check out ingenuity magazine - university of massachusetts lowell

INGENUITYUMASS LOWELL

SPRING 2009

EXCELLENCE THROUGH INNOVATION

Turning the very, very small intothe next big thing

Nanoparticles recruited to destroycancerous tumors

Imaging the unseen — throughgalactic dust or the fog of war

Light-absorbing polymers turnphotovoltaics into green technology

IN THIS ISSUE

More on research at UMass Lowell www.uml.edu/research

As a public university, UMass Lowell has a profound commitment to

address the needs of our community. Today, the definition of community

extends from our region of the state to the world. We have researchers

who are leaders in innovation, who collaborate with each other in bold

new ways and who are deeply engaged in corporate and international

partnerships. I want to introduce you to the impressive range of

interdisciplinary science and engineering research at UMass Lowell.

In this inaugural issue of Ingenuity, you will get a glimpse of some of

the developments emerging from our labs today as we tackle today’s

major health, environmental, technological and economic development

challenges. For more information about our research, go to

uml.edu/research.

Ahmed T. Abdelal

Provost

INGENUITYEXCELLENCE THROUGH INNOVATION

SPRING 2009

Ingenuity is published by theOffice of Public AffairsUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell

ChancellorMarty Meehan

ProvostAhmed Abdelal

Chief Public Affairs OfficerPatricia McCafferty

Director of Publicationsand PublisherMary Lou Hubbell

EditorSandra Seitz

Staff WritersEdwin AguirreRenae Lias ClaffeyElizabeth JamesSandra Seitz

Graphic DesignPaul Shilale

The University of MassachusettsLowell is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action, Title IX, H/V,ADA 1990 Employer.

Please direct address changes andcomments, Including requestsfor permission to reprint, to:

Office of Public AffairsUniversity of Massachusetts LowellOne University AvenueLowell, MA 01854Tel. (978) 934-3223Email: [email protected]

FROM THE PROVOST

A signature building will soon provide core facilities for use infundamental and translational research by faculty and corporatepartners. The new Emerging Technologies Innovation Center,or ETIC, will house UMass Lowell’s research and corporatepartnerships in nanomanufacturing applications in manufactur-ing and medicine.

The key new core facility in ETIC will be a clean facilityequipped with tools for use in nanomanufacturing. ETIC willalso include stations for start-up companies, as well as flexiblyconfigured lab space for faculty researchers and their industrycollaborators. The new, dedicated research facility will extendmany benefits to the campus and larger community. UMassLowell will be well positioned to apply for and absorb increasedfederal funding for research in emerging disciplines that havehigh national priority. Corporations will be able to developapplications in emerging technologies. And the ETIC will helpfacilitate start-up companies in advanced and emerging

technologies through collaboration with faculty, post-doctoralresearchers and graduate students, as well as conductingsponsored research.

Productive collaborations and interaction with industryand government agencies are well established. Researchat the Nanomanufacturing Center, for example, is conductedwith companies of all sizes: Raytheon, Motorola, TycoElectronics, Textron Systems, Nantero, TSI and Zyvex.The National Science Foundation, the Lawrence LivermoreNational Laboratory and the U.S. Army Natick SoldierCenter fund important projects.

Advanced technology is the one manufacturing sector forwhich jobs are growing in Massachusetts. UMass Lowell willhelp ensure that job growth doesn’t stop where research anddevelopment ends.

NEW RESEARCH BUILDING TOBOOST EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

The more than 600 biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceu-tical and related companies in eastern Massachusetts form anexus of technological innovation and development. TheUniversity of Massachusetts is filling the demand for PhD-levelresearchers with its joint degree program in BiomedicalEngineering and Biotechnology.

UMass Lowell participates with the UMass WorcesterMedical School and with the UMass campuses in Dartmouthand Boston.

“Biomedical engineering and biotechnology have continuedto grow in economic importance,” says program Director BryanBuchholz, professor in the Work Environment Department.

“That’s reflected in our growing enrollment, with 65 doctoralcandidates at UMass Lowell, plus more than 30 distributedamong the other campuses. Besides our many faculty whoengage in collaborative research with industry, UMass has greatpotential for even closer collaboration between the engineeringprograms in Lowell and the clinical programs at the MedicalSchool, both at the faculty and student level.”

The program emphasizes a multidisciplinary, team approach.The strength of the UMass distance learning program allowsfor enrollment in any of the nearly 300 relevant graduate coursesacross the campuses, while each candidate receives facultymentoring and research supervision at a home campus.

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRAM MEETS NEED FOR RESEARCHERS

An artist’s rendering ofUMass Lowell’s newEmerging TechnologiesInnovation Center, or ETIC

NANOTECHNOLOGY

The Very Small Grows Very Big – Safely

Leading research in the fundamental science of manufacturingat the nanoscale and collaborating for commercialization.

Related Research

Drug-eluting stents. Quantum dots. Nanosensors.

NANOMEDICINE

Cancer Research Explores New Technology for Patient Benefit

Innovative approaches to cancer treatments – nanoparticles,green tea catechins and protection during radiation.

Related Research

Nano drug delivery. Nano-based biosensors. Life Sciences award.

IMAGING

Seeing the Unseen: Advances in Imaging

Exciting things being done with submillimeter microwave imaging,from “seeing” hidden weapons to penetrating the galaxy’s interstellar dust.

Related Research

Metamaterials. Radiation Laboratory. Measuring the magnetosphere.

GREEN TECHNOLOGY

Start With a Polymer, Add Creativity and Voila! Flexible Solar Cells

Developing innovative, green and sustainable methods of makingnew materials, including flexible, lightweight photovoltaics.

Related Research

Greening PVC. Electronic ink. Wind turbine structural integrity.

ALSO INSIDE:

Research Snapshots

New centers, facilities and programs. Patents and licensing.Partnerships, grants and student research.

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UMASS LOWELL INGENUITY 2009 1

TABLE OF CONTENTSSPRING 2009

THE VERY, VERY SMALL GROWSVERY, VERY BIG—SAFELYUMass Lowell’s Nanomanufacturing Center leads inapplications in industry, defense and medicine.

Nanotechnology offers great promise for the futureand great challenges in the present. UMass Lowellis a leading center of research in the fundamentalscience of manufacturing at the nanoscale anda collaborative partner for commercialization.Our mission includes simultaneous research onhealth and safety, and environmental impacts.

[SYNOPSIS]

2 UMASS LOWELL INGENUITY 2009

The UMass LowellNanomanufacturing Center

Co-Directors: Prof. Joey Mead,Plastics Engineering; Prof. Julie Chen,Mechanical Engineering; Prof. Carol Barry,Plastics Engineering

Interdisciplinary teams work on:

• Nanomedicine• Nanomaterials• Nanoelectronics• Environmental Health and Safety• Sensors

Since inception the Center has received morethan $24 million in funding, including $3.4 millionfor the NSF Center for High-Rate Nanomanufac-turing, $5 million from the John Adams InnovationInstitute and $3 million from the Army Multifunc-tional Sensor Center. Industry partners rangefrom start-ups to large companies, includingRaytheon, Nypro, Konarka and Triton.

Plastics Engineering at UMass Lowell

The Plastics Engineering Department is aninternationally-recognized source of research andeducation in plastics and polymers. Founded in1954, it offers the only ABET-accredited under-graduate program in the U.S. and has more than3,000 alumni. The program combines hands-onlaboratory experiences with the fundamentalsof mathematics, science and engineering.Constant feedback from industry and alumniensures relevance in plastics manufacturingand design technologies, while industry partnershave contributed to the update and outfittingof laboratories.

UMASS LOWELL IS A PARTNER IN A NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATIONNANO SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CENTER (NSF NSEC) ONE OF ONLYFOUR IN THE COUNTRY THAT ARE DEVOTED TO RESEARCH INNANOMANUFACTURING. PARTNERS INCLUDE NORTHEASTERNUNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND MICHIGAN STATE.

The promise of future-changing technology

Nanotechnology is widely regarded as the next world-changingtechnology that will enable cascading breakthroughs in ways as yetundreamed of. Like the development of electricity and computingbefore it, the full flowering of nano will change everything in thedecades to come. Meanwhile, existing products can be made more use-ful, cost-effective and durable through incorporation of nanoelements.

“At the nanoscale, materials behave in unique and unusual ways,”says Joey Mead, professor of plastics engineering and co-director of theNanomanufacturing Center. “It’s a matter of surfaces and interfaces:the surface of a nanoparticle is a much greater percentage of its bulk,so miniaturized versions of normal manufacturing processes will notwork. New processes have to be researched and developed, crossingdisciplines such as chemistry, physics, engineering and biology.”

Once the novel approach or process is mastered — whether it’s tem-plate-directed assembly, electrospinning, self-assembly or somethingelse — nanoelements can make products lighter weight, with better

Continued



performance, in applications as diverse as flexible electronics,photovoltaics, biosensors and drug delivery.

The Center includes a comprehensive educational program thatreaches all levels, with new seminars and courses, a graduatecertificate and modules in existing courses. Outreach includesteacher/student workshops, programming with the Museum ofScience and industrial seminars.

Researching risk, right from the beginning

Fulfilling the promise of nanomanufacturing, like any emergingtechnology, may pose unanticipated risks to workers, the publicand the environment. UMass Lowell sets the standard forresponsible research.

“The key to our mission is to couple nanomanufacturing researchwith parallel research on health and environmental impacts,”says Julie Chen, professor of mechanical engineering andco-director of the Nanomanufacturing Center. “In that way,we work to build safe practices into the production processes,from the beginning.”

For example, handling nanoparticles in a lab — measure, fill,pour — poses a new challenge since the particles behave morelike a gas, drifting about and not settling. Michael Ellenbecker,professor of work environment, directs a study of the handlingof nanoparticles in a fume hood to determine possible exposuresand to evaluate different hoods. A new hood design, with aconstant-velocity air curtain washing down the open front,blocks the particles effectively.

Research achievements are wide-ranging

With about 40 faculty researchers and more than 100 students,nanomanufacturing research at UMass Lowell has accrued arecord of achievement in this still-nascent field, helping toaccelerate technology transfer where it is needed throughinterdisciplinary teams.

Take the cell culture NANI, for example: the Novel AutomatedNutrient Incorporation project. Researchers are working withbiotech companies on a problem in stem cell research – thatPh.D.-level technicians must “feed” the cells around the clock.The cost is high, it’s hard on the technicians and each operationis an opportunity for error. The team has created a novel hydro-gel system – little beads that will float in the cell medium and

release nutrients according to pH changes in the cells: a cell-driven, self-feed bioprocess that continuously monitors the cellchemistry. The end result? Happier cells, happier techniciansand happier company executives.

MASSACHUSETTS HAS NAMED UMASSLOWELL A CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FORNANOMANUFACTURING, PROVIDINGFUNDS THROUGH THE JOHN ADAMSINNOVATION INSTITUTE FORUNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY RESEARCHLEADING TO COMMERCIALIZATION.

ADVANCED MATERIALS FORBIOMEDICAL DEVICESResearcher: Prof. Rudolf Faust,Chemistry Department

Prof. Rudolf Faust and his research

group are working with Boston Sci-

entific Corp. to develop new biocom-

patible and functional materials for

better performance in several med-

ical devices. He has a long standing

collaboration with Boston Scientific

and was a key participant in develop-

ment of the Taxus™ drug-eluting

stent. This stent contains an antipro-

liferative drug that helps prevent a

re-narrowing of the artery following

angioplastic surgery. Faust worked

with Boston Scientific to perfect the

challenging scale-up and production

processes for the polymer, which

coats the stent and controls drug

release — specifically, a triblock

copolymer, produced by the living

cationic polymerization process

that Faust helped to pioneer.

Recently, the Massachusetts Life

Sciences Center awarded a grant of

$200,000 a year for three years, to

be matched by Boston Scientific.

The collaborative research team

will work on the design, precision

synthesis and nanomanufacturing

of new materials, specifically

polyisobutylene-based urethane

lead coatings to be used with

pacemakers and defibrillators.

The grants are intended to fund

collaborations among scientists,

academic institutions and industry

that show scientific merit and

promise what the center deems

“significant” commercial potential

in the near term.

NEW TECHNOLOGY USES NANOSPHERE LITHOGRAPHYFOR QUANTUM DOTSResearchers: Prof. William Goodhue, Asst. Prof. Dan Wasserman,Physics Department

Researchers at the Photonics Center, co-directed by Goodhue and Wasserman, have made

a breakthrough in assembling precise quantum dot arrays using nanosphere lithography.

Quantum dots are a new

form of semiconductor

whose dimensions are so

small that their optical and

electronic properties are

determined as much by their

size as their material composition. They are versatile, since these properties can be

manipulated by controlling the dot dimensions and material. Applications include transistors,

lasers and detectors, with potential in medical imaging as well as quantum computing

and communication.

Use of optically active quantum dots, fabricated from gallium indium arsenide, opens up

the infrared region of the spectrum. Unlike self-assembled quantum dots, which resemble

pyramids, the new technology yields nano-discs.

“The discs are easier to both model and characterize,” says Goodhue. “And this fabrication

process makes them uniform and ordered, allowing for control of density. The disc

diameter controls wavelength.” Nanosphere lithography is also low cost — “It uses a

beaker and spinner instead of an electron beam writing machine”— and a high

throughput process, suitable for production.

EMBEDDED SENSORS CHECK FOR CRACKS, WILL TRAVELResearcher: Asst. Prof. Ramaswamy Nagarajan,Plastics Engineering Department

The body armor worn by U.S. soldiers in the field can develop

hidden cracks, sharply reducing its effectiveness. Ram Nagarajan

has developed wireless sensors that can monitor the structural

integrity of critical safety items, including body armor.

He works with silver ink made of micro/nanoparticles that can be printed onto a variety of

substrates. The resulting sensors are wireless and passive (with no power source on the

device itself) printed onto surfaces that need to be monitored. Interrogated remotely by

radio frequency, the sensors reveal cracks and strains even in the absence of a clear

line of sight.

Monitoring of structural health is greatly needed, whether for personal safety devices,

the integrity of key equipment or the country’s aging infrastructure.

“Most sensors in current use have wire connections, making them less adaptable in

diverse settings,” says Nagarajan. “Our innovation is in the micro/nanoparticle ink,

which can be printed on plastic, polymer or ceramic to create sensors that can be

monitored wirelessly.”

These nanostructured sensors can be fabricated using low-cost, large-scale manufacturing

techniques. Sensors can be adapted to track humidity, pressure and vibration, in addition

to strain and crack detection in critical components.

Related Research: Nanotechnology



RESEARCH IN LAB KEEPS CANCERPATIENTS FIRMLY IN MINDNano-Technology Leads to New Therapies

Distinguished University Professor Susan Braunhut usesrigorous technique and cross-disciplinary collaborationsto develop innovative approaches to cancer treatments:nanoparticles that destroy tumors with heat, green teacatechins effective against breast cancer cells,compounds that protect key organs during radiation.

[SYNOPSIS]

UMASS LOWELL IS RESEARCHING HUMAN LIMB REGENERATION,FUNDED BY AN $8.5 MILLION DARPA GRANT TO A CONSORTIUMWITH THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF MEDICINE,CORNELL MEDICAL COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH AND THEWISTAR INSTITUTE.

Improved patient care is the goal

Cancer patients and their well-being are never far from thethoughts of Susan Braunhut and her research team, even thoughthe research results may be useful to doctors and patients onlymany months, or years, in the future. Pure and applied research,yes, but with a clear purpose.

Nanoparticles fight cancer tumors

Braunhut, a University Professor in the Biological SciencesDepartment, has worked on an innovative form of cancertreatment, as consulting scientist with Aduro Biotech (formerlyTriton BioSystems).

The treatment works by attaching magnetic nanoparticlebioprobes to specific antibodies, which then seek out andattach to the target tumor. When a magnetic field is activated,the bioprobe particles heat up and kill cancer cells, but not anyof the surrounding healthy cells.

“It gives us laser-like precision and, so far, has shown no sideeffects,” says Braunhut. “The antibody-guided nanoparticlesattach only to tumor cells and not normal cells and are benignuntil activated.” The antibody is varied according to the targetcancer type: breast, ovarian, prostate. The therapy is also uniquein allowing for precise control of the length of treatment.

The development of this promising new treatment is inanimal testing for the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationapproval process.

Collaboration for innovative cancer treatments

Braunhut, whose lab has been a source of research related tobreast cancer for more than a decade, is collaborating withPhysics Prof. Jayant Kumar and a research group includingDrs. S. Nagarajan, R. Nagarajan, and Drs. Samuelson and Brunofrom the Natick Army Research Labs. The interdisciplinary teamhas modified an active component of green tea – a catechin –

Continued


Researcher: Susan Braunhut, UniversityProfessor, Biological Sciences Department

Dr. Braunhut has worked continuously in cancertherapy and diagnosis, regenerative medicine andtissue reconstruction, radiobiology and biosensors.Her laboratory includes undergraduate and graduatestudents, post-doctoral fellows, research assistantprofessors and research staff. She serves as areviewer for three national study sections andreviews manuscripts for numerous journals.Her work has been published in nationallyrecognized and international journals.

Braunhut’s lab is engaged in several researchendeavors, including:

• new approaches to treatment of cancer usingchemotherapeutic agents, ionizing radiationand hyperthermia

• use of biomaterials to improve wound-healingand trigger tissue regeneration

Medical device applications include:

Quartz Crystal Nanobalance uses living cells todetect environmental toxins: use against bioterrorismor during nanomanufacturing. Collaboration withECE Asst. Prof. Joel Therrien and ChemistryProf. Ken Marx.

The Smart Bandage Medical device for treatmentof wounds and burns using the cell’s growth factors.Collaboration with Prof. Marx.

Antibody-directed Magnetic Nanoparticles Noveltreatment for breast cancer using magnetic nanoparti-cles bound to antibodies. Collaboration with AduroBioTech Inc. and Triton Biosystems, Inc.

using benign green chemistry techniques, which make it re-markably effective against breast cancer cells while it doesn’tharm normal cells. The key breakthrough is the use of naturallyoccurring enzymes to “stitch together” green tea catechins –yielding polycatechins that are selectively effective againstbreast cancer.

“We’ve made rapid progress by working together,” says Braun-hut. “The compound is much more potent against cancer cellswhen compared to the naturally occurring catechins, besidesbeing more stable.”

The new polycatechins, tested in vitro in Braunhut’s lab, arepotent in inhibiting several types of human breast cancer cells.Even more interesting, they are more effective at much lowerdosages than naturally occurring catechins and do not harm thegrowth of normal mammary cells.

Compounds to protect tissues during radiation

Braunhut, is starting a collaboration with the Medical Collegeof Wisconsin that may lead to dramatically new options incancer therapy. The project, funded by the National CancerInstitute, grew out of a request by the White House Officeof Science Technology and Policy to investigatewhat healthcare measures could be taken to mitigateradiation damage to people exposed to a ‘dirty bomb’ blast.

“The presumption had always been that treatment morethan eight minutes after exposure was pointless. Secondarybiochemical reactions in the body lead to later symptoms,”says Braunhut. But the Wisconsin research showed somemitigating agents could effectively increase animal survival upto 24 hours. And, in cell models, normal cells were sparedfrom radiation effects.

“Now we can apply this to cancer therapy for protection [ofnormal tissue] before, during and after radiation,” she says.“This has changed the thinking in the field.”

At UMass Lowell, Braunhut has the unique benefit of accessto neutron and gamma irradiation facilities at the RadiationLaboratory on campus, which is planned as a core facility forthis multi-university research project. Various compoundsgenerated by 27 different labs working on this problem, usingmouse models and X-ray screening, could be sent here foradvanced testing. Braunhut’s collaborator is Mark Tries,associate professor of radiological sciences.

Learning what salamanders know –how to regenerate a limb

Working with collaborator Prof. Kenneth Marx of the Chem-istry Department, in a consortium headed by Dr. StephenBadylak of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine,Braunhut is pursuing what she calls a “mind-blowing”innovation – to make a limb re-grow in an adult mammal.

The project, funded by a $8.5 million Defense AdvancedResearch Projects Agency (DARPA) grant, is designed teaseout the cellular and molecular processes of limb regeneration,such as in salamanders, and harness these for mammals.

Braunhut and Marx have extensive experience in tissuehealing – the biochemistry of the extracellular matrix.Combining this with expertise in stem cell research and theregulation of gene expression, the team’s goal is to discoverwhat’s required to change the molecular path in mammalsfrom developing scar tissue to developing a functional limb.


“Now we can apply this to cancer therapy forprotection [of normal tissue] before, during andafter radiation. This has changed the thinking inthe field.” — Susan Braunhut


TINY SENSORS DETECT VIRUSES, BACTERIAResearcher: Asst. Prof. Xingwei Wang, Electrical andComputer Engineering Department

Rapid identification of infectious

viruses, bacteria and other noxious

cells is one of the vexing problems

in biomedical research. Now, a

UMass Lowell researcher and her

team are showing significant

progress. Xingwei Wang has

received a New Investigator Award

from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. The grant, $100,000 for each

of the next three years, is part of a program to spur innovative research and

advance the careers of promising new researchers. Wang’s research team is

working on development of miniature bio-sensing probes for rapid detection

of viruses and bacteria.

“Our objective is to create and validate a low-cost optical-fiber biosensor

featuring a miniature sensing probe, real-time response, label-free direct

detection and high sensitivity,” says Wang. The sensors are tiny – the diame-

ter of a human hair – and are being developed for use in everything from

health care to common household items like kitchen utensils or toothbrushes

to detect food- or water-borne bacteria.

LIFE SCIENCES MOMENT FUNDAWARDS GRANT TOMULTI-CAMPUS TEAMResearchers: Prof. Garry Handelman,Clinical Laboratory and Nutritional SciencesDepartment; Assoc. Prof. A. James Lee,Community Heath and SustainabilityDepartment; and Assoc. Prof. Lori Pbertat UMass Medical School

An interdisciplinary

research team received

a $200,000 grant from

the UMass Life Sciences

Moment Fund to tackle

the rising rates of risk

factors in 9-13 year-

olds in ethnically and

economically diverse

communities.

The researchers,

Garry Handelman and A. James Lee at UMass

Lowell and Lori Pbert at UMass Medical School,

are in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club

of Greater Lowell and the Lowell Community

Health Center to develop nutrition and physical

activity programs. Their goal: to prevent children

from developing Type II diabetes as young adults,

a disease that typically occurs in 50-60 year-

old adults, but has shown a spike in younger

individuals.

Diabetes now affects nearly 24 million people in

the United States, an increase of more than 3

million in approximately two years, according to

the Centers for Disease Control. Studies show

that the occurrence of Type II diabetes is rising in

minority youth because of obesity and inactivity.

The disease is more common in some racial

and ethnic groups, such as African Americans,

Native Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans

and some Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

The Life Sciences Moment Fund awarded

$750,000 to five teams of inter-campus

researchers at the University of Massachusetts.

Part of the UMass Center for Clinical and Transla-

tional Science, the $1 million Life Sciences Mo-

ment Fund seeks to accelerate the timeline for

bringing basic scientific research findings to the

bedside by leveraging expertise from each of

the five UMass campuses to develop new and

promising research partnerships.

NEW SYSTEM DELIVERS POWERFUL DRUGS MORE SAFELYResearcher: Prof. Robert Nicolosi, Clinical Laboratoryand Nutritional Sciences Department

One of the ironies of modern medicine is that effective cancer-fighting drugs

have toxic side effects in the body and are made in processes that include

carcinogens. Other drugs never see patient use due to their poor formulation.

If the drugs could be delivered to the tumor without causing harm along the

way, cancer treatment would be much improved. Prof. Bob Nicolosi, director

of the Center for Health & Disease Research, leads a team that has developed

new drug delivery systems that show great promise. The new method is a

form of nanoemulsion that self assembles.

“We’ve been able to incorporate difficult lipid- or water-soluble drugs within

the nanoemulsion, without using the toxic levels of surfactants typically

required,” says Nicolosi. “Our systems are up to one hundred times

more efficacious.”

In cancer cell lines using in vitro experiments, the new system shows dramatic

effectiveness in limiting the proliferation of cancerous tumor cells. It also

increases apoptosis – the programmed death of tumor cells – and is absorbed

more easily into cells.

Key members of the research team are Assoc. Prof. Thomas Wilson and doc-

toral students from the Biomedical Engineering/Biotechnology Ph.D Program.

Patents are pending. The methodology is available for licensing.

Related Research: Nanomedicine

The biosensor is based on a biconictapered fiber.

SEEING THE UNSEENSubmillimeter-Wave Technology Offers Breakthroughs in Scienceand Engineering

[SYNOPSIS]For three decades, UMass Lowell’sSubmillimeter-Wave Technology Laboratory hasbeen at the forefront of terahertz research.


Continued

Researcher: Dr. Robert Giles,chair of the Physics Departmentand director/principal investigatorof the Submillimeter-WaveTechnology Laboratory

Submillimeter-WaveTechnology Laboratory

The Submillimeter-Wave TechnologyLaboratory (STL) is a leader in terahertztransmitter and receiver technologiesand a pioneer in designing and fabricatingbroadband solid-state multiplier sources,high-power ultrastable lasers andlaser/microwave hybrid systems. The Lab’sresearch team and students build andmaintain a variety of high-performancesolid-state and laser-based measurementsystems to generate terahertz-frequencyradiation. These systems are used todevelop a wide range of materials charac-terization techniques and high-resolutionimaging systems for industry and theDepartment of Defense. Submillimeterand radar technologies are being developedand applied in the following areas:

• Radar signature acquisition and analysis

• Novel terahertz laser sources

• Materials characterization and opticalcomponents

• Ultrahigh-frequency solid-state devices

• Automated positioning control systems

• Terahertz molecular spectroscopy

TERAHERTZ-FREQUENCY SYSTEMSWILL BECOME INCREASINGLY COMMONPLACEIN THE 21ST CENTURY FOR APPLICATIONS SUCH AS RADAR IMAGERY, MEDICALDIAGNOSTICS, DRUG QUALITY CONTROL, HOMELAND SECURITY ANDREMOTE SENSING OF THE EARTH AND THE COSMOS.

Next generation imaging

Imagine an airport security checkpoint that uses high-frequencymicrowaves and beyond to “see through” clothing to reveal any hiddenweapons or explosives; a portable radar system that allows soldiers inthe field to tell whether an activity is friendly or hostile; or a telescopethat enables astronomers to penetrate the Milky Way galaxy’sobscuring clouds of gas and dust to look at newborn stars.

These are just some of the exciting things being done with submillime-ter-wave (also known as terahertz), millimeter-wave and microwaveimaging. For the past 30 years, UMass Lowell’s Submillimeter-WaveTechnology Laboratory (STL) has been leading the way in thischallenging, cutting-edge research. The Lab has developed and appliedtechnology, primarily in the frequency range of 100 gigahertz to5 terahertz, in the areas of militarysurveillance, homeland security,medical diagnostics and scientificand academic research.

At the heart of the facility is a staffof 20 full-time researchers along with40 graduate and undergraduate students.Together they design, build and maintaina variety of high-performance solid-stateand laser-based measurement systems andimplement a number of novel techniques for simulating microwaveradar measurements in a laboratory environment.

“Our staff represents scientists and engineers of every Universitydiscipline, and every aspect of our investigative studies requiresinterdisciplinary collaborations,” says STL director Dr. Robert Giles.

From the lab to the battlefield

In 1979, then-STL director (now science advisor) Dr. Jerry Waldmanrecognized that emerging terahertz-frequency source/receiver technolo-gies could be used to simulate the military’s sophisticated microwaveradar systems in the laboratory to obtain characteristic radar “finger-prints,” or signatures, of aircraft, ships, tanks, trucks and other tacticalvehicles at low cost and very high accuracy. The concept of radarscaling is embedded in the basic equations of electromagnetism andis similar to, but more exact than, aerodynamic scaling, where windtunnels are employed with model aircraft.

Carbon dioxide laser


Researchers at the Lab spent more than a decade engineeringand fabricating scale versions of the military radars andhigh-precision models of actual targets, as well as measuring andanalyzing the resulting radar backscatter. To reduce backgroundstray scatter, the Lab developed a unique anechoic(radiation-absorbing) material called FIRAM™, which is vastlysuperior to other materials at submillimeter wavelengths.

“As a member of ERADS, the Expert Radar Signature Solutionsconsortium developed by the Army’s National Ground Intelli-gence Center [NGIC], we and our government sponsors are theonly research program that uses terahertz-frequency measure-ment systems to collect real-world radar signature data,” saysDr. Giles in explaining the lab’s unique position. ERADS alsoincludes researchers at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds andthe University of Virginia.

Today, the Lab’s high-resolution terahertz-imaging systems areso sensitive that, based on the radar reflections, they can distin-guish a target’s non-metallic materials (rubber, fiberglass andcanvas) or detect the target’s presence on desert, soil, asphalt,concrete and other terrains amid ground clutter found in actualmilitary operations (troop packs, ammunition crates, fuelcontainers, etc.). To help fund STL’s research, in 2001 the

NGIC awarded the Lab a five-year, $27 million contract —the largest single award ever given to the University.

In addition to its work for the Army, the Lab has used its uniquecapabilities to fulfill radar measurement requests from otherDepartment of Defense agencies as well as defense-relatedlaboratories and companies, including MIT Lincoln Lab,Boeing, Lockheed-Martin and Raytheon.

Other applications

Beyond applications in surveillance technologies, the researchteam has been exploring medical imaging applications,materials characterization techniques and the space-basedremote sensing of airborne chemical reactions in the Earth’sstratosphere, as well as new methods of generating anddetecting terahertz radiation.

Several years ago, the Lab, working on a grant from theNational Science Foundation’s Astronomy Division withProf. Sigfrid Yngvesson at UMass Amherst, sent a staff scientistand grad student to assist in submillimeter-wave astronomyexperiments at Antarctica’s Amundsen-Scott South PoleStation. The stable, extremely dry atmospheric conditionsat the site are optimal forsubmillimeter-wave spectralstudies of the Milky Way’sinterstellar medium.

“These studies are important inunderstanding the formationand evolution of starsand galaxies,” says Giles.

STL is leveraging its expertise in terahertz technology to develop advancedimaging systems to detect objects such as weapons and explosives hiddenunder clothing.

STL graduate student Elizabeth Ehaszstands next to the Ceremonial SouthPole marker. Ehasz was sent toAntarctica to work on a terahertz laserused in a National Science Foundationradio astronomy experiment.

Scaling the acquisition of radar-signature data requires realistic modeling of the ground terrain as well as fabricating precisely scaled replicas of tactical vehicles.A significant portion of STL’s efforts concentrate on building precision scale models of a wide variety of vehicles. The Lab’s success also relies on carefullydesigned metallic and non-metallic coatings and structures that are added to the models to simulate the full-scale vehicle’s radar-scattering behavior.STL produces comprehensive libraries of target radar signatures of vehicles for use by agencies developing automated target-recognition systems.

Actual Tank Scale Model Radar Image



Related Research: Imaging

UNIQUE RADIATION LAB EXPANDS IMAGING OPTIONSDirectors: Physics Profs. Gunter Kegel, Partha Chowdhury

Neutrons, protons and gamma rays are

on tap at the Radiation Laboratory.

These are quanta of matter and light,

emitted from the deep recesses of the

sub-atomic nucleus. When harnessed

and made to interact with things in our

everyday world, they are powerful tools

in modern science and engineering.

Researchers at UMass Lowell are work-

ing on interdisciplinary applications that

range from materials modification and trace element detection to medical

diagnostics and cancer therapy, from radiological science and neutron

radiography to gamma ray imaging and homeland security.

The Radiation Lab is a core facility, unique in the five-campus UMass system.

It combines a university-based research reactor (one of fewer than 30 in the

country), a gamma-ray irradiation facility and a particle accelerator capable of

providing pulsed beams of fast protons and neutrons.

A new collaboration with UMass Dartmouth, funded by the UMass President’s

Office, will develop a proton beam that can be focused down to a micron or

less, for use in materials and life sciences applications.

METAMATERIALS—THEORETICAL STEALTHMATERIALS MAY BE ATTAINABLEResearcher: Assoc. Prof. Alkim Akyurtlu, Electricaland Computer Engineering

Alkim Akyurtlu is putting theory and experi-

ment together to explore materials that don’t

exist in nature – metamaterials – in order to

understand and demonstrate their novel

properties. Metamaterials can be designed to

change the two fundamental electromagnetic

properties of materials, the permittivity (elec-

trical) and permeability (magnetic). In theory,

if these properties are simultaneously

negative, the material would refract the light

in the opposite direction from the normal

and lead to interesting applications in light focusing, anti-reflection coatings

and cloaking (in sci-fi terms, making things ‘disappear’).

One project involves something that has never been done – development of

isotropic 3-D negative index metamaterials in the area of visible light. Akyurtlu

and her team designed a novel structure using nanoparticles embedded in a

low-loss host medium. The concept was proved experimentally in a project using

this material as a perfect lens – the sample showed negative refraction. Funding

sources include the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, DARPA, NSF and

the Missile Defense Agency.

IMAGE THE INVISIBLEResearchers: Bodo Reinisch, director,and Paul Song, co-director, of the Centerfor Atmospheric Research

Researchers at the Center for Atmospheric

Research (CAR) have changed our under-

standing of the distant atmosphere around

Earth and how it is affected by streams of

magnetic activity from the Sun. The matter in

space, called plasma, is so tenuous that it is

invisible to human eyes. In 2000, NASA

launched a satellite named IMAGE equipped

with instruments using advanced technology

and ideas to take pictures of the invisible

materials in space.

Riding on IMAGE, the Radio Plasma Imager

(RPI), developed by CAR, used low-frequency

radio sounding to measure the constantly

shifting dimensions and plasma concentra-

tions of the magnetosphere. “We asked our-

selves, ‘How does plasma density depend on

magnetic activity?’” says Reinisch. “It varies

dramatically — changing by a factor of five to

10 — with more plasma during high magnetic

activity. The plasmasphere is a dynamic en-

tity, with plasma forced out during magnetic

storms and then recovering and refilling.”

IMAGE produced the first comprehensive

global images of the plasma populations in

the inner magnetosphere. With these images,

space scientists were able to observe, in a

way never before possible, the large-scale

dynamics of the magnetosphere.

High-speed particles leave a bluewake of light in the reactor pool.


As demand for clean, affordable and portable energy grows,researchers are searching for new ways to manufacturesolar cells. Research teams at the Center for AdvancedMaterials have a breakthrough idea on how to meet thischallenge, part of their innovative approach to green,sustainable methods of making new materials.

[SYNOPSIS]

START WITH A POLYMER,ADD SOME INGENUITY AND VOILA! –FLEXIBLE SOLAR CELLSInnovative Technology at UMass Lowell ProducesNew Breed of Photovoltaics


Taking on a challenge

It started with a problem posed by the U.S. Army Soldier Center inNatick. Could the Center for Advanced Materials, with its expertisein using new materials for interesting applications, develop flexible,lightweight photovoltaics?

U.S. soldiers routinely carry 100 pounds or more of gear into combat.For a three-day mission in Afghanistan, the average amount carried jumpsto 130 – 150 pounds. Consider the vital communications and electronicsdevices, and the batteries to power them, and you’re talking some ungainlyloads. Could the Center come up with an alternative energy source,perhaps something that could be incorporated into a field tent?

At the Center, the late founder Sukant Tripathy, professor of chemistry,and co-director Jayant Kumar, professor of physics, led a diverse group offaculty, students, post-docs and visiting scholars best described as curiousand creative. Sophisticated equipment allows them to synthesize interest-ing materials, then characterize the new substances for their fundamentaloptical, chemical and electrical properties and functionality. They like towork with polymers, which are macromolecules, and with small molecules,perhaps stringing them together for new effects.

Harnessing the sun’s power with plastics

Kumar explains the basic principles of solar energy harvesting: A photo-voltaic cell uses a substance that absorbs sunlight and causes a current toflow. Typically, this is based on silicon, which is heavy and encased in glass.The research team’s key innovation in creating flexible organic photo-voltaic cells was to sandwich dye-sensitized nano materials between poly-mer layers. They developed a novel technique, working with nanoparticles,

CENTER FOR ADVANCEDMATERIALSDirector: Physics Prof. Jayant Kumar

Prof. Kumar holds 32 patents awarded,with 16 others filed or pending. In the past10 years, he has supervised 20 graduatestudents in chemistry and physics, ofwhom seven have received prestigiousuniversity and national awards. He directsthe Center for Advanced Materials:a multi-disciplinary research and resourcefacility whose mission is to develop aknowledge base in the design, synthesis,characterization and intelligent processingof advanced materials in the areas oforganic polymers, ceramics, biomaterials,composites, semiconductors and electro-optic materials. Numerous collaborativeresearch programs with regional andnational companies are underway.

Continued

WORLD ENERGY CONSUMPTION IS PROJECTEDTO INCREASE 59% BY 2020, ESPECIALLY AMONGDEVELOPING COUNTRIES. SOLAR ENERGYCURRENTLY ACCOUNTS FOR LESS THAN 0.1%OF THE WORLD’S ENERGY MARKET.Source: International Energy Outlook 2001, EIA


Konarka’s new manufacturing facilityin New Bedford is capable of producingmore than one gigawatt (billion watts)of flexible plastic solar modules a year.

that replaces the corrosive liquid electrolytes commonly usedin flexible solar cells.

The resulting PV cells are effective across a much broaderspectrum of light than silicon cells. Also, they can be usedunder natural or artificial light, in practically any weather,can be printed or coated onto the substrate using roll-to-rolllow-temperature processing, and are manufactured in a non-toxic process.

“Polymer-based solar cells are flexible, lightweight, durable andversatile, and can be mass produced at low cost,” says Kumar.They can be used to charge batteries and power portableconsumer electronics and biomedical equipment. They can beincorporated into fabrics – soldiers in the field might have atent that runs or recharges their electronics, for example –or embedded in roofing tiles for residential use.

Making the future greener

Often, the processes for chemical synthesis of industrialmaterials or pharmaceuticals have relied on high temperatures,multiples steps, powerful solvents and toxic catalysts that arepersistent and polluting.

“When the cost of polluting was low, everyone used the cheap-est methods and dumped the residue,” says Kumar. The trend ischanging. Industries and pharmaceutical companies are turningto enzymes – nature’s catalysts – in the synthesis of materials.The Center is a leader in enzyme-based synthesis.

Naturally-occurring enzymes are very expensive, so researchersare developing effective enzyme alternatives. They often uselipase, stitching the molecules together, and peroxidase, whichis derived from horseradish. With these “created” enzymes, they

A Lasting Legacy

Sukant Tripathy envisioned creat-ing a transformative technologythat could bring light and electric-ity to millions of people. After hisuntimely death in 2000, the Uni-versity carried through his plansfor a spin-off company: KonarkaTechnologies, with Tripathy and Nobel Prize-winningchemist, Alan Heeger, as founding scientists. The nameKonarka came from one of Tripathy’s favorite places –a 13th-century temple in Orissa, India, dedicated toSurya, the Hindu god of the sun.

Today, Konarka is a world leader indeveloping advanced, nano-enabledpolymer photovoltaic materials.It has secured more than $150million in venture capital andgovernment grants from theU.S. and Europe. Its launchmarked the fulfillment of adream. Says Kumar, “Sukanthoped to change the world.”

devise a reaction using only water as a solvent, or no solvent atall, with as few steps as possible. Room-temperature reactionseliminate the energy use of high temperatures and the pollutingside-products often produced.


PRINTING CIRCUITS AND SENSORSWITH ELECTRONIC INKResearcher: Assoc. Prof. Sanjeev Manohar,Chemical Engineering Department

Prof. Manohar’s research group has developed

an extremely simple green chemistry method to

synthesize kilogram quantities of nanomaterials

(fibers, spheres) of an entire family of plastics

called conducting polymers that show enormous

potential in renewable energy storage and sensing devices.

This research has led to the new area of electronic inks, or e-inks. The team

has demonstrated that a water-based e-ink made of nanomaterials — conducting

polymers and carbon nanotubes — can be used with a commercial off-the-shelf

inkjet printer to print any desired pattern of nanomaterials on flexible substrates

like plastic, paper and cloth. Electronic circuits also can be printed directly.

An interesting application of these lightweight printed nanomaterials is their

ability to detect a variety of chemical and biological vapors that are dangerous

to humans. For example, inkjet-printed films of carbon nanotubes on plastics

can be used to detect nerve agents, explosives, and a variety of very toxic

chemical threat agents.

WIND ENERGY HELPED BYSMART SENSORS, IN REAL TIMEResearchers: Prof. Peter Avitabile andAssoc. Prof. Christopher Niezrecki,Mechanical Engineering Department

Developing and exploiting sources of sustainable

energy – including wind power – represents one

of the fundamental challenges for the country.

Researchers at the Structural Dynamics and

Acoustic Systems Laboratory, co-directed by

Avitable and Niezrecki, are developing novel

sensing approaches that will help improve the

performance of wind turbines and make them

more efficient and reliable.

The key innovations are new ways to understand

and predict the dynamic behavior of the turbine

blades during rotation. One approach uses an

optically based sensing technique, called digital

image correlation, to monitor the structural

health of the blades and to diagnose if the wind

turbine needs to be repaired. Another analytical

approach to structural monitoring is to measure

a reduced set of degrees of freedom for the

blades, predicting their interior and exterior spa-

tial response, and identifying points in the struc-

ture that are likely to fail. The resulting fatigue

accumulating in the blades’ internal members

can be computed throughout the structure.

This lowers operating costs through better

scheduling of maintenance and, most impor-

tantly, decreases the likelihood of a catastrophic

structural failure.

The research team, in collaboration with

researchers at UMass Amherst, has received

seed funding from the UMass President’s

Science and Technology Fund to form strategic

partnerships with the Department of Energy’s

National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the

Sandia National Laboratory’s Wind Energy

Technology Department.

GREENING OF PVCResearcher: Asst. Prof. Daniel Schmidt,Plastics Engineering Department

Daniel Schmidt has tackled a challenging problem: to develop practical,

alternative flexible PVC formulations for wire and cable applications. Currently,

such materials often contain cheap, though effective, phthalate plasticizers

and lead stabilizers, but lead is known to be toxic and phthalates are under

scrutiny as endocrine disrupters, as they appear to mimic estrogen. Replacing

PVC is not a small problem—in the U.S., more than 2,000 million pounds

annually of PVC coatings are made, used, and end up in landfills or elsewhere

in the environment.

Schmidt’s research group replaced the phthalate plasticizer with a vegetable

oil derivative and the lead stabilizer with several non-lead alternatives. They

added nanoclay to boost performance and used statistics to identify combina-

tions of these additives that would produce a lead- and phthalate-free material

that was safe, highly performing and economically viable. The research

demonstrated that such alternative formulations

have significant promise in multiple areas – with

enhanced mechanical and fire-resistant properties,

for instance – and indicated where further improve-

ments could be made. Support came from the

Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI), including

student researchers, and Teknor Apex Corporation.

Using nanomaterials, anordinary printer head can layout electronic circuits on paper.

Related Research: Green Technology

From defibrillators to angioplastystents, the medical device industryprovides the tools of the trade todoctors, hospitals and home healthaides – and Massachusetts is a nationalleader with the largest concentrationof companies, employing more than20,000. When a 2002 UMass reportnoted that the pipeline of new medicaldevices was running dry, researchersat the Lowell and Worcester campusesstepped in.

The Massachusetts Medical DeviceDevelopment Center, M2D2, wasformed by UMass Lowell PlasticsEngineering Prof. Stephen McCarthyand Dr. Sheila Noone, UMass MedicalSchool’s assistant vice provost forclinical research. Its goal is to helpstart-up companies and entrepreneursbridge the gap between the inventionand commercial production of newmedical devices - what McCarthy callsthe ‘Valley of Death.’

With funding from the Science andTechnology fund of the Universityof Massachusetts as well as from theJohn Adams Innovation Institute,M2D2 assisted a total of 23 start-upcompanies and entrepreneurs in its

first 18 months of operation, while tenstart-ups received either pass-through“fast-lane” funding or obtained federalfunding in the SBIR (Small BusinessInnovation Research) program withM2D2’s assistance.

M2D2 assistance starts on a dualtrack. Doctors and nurses at theUMass Medical Center in Worcesterevaluate each invention for its medicaleffectiveness, while faculty and stu-dents in Lowell’s College of Manage-ment determine whether the potentialproduct meets key criteria for medicalneed, market niche and sound science.

Asst. Prof. Steve Tello, who teachesmanagement and entrepreneurshipcourses, recruits and leads the team ofstudents, whose results are reviewedby M2D2’s advisory committee –composed of industry professionals,venture capitalists and experts ineconomic and technology develop-ment – before companies receivemore direct assistance.

M2D2’s new, targeted form of businessincubator is headquartered in theWannalancit Mills on campus. Entre-preneurs will have office space, sharedservices and ready access to the poolof student and faculty expertise oncampus. After companies pass themedical screen and the businessscreen in the fast-lane program,M2D2 provides assistance in the formof matching funds, materials andprocess development, clinical trialhelp and access to potential venturecapital and angel investors.


M2D2 GETS MEDICAL DEVICES TO MARKET IN UMASSLOWELL- UMASS WORCESTER PARTNERSHIP

RESEARCH SNAPSHOTS

MASS. BIOMANUFACTURINGCENTER HELPS BIOTECHCOMPANIESThe Massachusetts BioManufacturingCenter, under the direction of Prof. CarlLawton, is one key to ensuring that biotechcompanies locate manufacturing plants – andjobs – in the region, another example of howUMass Lowell uses industry-driven researchto promote economic growth.

First established as a bioprocessing develop-ment center a decade ago, the Center haspartnered closely with industry and highereducation. More than 20 biotech companieshave been helped to bridge the gap fromresearch to manufacturing.

With workforce education, informationexchange, process development expertiseand shared equipment, the Center encour-ages biotech companies to manufacture newdrugs in the region, rather than out of stateor abroad. It allows smaller R&D firms todevelop manufacturing processes applicablefor drug development without the up-frontsubstantial capital commitment otherwisenecessary. The Center also works with thearea’s large biopharmaceutical companies,such as Wyeth and Millipore, providingvital support.

The Center recently opened the IPS –Wyeth – Dakota Systems Pilot Plant and theMillipore Corporation Process DevelopmentLaboratory, where students learn to use themore than $1 million of equipment donatedby the four companies.


Thieves. Pornographers. Cyber terrorists planning todisrupt commerce and government. They’re all outthere. And, they all depend on anonymity. But theywon’t get away with it for long.

Jie Wang, professor and chair of the Computer Sciences Department, directsthe Center for Information and Network Security. Young, talented facultyhave been drawn to UMass Lowell, where they are developing innovativetechnology that may be applied to tracing cyber criminals.

“Using anonymity tools while surfing the Internet is a double-edged sword,”says Wang. “On the one hand, you may wish to share private files, or avoidgiving your information to advertisers. But, cyber criminals use the sametools to avoid detection.”

Asst. Prof. Xinwen Fu’s research, leading an international team of experts,has identified ways to bypass the Internet’s most popular anonymous commu-nications network, called Tor. He presented their findings to the most recentBlack Hat computer security conference, causing “quite a splash,” says Wang.

For fighting cyber crime, the current tools are primitive or non-existent.Corporations and institutions rely on beefing up their firewalls, often hiringhackers to test their security systems. When a corporate breach occurs, orpolice are alerted to criminal activity, authorities don’t have the tools –but they will.

“We are proposing to develop the first Massachusetts digital forensics cen-ter,” says Wang. “It’s a multi-campus proposal with the Amherst, Boston andDartmouth campuses, and industrial partners.”

THWARTING CYBER CRIME —UMASS LOWELL TAKES THE LEAD

Prof. Holly Yanco, right, and student AmandaCourtemanche demonstrate a prototype of thetabletop multi-touch panel display.

Microsoft Corp. has selected Assoc. Prof. HollyYanco’s robotics project as one of eight propos-als that will share $500,000 in research fundingand advanced software applications.

Yanco, who directs the Robotics Lab in theComputer Science Department, was selectedfrom a field of 74 researchers from 24 countriesby Microsoft Research. The research proposalsexamine the growing role of robots in society.

UMass Lowell is collaborating with theMassachusetts Institute of Technology,Yale University, University of CaliforniaBerkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, McGillUniversity, United Arab Emirates Universityand University of South Florida.

Yanco’s project came about after HurricaneKatrina exposed technological gaps that,despite the prevalence of satellite imagery,left many emergency responders resorting tohand-drawn paper maps to search for survivors.Although robot cameras were in use, they werelimited to sending video only to operatorsat the site and not immediately to the staffcoordinating search and rescue operations atthe command center.

“Our proposed intelligent, multi-touch com-mand and control display system will allowcollaboration by multiple users on multiplelevels,” she says. Yanco and her team plan touse the tabletop display to create a multi-robotinterface to monitor and interact with all therobots deployed at a disaster site.

MICROSOFT CHOOSES PROFESSOR’SROBOTICS PROJECT FOR FUNDING

An asteroid circling the Sun betweenthe orbits of Mars and Jupiter andmeasuring 2½ to 5½ miles across hasbeen named after UMass Lowell. TheInternational Astronomical Union(IAU) in August officially christenedminor planet No. 7806 as “Umasslow-ell” in honor of the University’s aca-demic and scientific achievements.

“This is truly a unique honor forUMass Lowell,” says ChancellorMarty Meehan. “We’re grateful to theinternational astronomical commu-nity for this special recognition. It’snice to know there’s a celestial bodyout there that bears the name of ourUniversity, and that it will forever beknown as ‘Umasslowell.’ ”

The IAU, through its 15-memberCommittee on Small Body Nomen-

clature, is the scientific organizationresponsible for the naming of smallbodies in the solar system, such asasteroids and comets. Of the nearly14,700 names that had been given sofar to asteroids, only about 300 havebeen bestowed to institutes, observa-tories and universities.

Umasslowell revolves around theSun at an average distance of 226million miles and takes 3.8 years tocomplete one orbit.

The asteroid’s name was proposed byEdwin L. Aguirre, a former associateeditor of Sky & Telescope magazinewho is now the science and technol-ogy writer at UMass Lowell, andhis wife, Imelda B. Joson, Sky &Telescope’s former photo editor.

ASTEROID NAMED AFTER UMASS LOWELL

Nanoemulsions for pharmaceuticalsand other products

Researcher: Prof. Robert Nicolosiof the Clinical Laboratory andNutritional Sciences Department

Company: Anterios/Encapsion

Prof. Nicolosi’s research into self-assembly of polymer-based nanospheresusing an oil/water/surfactant processis useful for the delivery of pharmaceu-ticals, anti-inflammatory agents,nutraceuticals and industrial products.

Formulation that delays memory loss in Alzheimer’s patient’s

Researcher: Prof. Thomas Shea of the Biological Sciences Department

Companies: Pharmavite and Universal Sequence Inc. (USI)

Prof. Shea’s research has established the effectiveness of a vitamin-based formulation to improvememory and brain function of both normal adults and Alzheimer’s patients. To be marketed asMemoryXL® by USI, the formulation is the first non-prescription, low-cost intervention for Alzheimer’sdisease. Additional clinical trials are testing whether the onset of Alzheimer’s can be delayed – if onsetcould be delayed by five years, more than 50 percent of those at risk would never experience the disease.

Polymer technology with potentialapplication to medical devices

Researcher: Prof. Rudolf Faustof the Chemistry Department

Company: Boston Scientific

Prof. Faust has pioneered a polymerizationprocess that is useful in the design andnanomanufacturing of special coatingsfor medical devices, such as drug-elutingstents, pacemakers and defribrillators.There is a critical need for biocompatibleand functionally tailored materials formedical device applications – a bioengi-neering of materials for a specific function.

UMass Lowell is committed to making intellectual property – discoveries and inventionsdeveloped in the lab – available for licensing as useful products. Four such agreements havebeen concluded recently.

High performance, biodegradableplastics are environmentally friendly

Researcher: Prof. Stephen McCarthyof the Plastics EngineeringDepartment

Company: Metabolix Inc.

Prof. McCarthy has devised a methodof blending two biodegradable plasticsto make them more usable and less likelyto become brittle with age. The technol-ogy is currently used in producing someplastic flatware, yogurt cups and otherfood packaging.


LICENSING AGREEMENTS TAKE RESEARCH TO THE PUBLIC

Senior Marco Bonett-Matiz graduates with an honors degree inphysics and prospects for a long, accomplished career as he startsa Ph.D. program at Yale University.

As a sophomore, he began work in the Nuclear Spectroscopyresearch group led by Prof. Partha Chowdhury. Using fast detec-tors of gamma-ray photons, he assembled an electronic setup tomeasure the speed of light on a table-top. His research poster atthe 2008 Student Research Symposium won the C. Daniel Coleaward for outstanding undergraduate research, given by SigmaXi, the Science and Engineering Research Society.

Bonett-Matiz has analyzed experimental data from a heavy-ionaccelerator at the Argonne National Laboratory. He presentedhis results at a national meeting of the American PhysicalSociety, as well as writing a thesis.

He helped others as a math and physics tutor at the Centersfor Learning and Academic Support Services, and won anoutstanding Tutor Award in 2008.

The awards and scholarshipshave been hard-earned.For Bonett-Matiz, as for manyUMass Lowell students, theroad to academic success waslong and circuitous.

Self-described as a young“rebel” who “passed through nine or 10 schools” in his nativeColombia, Bonett-Matiz at 17 was a full-time worker without ahigh school degree when he arrived in the U.S. Years of100-hour work weeks at menial jobs ensued, until he earneda GED and then a license to drive tractor-trailer trucks.Starting college, Bonett-Matiz made the practical choice tostudy electrical and computer engineering.

“I was always interested in science – but I thought I had tocompromise my goals,” he says. Once he realized he couldmake a living, he followed his heart into physics, while takingadvanced math courses for pure pleasure.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT EXCELS IN RESEARCH

Early research used mice

check out ingenuity magazine - university of massachusetts lowell

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