Greener Nano 12: Nanoinformatics Tools and Resources Workshop – Register Now!
July 30, 2012
Courtyard Marriott Portland City Center
Portland, Oregon

Free registration! Please register by July 25^th.

http://nanoinformatics.org/2012/overview

Sponsored By

Safer Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Initiative

National Nanomanufacturing Network

UC Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology

NCI Nanotechnology Working Group

In Coordination With

Nanotechnology Knowledge Infrastructure Signature Initiative

The quantity of information on nanomaterial properties and behavior continues to grow exponentially. Without a concerted effort to organize and mine disparate information coming out of current research efforts, the value and effective use of this information will be limited at best.  At worst, erroneous conclusions will be drawn and data will not be translated to knowledge.  Nanoinformatics inherently supports a community-based approach to filter the noise and enhance the value of global information in nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Much progress has been made through grassroots efforts in nanoinformatics resulting in a multitude of resources and tools for nanoscience researchers.  At this point, it is important to critically evaluate and refine nanoinformatics applications in order to best inform the science and support the future of predictive nanotechnology. 

GN12 will bring together informatics groups with materials scientists and active nanoscience researchers to evaluate and reflect on the tools/resources that have recently emerged in support of predictive nanotechnology.  The goals of this workshop are to establish a better understanding of current applications and clearly define immediate and projected informatics infrastructure needs for the nanotechnology community.  We will use the theme of nanoEHS to provide real-world, concrete examples on how informatics can be utilized to advance our knowledge and guide nanoscience.

In preparation for the workshop, we will host two preliminary webinars.  Part I Webinar will provide 15 minute overviews of current nanoinformatics tools with detailed information on our current state-of-the-science.  Part II Webinar will provide live interactions with the developers of those nanoinformatics tools and resources.  An email line will be opened 24 hours in advance of the Part II live webinar for interested parties to submit questions, comments and feedback. 

Workshop organizers will select an expert panel of materials scientists from diverse sectors of nanomaterials research and development to participate in the workshop and to serve as a formalized pool of experts on which the nanoinformatics community can draw expertise. 

Contact: Jessica Adamick, InterNano Project Manager, jadamick@library.umass.edu

July 30, 2012

Workshop in Portland, Oregon

Registration Deadline: July 15

http://nanoinformatics.org/2012/overview

Workshop Goals: To establish a better understanding of current applications and clearly define immediate and projected informatics infrastructure needs for the nanotechnology community.  We will use the theme of nanoEHS to provide real-world, concrete examples on how informatics can be utilized to advance our knowledge and guide nanoscience.  Anticipated outcomes of the workshop will include: i) description of a community-based ideal data lifecycle, ii) nanomaterial description requirements for effective data modeling, and iii) a logical framework for integration of nanoinformatics tools and resources. 

Workshop Preparation

Two preliminary webinars will be hosted to ensure a productive workshop.  It is expected that workshop participants will review materials provided in Webinar Part I and will take part in Webinar Part II. 

Webinar Part I – available July 9^th at noon EDT http://nanoinformatics.org/node/27

Pre-recorded overviews of current nanoinformatics tools and resources 

Webinar Part II – on July 25 from noon-2:00pm EDT

Interactive webinar for questions/comments/feedback on tools and resources as well as discussion of breakout session topics
http://nanoinformatics.org/node/27

Post comments and questions prior to the webinar: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/greener-nano-2012-nanoinformatics-ws

Breakout Session Topics:  Data Lifecycle to Support a Sustainable Cyber-Toolbox, Use of Nanoinformatics for Predictive Modeling, and Nanoinformatics Integration

Accomodations: http://nanoinformatics.org/node/29

Hotel reservations should be made no later than July 15^th.

Let the representative know that you are part of the ‘Nano Conference’ 

July 30, 2012
Courtyard Marriott Portland City Center
Portland, Oregon

The quantity of information on nanomaterial properties and behavior continues to grow exponentially. Without a concerted effort to organize and mine disparate information coming out of current research efforts, the value and effective use of this information will be limited at best.  At worst, erroneous conclusions will be drawn and data will not be translated to knowledge.  Nanoinformatics inherently supports a community-based approach to filter the noise and enhance the value of global information in nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Much progress has been made through grassroots efforts in nanoinformatics resulting in a multitude of resources and tools for nanoscience researchers.  At this point, it is important to critically evaluate and refine nanoinformatics applications in order to best inform the science and support the future of predictive nanotechnology. 

GN12 will bring together informatics groups with materials scientists and active nanoscience researchers to evaluate and reflect on the tools/resources that have recently emerged in support of predictive nanotechnology. The goals of this workshop are to establish a better understanding of current applications and clearly define immediate and projected informatics infrastructure needs for the nanotechnology community.  We will use the theme of nanoEHS to provide real-world, concrete examples on how informatics can be utilized to advance our knowledge and guide nanoscience.

Workshop organizers will select an expert panel of materials scientists from diverse sectors of nanomaterials research and development to participate in the workshop and to serve as a formalized pool of experts on which the nanoinformatics community can draw expertise. 

To nominate (self-nomination acceptable) an expert in nanoscience research and/or materials science, please send CV and a brief statement of experience and interest in nanoscience by June 30, 2012 to Stacey Harper at Stacey.Harper@oregonstate.edu.

For more information, please visit: http://nanotechinformatics.org/

Sponsors

Safer Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Initiative
National Nanomanufacturing Network
Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology
NCI Nanotechnology Working Group

Contact:
Jessica Adamick
InterNano Project Manager
National Nanomanufacturing Network

jadamick@library.umass.edu

Nanoinformatics 2011 will bring together informatics experts, nanotechnology researchers, and other stakeholders and potential contributors to advance Nanoinformatics 2020 Roadmap goals. The workshop will set a clear path for Nanoinformatics participants through strategic planning sessions, open discussions, and the presentation of projects and research.

The conference will be held December 7-9, 2011 in Arlington, VA, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City hotel. December 7th and 8th are open to the public. December 9th will be a working day for Nanoinformatics 2020 pilot participants, affiliates, and conference organizers.

Participants are invited to submit poster abstracts that:

• Describe existing nanoinformatics projects within a specific nanotechnology application area
• Describe informatics exemplars from outside the nanotechnology domain that would be appropriate models for nanoinformatics
• Describe novel approaches to the collection and/or curation of nanotechnology data
• Demonstrate innovative use of computational and/or information technologies to solve problems within the nanotechnology domain
• Address cultural, legal, or ethical barriers to data sharing within the nanotechnology community

Participants are welcome to submit posters that address the Nanoinformatics 2011 themes: Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships and Minimum Required Characteristics. More information about the workshop themes can be found on our themes page.

Abstracts of no more than 500 words in length that describe a project or approach as outlined above will be reviewed by program theme co-chairs. Submit your abstract here: http://nanotechinformatics.org/nidocuments/add

Submissions will be accepted until November 14, 2011.

Authors will be notified about the status of their submission as it is reviewed.

Contact: Jessica Adamick, InterNano Project Manager, jadamick@library.umass.edu

The National Science Foundation has awarded a five-year, $20 million grant to support a national research center on nanomanufacturing on campus through a second round of funding for the Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing (CHM). 

A signature CHM effort is focused on roll-to-roll nanoscale processing of flexible electronics and high technology devices such as solar cells, cell phone displays, batteries and sensors. Roll-to-roll processing is similar to how photographic film moves through a camera from one spindle to another or how newspapers are printed, but with chemical and physical processing in between.

The center works closely with private industry seeking to boost their business and the Massachusetts economy by tapping into the advanced technology generated and refined by the center. When the center was created in 2006, it received a $16 million federal grant and $7 million in state matching funds.

Chancellor Robert C. Holub, Eric T. Nakajima of the state's executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, and industry executives James M. Casey from FLEXcon of Spencer and Michael D. McCreary of E Ink of Cambridge, attended today's grant announcement at the Conte Polymer Research Center. Through the grant the center will concentrate its efforts on its new Roll-to-Roll (R2R) Process Facility for Nanomanufacturing. Working with Carpe Diem Technologies of Franklin. CHM scientists have developed a custom manufacturing laboratory to scale up and integrate nanoimprint patterning and coating of self-assembling materials onto a high-speed web. 

The CHM specializes in the science and engineering of creating nanometer-scale structures--thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair--as building blocks for manufacturing device components and systems. Initial work at the center has concentrated on how nanoscale structures can be engineered from polymers for applications in precision microelectronics, focusing primarily on silicon-wafer based computer chip technology. With the new grant, the CHM will turn its attention to a large-volume, low-cost, roll-to-roll manufacturing processes currently used in the advanced printing, coating and flexible electronics industries. 

CHM director James Watkins, a faculty member in polymer science and engineering, said, "Massachusetts has a rich history in papermaking, printing and coating technologies. We'd like to design tools and processes that are as close as possible to the roll-to-roll platforms that area companies are familiar with. This approach has the potential for terrific synergy with local industry and the possibility of creating advanced manufacturing jobs that are anchored in the region."

Michael F. Malone, Vice Chancellor For Research And Engagement, said having an impact on advanced manufacturing is aligned with the campus' desire to promote innovation and applied research in collaboration with industry. "The new experimental facility we are announcing with the award of this grant will enable companies to explore these emerging nanomanufacturing methods with us and to be part of the innovation process within the growing field of printed electronics." 

Watkins is convinced that cost-effective manufacturing of nanotechnology-enabled products and materials is critical for American manufacturing competitiveness in sectors such as energy generation and storage, chemical separations, flexible displays and electronics, and sensors. "Nanotechnology can lead to significant performance enhancements in each of these areas, but keeping costs down is a number one concern for many kinds of products," he said. "By designing new ways to mass-produce high-technology devices cheaply and quickly, we hope to allow innovations that can benefit society to move more rapidly from the laboratory into real products. That's really the value this center provides." Because the objective of roll-to-roll is to get around expensive top-down processing techniques commonly employed in the semiconductor industry, the CHM focuses on the design of devices that make sense for these assembly techniques. Mark Tuominen, a physics faculty member who co-directs the CHM, notes that the process can create structures that actually exhibit new behavior. "Our devices are often designed to exploit the unique character of the materials produced," he said.

The campus's top-rated polymer science and engineering program leads the CHM's multi-disciplinary approach to nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing. Other partners on the grant include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Rice University, University of Michigan, University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras, University of Indiana and Mount Holyoke College. The CHM is designated by the NSF as one of the elite Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers in the U.S. With a roll-to-roll based manufacturing system capable of generating literally billions of individual electronic devices every minute, accuracy and quality are of prime importance. The role of NIST and MIT in the center involves the development of measurement techniques to control manufacturing processes at the nanoscale.

The core technology of the center is based on chemical methods for synthesizing ordered hybrid materials, nanoscale templates and patterns, primarily out of polymers. The polymers are designed to "self-assemble," spontaneously organizing into specified nanoscale structures upon simple coating from solution. Processes like this, which scientists at UMass Amherst including Professor Tom Russell have pioneered since the 1990s, result in "massively parallel" arrays of precisely designed nanostructures. These approaches are now being extended to multi-component, functional hybrid materials and will be combined with nanoimprint lithography (NIL) to build devices on flexible substrates. NIL technology provides a means of printing or embossing nanoscale features on a moving web that can serve as part of the device or be used in a process to pattern the device. 

Above: Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing co-directors Mark Tuominen and James Watkins

More Information

Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing

The Nanomanufacturing Summit 2011 will showcase technical contributions by experts and practitioners in the field of nanomanufacturing. Abstracts are now being accepted. 

For topical sessions including;

• NanoEHS
• Nanomedicine
• Nanomanufacturing
• CleanTech
• Nanoelectronics
• Healthcare
• Nanotechnology Commericalization

Applicants are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in Nanomanufacturing Measurement and Process Control of Diblock Copolymers.

The objectives of the research are to develop models to simulate the electromagnetic response of diblock materials as a function of domain size and morphology in both the near- and far-field regimes and to apply those models to the development of non-contact, high-speed, optical measurement methods for nanostructure characterization in roll-to-roll manufacturing.

The project is part of a collaboration between the Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing (CHM) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD.  The successful applicant will be employed by UMass while the research will take place primarily at CNST, but it is anticipated that frequent travel between UMass and NIST will be needed to facilitate the collaboration.

The successful applicant will have a Ph.D. degree (or have submitted his/her doctoral thesis) in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or related fields and have a good track record of research in the interaction of light with nanostructures.  A good publication record, experience working in multidisciplinary teams, demonstrated ability for scientific accomplishment with minimal direct guidance, and ability to travel between UMass and NIST are required.  Salary will be approximately $60k/year.

Interested candidates should submit a CV, a list of publications, and the names and addresses of three professional references to either postdoc.massnanotech@umass.edu (preferred) or MassNanoTech, c/o Dr. Paul J. Clark, 374 Lederle Graduate Research Tower, University of Massachusetts, 710 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst MA 01003.  Please reference Search #36869.

The priority application deadline is July 15, 2011.  However, applications will be accepted beyond that date until the position is filled.

The University of Massachusetts is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.  Women and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply.