnology concepts. The individual or team authors of the three winning storyboards will receive cash awards of up to $300. Additional prizes will be awarded to authors of activities selected for implementation.
For details visit: http://www.generation-nano.org/competition; Questions: feedback @generation-nano.org
3.4: Friday, February 8, 2008, 5:30PM, MRGN 121: “Nanotechnologies and Environmental Concern,” by Dr. Barbara Karn, US EPA, Head of the Research Grant Program for Nanotechnologies, The Wilson Center, Member of Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. FREE PIZZA AND BEVERAGES.
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4. OPPORTUNITIES
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4.1: The National Science Foundation has released this year’s solicitation for the Departmental Multi-User Instrumentation component of Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities program (CRIF:MU), which provides funds to universities, colleges, and consortia thereof for the purchase of multi-user instruments. Approximately $6 million per fiscal year will fund approximately 20 awards as standard or continuing grants depending upon the quality of proposals and the availability of funds. Awards will have a three-year duration and are non-renewable. Award size is limited to $500,000 plus personnel costs for cyber-enabled projects. The request for proposals is available at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08539/nsf08539.htm <http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08539/nsf08539.htm> . For this competition, Purdue may submit two proposals, with the requirement that at least one proposal must involve cyberinfrastructure. Internal deadlines are as follows: Monday, March 3: Letters of Intent due to the OVPR; Monday, April 14: Preproposals due to the OVPR; Thursday, April 17: Preproposal rankings due to the OVPR. Please note: Letters of intent, preproposals, and rankings to the OVPR should be e-mailed to OVPRlimited@purdue.edu. Purdue's limited submission policy and template for letters of intent may be found at http://dagon.admin.purdue.edu/cgi-bin/lsid.cgi <http://dagon.admin.purdue.edu/cgi-bin/lsid.cgi> . For any case in which the number of internal letters of intent received is no more than the number of proposals allowed by the sponsor, the OVPR will notify the PI that an internal preproposal will be unnecessary.
4.2: The National Science Foundation has released this year’s solicitation for the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT), which “has been developed to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers who will pursue careers in research and education, with the interdisciplinary backgrounds, deep knowledge in chosen disciplines, and technical, professional, and personal skills to become, in their own careers, leaders and creative agents for change. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education, for students, faculty, and institutions, by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. It is also intended to facilitate diversity in student participation and preparation, and to contribute to a world-class, broadly inclusive, and globally engaged science and engineering workforce.” The request for proposals is available at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08540/nsf08540.htm <http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08540/nsf08540.htm> . An estimated 20 Traineeship grants will be awarded, as well as one award for a Resource Center (a new component of this program). For this competition, Purdue may submit four preliminary Traineeship proposals, and one Resource Center proposal. Internal deadlines are as follows: Monday, February 18: Letters of Intent due to the OVPR; Monday, March 17: Preproposals due to the OVPR; Thursday, March 20: Preproposal rankings due to the OVPR. Please note: Letters of intent, preproposals, and rankings to the OVPR should be e-mailed to OVPRlimited@purdue.edu. Purdue's limited submission policy and template for letters of intent may be found at http://dagon.admin.purdue.edu/cgi-bin/lsid.cgi <http://dagon.admin.purdue.edu/cgi-bin/lsid.cgi> . Those submitting for the Resources Center component should so indicate on the letter of intent. For any case in which the number of internal letters of intent received is no more than the number of proposals allowed by the sponsor, the OVPR will notify the PI that an internal preproposal will be unnecessary.
4.3: Summer Teaching Opportunity—Apply now! The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) is seeking an Instructor for Nanotechnology, a course that we are offering at a summer program for gifted adolescents on Duke University's West Campus and Texas A&M University. Staff employment dates for this position are Term 1 - June 10 - July 2 and Term 2 - July 10 - August 2. The instructor, with the help of a teaching assistant, is responsible for designing a course or using a Duke TIP syllabus to teach the course to a group of approximately 16-20 gifted students. The instructor position requires at least a year of graduate coursework and/or teaching experience with specific emphasis on nanotechnology. In addition to a competitive salary, Duke TIP also provides housing and meals for all summer staff, as needed. The course description is as follows: “Nanotechnology”: The 21st century's "industrial revolution" will be fueled by the emerging science of nanotechnology. The fields of medicine, electronics, textiles, quantum computing, and alternative energy source development are but a few of the topics that will be highlighted in this course. Presently, industries, governments, and academia are working together to develop the potential of nanoscience. What once seemed a futuristic dream has progressed to cutting edge reality. In this course, students will survey the progress and the potential of nanotechnology. This course is open to current ninth and tenth graders only.
Please visit the Duke TIP web site for complete information about our programs and the summer employment process. Below are several links that will be helpful in addressing your questions.Summer Employment Information: www.tip.duke.edu/about/employment <http://www.tip.duke.edu/about/employment <http://www.tip.duke.edu/about/employment> > (job descriptions, salary information, application materials); Summer Program Information: www.tip.duke.edu/summer_programs <http://www.tip.duke.edu/summer_programs <http://www.tip.duke.edu/summer_programs> > (course offerings, site information)
If you are interested in this instructor position, please contact Liz Morgan, Academic Coordinator at emorgan@tip.duke.edu or call at (919) 681-6981 as soon as possible.
4.4: The Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering (RCHE) is soliciting research proposals from Purdue faculty in all disciplines with research interests related to healthcare delivery. Approximately $240,000 has been allocated for this year's research-funding cycle. It is anticipated that up to six projects will receive funding. Highly successful projects may be eligible to receive subsequent funding from RCHE in the form of proposal cost-sharing, etc. RCHE welcomes proposals leveraged with other proposal opportunities at Purdue. E-mail Intent to Submit Proposal Deadline is Feb. 15. Proposal due date is March 3rd. Full RFP and more information are available at the RCHE Web site <http://www.purdue.edu/rche <http://www.purdue.edu/rche> >.
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5. LIFE ON THE OUTSIDE
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5.1: Congratulations to new daddy, Dan Hosler, and family: Samuel Thomas Hosler came to be on Sunday (01.27.08) morning.
5.2: IRS Warns Taxpayers of New E-mail Scams: A new variation of the refund scheme may be directed toward organizations that distribute funds to other organizations or individuals. In an attempt to seem legitimate, the scam e-mail claims to be sent by, and contains the name and supposed signature of, the Director of the IRS Exempt Organizations area of the IRS. The e-mail asks recipients to click on a link to access a form for a tax refund. In reality, taxpayers claim their tax refunds through the filing of an annual tax return, not a separate application form. The IRS recommends that recipients do not click on links in, or open any attachments to, e-mails they receive that are unsolicited or that come from unknown sources.
Deborah S. Starewich
Administrative Assistant to Timothy D. Sands, Director
Birck Nanotechnology Center
Purdue University
765-494-3509
dstarewi@ecn.purdue.edu
http://www.nano.purdue.edu/