Join NESM for our Fall Meeting at UMass Lowell on Thursday, October 17th. The meeting will consist of a facility tour, a buffet dinner, and two technical talks.
Meeting Schedule
5:30 PM - Registration & Facility Tours
6:00 PM - Dinner
6:50 PM - Welcome & Opening Remarks by NESM President Dr. Fettah Kosar
7:00 PM - "Characterizing Injected and Molded Parts With Micro And Nanostructured Surfaces", Carol Forance Barry, PhD., Nanomanufacturing Center, University of Massachusetts Lowell
7:40 PM - "Microscopic Investigations of Cephalopod Reflectivity", Stephen Senft, PhD., Marine Biological Laboratory
8:30 PM - Closing Remarks
Speaker Abstracts & Bios
"Characterizing Injected and Molded Parts With Micro And Nanostructured Surfaces", Carol Barry, PhD., Nanomanufacturing Center, University of Massachusetts at Lowell
Abstract:
Injection molded micro and nanostructured surfaces have applications in drug delivery, drug development, analytical biochemistry, medical diagnostic (biosensors, microarrays, and assays), electronics, data storage, self-cleaning surfaces, wrinkled surfaces for optical devices and flexible electronics, patterned adhesives, and tissue scaffolds. Although successful molding of these surfaces depends on understanding the changes required in product design, material selection, tool design and fabrication, and plastics processing, parts are still molded in less than 30 seconds. Characterization of the molded surfaces, however, requires a combination of scanning electron microscopy (Figure 1) and profilometry/atomic force microscopy. This presentation discusses how we can mold for a day and characterize for three weeks.
Bio:
Carol Forance Barry is a Professor of Plastics Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She also a Co-Director of the UMass Lowell Nanomanufacturing Center and Associate Director of the Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing (a partnership between UMass Lowell, Northeastern University, and the University of New Hampshire). Her research focuses on extrusion, injection molding, novel plastics processing techniques, and polymer nanomanufacturing. Dr. Barry received her Doctor of Engineering degree in plastics engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Boston College.
"Microscopic Investigations of Cephalopod Reflectivity", Stephen Senft, PhD., Marine Biological Laboratory
Abstract:
Cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish and octopus) are adept at altering their visual appearance for both camouflage and signalling. They do this via neural modulation of pigmented chromatophores and structural reflectors located within their skin. In cuttlefish an additional specialized skin component -- the leukocyte -- contributes a brilliantly white reflective backdrop to this process. This talk will focus on the ultrastructural and optical properties of this cell type.
Bio:
Steve got his PhD in neuroscience from Washington University in Saint Louis, where he worked on the development of the mouse somatosensory cortex (the "whisker" system). While there he became interested in confocal microscopy and helped to found Vital Images, a company that engineered 3D rendering software for use by a wide range of industries. He was also interested in representing brain circuitry using 3D graphics, and this brought him to Yale as part of CTAN (the Center for Theoretical and Applied Neuroscience). Later he gravitated back to the Marine Biological Lab in Woods Hole (his hometown), rejoining Alan Kuzirian's lab to study associative conditioning in the nudibranch mollusc Hermissenda. Recently, as part of Roger Hanlon's lab, he has been learning about its elder cousins, the cephalopods.
Location
40 University Ave.
Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovations Center - Perry Hall
On the corner of University Avenue & VFW Parkway, Lowell, MA
Parking
Riverside Commuter Lot (entrance off Sparks st.) This is an approximately 8-15 minute walk from the ETIC center.
Both locations can be found here:
