Northeast Georgia Universities to Collaborate on Nanotechnology and Infectious Disease Research; Inaugural Symposium on Feb. 19

The inaugural Georgia Symposium on Nanotechnology in Infectious Disease, co-sponsored by northeast Georgia’s major research universities, will be hosted by the University of Georgia Thursday, Feb. 19.

The free, one-day symposium marks the start of a collaboration among UGA, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University to transform Georgia into a major attractor and incubator for emerging nanotechnology-based industries, with a focus on the application of nanotechnology to infectious diseases.

Vice President for Research David Lee said, “These three universities have common research interests in the application of nanotechnology to biomedicine, especially in the area of infectious disease. As they comprise a major component of the state’s intellectual resources, these institutions have significant opportunities–in addition to profound obligations–to facilitate and participate in this revolutionary development in 21st century science, technology and industry.”

“Nanotechnology is set to revolutionize the biological and physical sciences, and the related areas of applied science and engineering, during the next two decades,” said Rich Dluhy, director of UGA’s NanoScale Science and Engineering Center (NanoSec), the conference organizer.

“The global economic impact of nanotechnology is estimated to be at the trillion-dollar level over the next 15 years,” said Dluhy. “To ensure the continued robust economic development of the State of Georgia over the coming decades, it is imperative that all available nanotechnology-related resources be marshaled.”

Nano-technology–that is, the manipulation of nanometer-length atoms, molecules, and supramolecular structures–opens the door to advances in variety of scientific disciplines. Dluhy said that the Georgia collaborations will target advances in nano-medicine and nano-pharmacology for pathogen- and disease-intervention strategies, applications of inorganic nanostructures and nanopatterned surfaces in food processing/food safety, applications of nano-devices in agriculture and horticulture, and applications of chemical and biological nano-sensors to detect zoonotic and emerging diseases associated with homeland security and biodefense.

The one-day symposium, held in the Riverbend South Conference Center, features morning and afternoon keynote speakers, followed by talks from faculty at the three sponsoring institutions.

The session begins at 8:30 a.m. with keynote speaker Mostafa El-Sayed, Julius Brown Chair and Regents’ Professor of Chemistry in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Director of the Laser Dynamics Laboratories at Georgia Tech. El-Sayed recently was awarded the U.S. National Medal of Science, partially in recognition of his work in nanomedicine.

The next session begins at 1 p.m. with keynote speaker Shuming Nie, Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Chair Professor in Biomedical Engineering at Emory University.

Conference organizers are Duncan Krause, director, UGA Faculty of Infectious Diseases; Richard Dluhy, director, UGA NanoScale Science and Engineering Center; Gang Bao, Distinguished Professor, Georgia Tech/Emory Department of Biomedical Engineering; Larry McIntire, chair, Georgia Tech/Emory Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Conference details are online at http://id.uga.edu/conferences.php#021909.

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Georgia Tech Awarded New Center to Study Potential Silicon Successor

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded funding to the Georgia Institute of Technology to create a new Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC)- The Georgia Tech Laboratory for New Electronic Materials.

The Laboratory will focus its efforts on the development of new materials to serve as the successors to silicon in the semiconductor industry. Specifically, the development of graphene – which holds tremendous promise as an electronic material – will be the initial core of research and development at the Center.

NSF funding will be $8.1 million for six years of research and development. The MRSEC office suite will be housed in the Georgia Tech’s new Marcus Nanotechnology Research Center Building.

“This is an exciting time for graphene research,” said Dennis Hess, director of the Georgia Tech MRSEC. “Our studies may allow the manufacture of microelectronic devices and integrated circuits based on graphene. The Georgia Tech team, in conjunction with external partners, has already pioneered the use of epitaxial graphene to achieve such goals. Georgia Tech Physics Professors Walt de Heer, Phil First and Ed Conrad are worldwide leaders in the growth and characterization of epitaxial graphene. We look forward to additional innovative discoveries from our Center over the next few years.”

The Laboratory will be a cross-disciplinary effort utilizing the talent and resources of Georgia Tech and four additional institutions: University of California Berkeley, University of California Riverside, Alabama A & M and the University of Michigan. Georgia Tech will initially have 13 faculty members involved in the Laboratory’s efforts, with five additional members representing the partner schools. Collaborations are already in place with several companies and national laboratories within the U.S. and abroad.

Graphene, a sheet of carbon only one-atom thick, holds the potential to become the core material for computer processors in electronics, which continue to become smaller in size. Silicon, comparatively, has fundamental limitations that inhibit operation in ever-shrinking devices used in microelectronics, optics and sensors.

Georgia Tech will develop the fundamental science and technology to maximize graphene’s potential as a component in future electronics technologies. In addition, the Center will provide the core curriculum, train a diverse workforce and develop the future academic and industrial leaders needed for this new direction in the semiconductor industry.

An industrial advisory board is being assembled for the Center, which will include representatives from leading electronics companies.

"This new MRSEC complements Georgia Tech’s multiple programs and investments in nanotechnology extremely well,” said Professor Mark Allen, senior vice provost for Research and Innovation. “Much of the work will take place in our Nanotechnology Research Center, a new facility dedicated to research into both inorganic and organic nanoscience and nanotechnology. We look forward to enabling the next generation of graphene electronics through the efforts of the researchers in this new MRSEC.”

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