Multifunctional Nanomaterials, Nanodevices Are Workshop Subject

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- World-class researchers from industry, government and academia will discuss innovations in multifunctional nanomaterials and nanodevices at University at Buffalo's First Annual Integrated Nanostructured Systems Workshop to be held May 18 and 19 in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

Organized by faculty members affiliated with the Integrated Nanostructured Systems Strategic Strength identified in the UB 2020 strategic planning process, the workshop aims to highlight emerging areas, such as nanobiophotonics, semiconductor spintronics, nanofibers, nanomagnetics, hybrid nanomaterials, nanomechanical computation and nano-piezotronics.

The workshop will feature scientists from Brown, Cornell, Duke and Georgia Tech universities, as well as researchers from companies including Greatbatch, Inc., NanoDynamics, Inc. and Evident Technologies. UB researchers' cutting-edge work in nanomedicine, nanophotonics and semiconductor spintronics also will be highlighted.

"This workshop includes top researchers exploring a broad range of topics in nanoscale science and engineering," said Mark T. Swihart, Ph.D., UB associate professor of chemical and biological engineering and lead workshop organizer. "It is not narrowly focused on a particular issue and should therefore be valuable to researchers from a variety of disciplines and perspectives."

Applications that will be discussed cover a broad spectrum, from optoelectronics, nanomotors and wireless nanodevices and nanosystems, to more precise probes for nanomedicine and improved power sources, such as batteries.

"This workshop not only gives us the opportunity to attract global leaders in the field, it provides us with the opportunity to highlight the fact that UB is a leader in nanostructured systems," said Alexander N. Cartwright, Ph.D., a workshop organizer and professor of electrical engineering, chair of the UB2020 Integrated Nanostructured Systems Initiative and Faculty in Leadership Fellow.

Federal funding opportunities will be explored in a presentation on "National Science Foundation Funding Opportunities for Multifunctional Nanodevices."

A poster session will showcase a broad range of nanostructured systems research by scientists and engineers from UB and other institutions.

This workshop represents the first in a series that faculty affiliated with Integrated Nanostructured Systems will host at UB; next year's workshop will focus on nanotechnology in biomedical applications.

Co-sponsors of the conference with the UB 2020 Strategic Strength in Integrated Nanostructured Systems are the UB Office of the Vice President for Research, the departments of Chemistry and Physics in the UB College of Arts and Sciences and the departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Electrical Engineering in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, as well as NanoDynamics, Inc. and Evident Technologies.

For registration and information, go to http://www.ubevents.org/regengine/event_page.php or contact Mark Swihart at (716) 645-2911 ext. 2205 or swihart@eng.buffalo.edu.