Researchers Dr. Enkeleda Dervishi, Dr. Shawn Bourdo, and Dr. Ganesh Kannarpady, and Ph.D. student Lamya Mohammed Saeed, briefed the students about ongoing projects, and applications of nanotechnology in society; the students were also informed about opportunities to work in the labs and encouraged explore their interests within the science field.

A key element in CINS’s overall vision to promote excellence in research, education, and development is to train and educate young people, who will serve and attract business and industry to Arkansas. The University Science Scholars Program is a scholarship and enrichment program for UALR students majoring in biology, chemistry and earth science.

Student research opportunities took center stage when CINS was visited by a group of science teachers from Arkansas and the region on Thursday afternoon.

The 23 pre-AP middle school science teachers were on campus for four days as part of the Center for Gifted Education’s Advanced Placement Summer Institute.

The teachers learned about CINS’s instrumentation and capabilities from Dr. Fumiya Watanabe and also toured the new facility. Researchers Dr. Enkeleda Dervishi and Dr. Shawn Bourdo spoke with the group about ongoing opportunities for student researchers, and science fair projects that have originated at the center.

CINS’s focus on education involves a mix of youth programs and internship opportunities for secondary students, including a summer mentorship program for middle and high school students, and a residential Nano Academy, which offers a more intensive program. Students who have taken part in the mentorship and Nano Academy continue to do quite well at science fair competitions and have brought home various regional and international awards.

Five CINS high school interns brought home honors from the 2012 Southwestern Energy Arkansas State Science Fair held in March. Congratulations to the following students on their phenomenal performances:

Kavya Sharman of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts (ASMSA) received first place in the Chemistry division.

Hunter Dunne of ASMSA received second place in the Engineering: Materials and Bioengineering division.

Nimit Gandhi of Little Rock Central High School received third place in the Energy and Transportation division.

Dev Nair of Pulaski Academy was a Central Region International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) regional finalist.

Maliha Bhatti of ASMSA was a West Central Region ISEF regional finalist, and was also selected as fifth place “Best in State.”

The prestigious Friedman Award is presented to a graduating Donaghey Scholar whose final project work is deemed to be of superior quality; this student is nominated by a committee and then selected by the director, associate director and program administrator of the Donaghey Scholars Program.  Lara’s final project was entitled “Biocompatible Nanoparticles for Thermal Ablation of Breast Cancer Cells,” she has done extensive research for this project and has been a great asset to CINS working in the bio-nano field.

The Donaghey Scholars program is UALR’s honors program that promotes critical thinking and intellectual stimulation. This elite program only accepts 20-25 students each year; Lara joined the program when she came to UALR from Brazil in 2008, and received her bachelor of science degree in molecular biotechnology on Saturday.

Dr. Watanabe teaching nanotechnology

Nearly 40 students from across Arkansas learned about the size and science of nano today when they visited the Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences (CINS) at UALR. The students, who were on campus as part of the UALR Talent Identification Program (TIP) Recognition Day, spent time with CINS staff to gain a better understanding of nanotechnology applications and concepts.

The size of nano was explored by organizing tiny items from largest (a coffee bean) to smallest (an x-ray wavelength), all in relation to a carbon nanotube. The concept of the nanoscale was then applied when Dr. Fumiya Watanabe demonstrated the Scanning Electron Microscope and Transmission Electron Microscope, allowing students to see the nanoparticles they had just discussed.

Students toured the new CINS facility with Dr. Enkeleda Dervishi and Dr. Shawn Bourdo, who explained the processes behind “growing” carbon nanotubes, generating anti-icing coatings, creating solar cells, and more.

A key element in CINS’s overall vision to promote excellence in research, education, and development is to train and educate young people and other scientists, all of whom will serve and attract business and industry to Arkansas.

“We are one of the few states in the nation where it is really happening,” the governor said.

Beebe joined U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin, as well as Chancellor Joel E. Anderson and University of Arkansas System President Donald Bobbitt at the dedication of UALR’s newest facility.

The $15 million, five-story building provides research facilities for scientists and students to explore the interface between nanomaterials, plant biology, and mammalian biology.

The center’s 50,534 square feet will house laboratories and a greenhouse on the roof, along with office space for Dr. Alexandru S. Biris, his nine-member research team, and other staff – a giant leap from the cramped 7,201 square feet of previously dedicated space.

“This building represents both technology much smaller than the naked eye can see and a huge opportunity for Arkansas’s  economy that we all can see,” Beebe said, attributing the quote to a staff member. “They are arranging molecules and atoms to create new material that never existed before. They are doing something that the stars did.”

Dr. Biris, director and the chief scientist at the new center, said the additional space in the new building will mean more research opportunities for student scientists who interact with researchers and representatives of local companies to find answers and expand the understanding of how the properties of elements behave at the nano or atomic scale.

“What we are doing here is quite unique – combining education with research and economic development,” said Biris, who holds the UALR Sturgis Chair in Nanotechnology.

“We are growing the next generation of scientists in Arkansas. We are taking students and turning them into scientists, doctors, and researchers – highly educated individuals without whom it will be very difficult to advance the state economically.”

CINS outreach programs that include a Nano Academy for high school students and an undergraduate research internship program create in-depth educational opportunities for young people in Arkansas that previously did not exist. The research done at the center then provides opportunities for these young scientists to advance their careers within the state.

Nanomaterials and their applications have been identified as one of nine focus areas with commercial potential for Arkansas. In 2006, the state invested $5.9 million to establish the Nanotechnology Center at UALR to foster world-class research and development in the state. CINS has since received $6.8 million in federal and state funding to expand research efforts.

In less than a decade, the state of Arkansas and UALR have developed a major research thrust in the areas of nanotechnology, nanomedicine, and nanotoxicology in partnership with 12 universities in the state and region, as well as the FDA’s Center for National Toxicological Research. Fifty researchers around the globe are affiliated with CINS.

Biris and his research team have produced more than 260 scholarly publications and presentations. Their research discoveries have generated eight issued patents with 27 patent applications pending.

Two spin-off companies in Arkansas, Orlumet, LLC and Poly Adaptive, LLC, have been established to commercialize some of these technologies.

Nanotechnology, the study and application of extremely small things (a human hair is about 90,000 nanometers wide), spans all science disciplines. Globally, nanotechnologies are estimated to grow to a $2.4 trillion economic impact by 2015, affecting everyday products such as eyeglasses, computer displays, fabrics, cosmetic products, dental implants, and pharmaceutical products. By 2020, nanotechnology is projected to create two million jobs in the U.S.

David Millay, associate vice chancellor of UALR Facilities Management, is optimistic that the green construction will achieve gold LEED certification. Seventeen percent of the construction work was performed by minority business enterprises. The contractor for the building was East Harding, Inc.; architectural firm was Witsell Evans Rasco; and engineering firm was TME, Inc. Funding for the project allowed for completion and furnishing of the first three of five floors.

Source: UALR News

Center Director Dr. Alexandru Biris will offer tours of the research facility, with nanotechnology students and scientists giving demonstrations in the new laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment.

Scientists from affiliated research institutions including UCA, Arkansas State, UAMS, and the National Center for Toxicological Research will be attending, as well as corporate partners in Arkansas and Dr. Robin Staffin of the U.S. Department of Defense.

The center, with a focus on research, education, and economic development, is helping the state by developing nanotechnology breakthroughs in areas such as tissue regeneration, industrial coatings, anti-counterfeiting solutions, ultra-thin solar cells, and cancer treatments.

The new center is located on the west side of campus between Dickinson and Fribourgh Halls.

Source: UALR News