Nanofab News
Neural Interfaces Conference in Salt Lake City The 40th Neural Interfaces Conference will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City from June 18th to June 20th, 2012. From the Neural Interfaces Conference Website: "The Neural Interfaces research community consists of investigators, supported by grants or contracts, who are working in areas that include functional neuromuscular/ electrical stimulation, auditory prosthesis, cortical prosthesis, neuromodulation, microelectrode array technology, brain computer/ machine interfaces and other related areas. The NIH DBS Consortium is an integral part of the Neural Interfaces research community and is a core group of multidisciplinary researchers funded under a series of NIH-sponsored programs to advance technological innovation and further understand the sites and/ or mechanisms of action of Deep Brain Stimulation."
nanoUtah interview on KCPW KCPW featured an interview with Dr. Florian Solzbacher and Michael O'Malley in their city views segment. You can find the broadcast audio on their website. The interview is in the second part of the broadcast.
Deseret News Article: Nanotechnology and the Pac-12 The Deseret News featured an article discussing USTAR, the new
James L. Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building
, the Utah Nanofab and the Pac-12 conference. The University of Utah will be right at home in the Pac-12 as one of the 11 universities in the conference with nanotechnology facilities. Read the full article here.
Coming in December: A new, UHR 3D micro-imaging capability With many thanks to FEI Company for the extended evaluation we have enjoyed of the Quanta 3D FEG, we will be saying 'good-bye' to that loaner in mid-May, as it has been sold. We will be replacing the Quanta with a much higher resolution instrument, the Helios, which will be moving to the Micron Microscopy Core labs of the Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building (SMBB), in December, 2011 (immediately upon commissioning). The UHR instrument coming to the U in December is described here: http://www.fei.com/products/dualbeams/helios-nanolab-650.aspx Some capabilities of the new instrument include: - Slice-n-view: the ability to incrementally image then cut 10 nm slices into the face of a 5um X 5um area, then rebuilding the images into a tomographic volume. - deposit Pt in pre-defined patterns - mill patterns using the FIB as a precision scalpel - create precision cross-sections for in-situ viewing - selectively remove organic material by precision FIB cutting, using injected water vapor enhanced etching With the addition of an Omniprobe tool (looking for funding partners), we will be able to create TEM-samples in precise locations from a sample.
nanoUtah 2010 Conference Featured on KSL News The University of Utah Nanofab is one of the exhibitors in this year's nanoUtah conference. The 2010 installment of the nanoUtah Conference builds on the rich tradition of past events. Anchored by presentations from Utah’s leaders in nanoscience and nanotechnology, the conference is intended to foster collaborations and the exchange of knowledge among scientists, engineers, clinicians, industry leaders, and students. KSL news covered the event in this video.
What is a nanofab? A "poster child" is the Utah Neural Array developed in the Utah Microfabrication Core Lab by Richard Normann who effectively established an engineering linkage to a series of medical applications. This effort became commercialized in his Bionic Technologies, Inc. then in Black Rock with the ultimate development of a new, local cleanroom, accompanying jobs and additional University collaborations. There have been multiple human surgeries (motor cortex implant) with the commercial Electrode Assembly, enabling quadriplegic individuals to begin controlling computers and artificial limbs through their volitional thoughts. Further substantial NIH grants have been awarded to Utah PI's based on development of this and related local know-how.
Anticipated outcomes from similar collaborative efforts include new ideas through effective seeded collaborations (facilitated by seminars, open use labs and other interactions); more effective research proposals seeded by user fee sponsorship to obtain preliminary data; superior research enabled by better equipment, instrumentation, & expertise; and more, stronger companies maturing through start-up, based on an industrial preliminary data seed fund and cost-effective access to needed sponsored resources.
Cleanroom Protocols …or you may not graduate in this field! It is a community environment, and the success of your research involves your willingness to follow protocols, as well as your willingness to speak with colleagues (researchers and staff) when you see lax or forgetful practices.
The New Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building: Coming Fall 2011 The cleanroom will house state-of-the-art fabrication tools for producing heterogeneous microsystems, including electronic, photonic, microfluidic and mechanical functionality. Sensors, bio-implants, actuators and other device test beds are all fabricated in this facility. Companies use the facilities and expertise to conceive and test marketable devices and products, spinning off new, local manufacturing plants and creating new jobs. Key fabrication equipment and USTAR-supporting instrumentation will be consolidated from points around campus and combined with new tools, including acquisitions planned through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, together making Utah a world-class location for biomedical sensors research, and supporting many other related research activities. http://www.innovationutah.com/USTARBuildings.htm Philosophy All instruments will be operated as user instruments where students with significant needs for data are trained to operate the system. Expert staff assistance will also be available to collect data for researchers with infrequent needs or no interest in being trained. Only trained users will be able to operate the equipment. Training will involve a semester long special topics course or working one-on-one with a staff person until deemed competent to operate the system. A steering committee oversees the instruments and acts as advocates within the university community.
