Institute of Materials Science

IMS Annual Newsletter 2017

The issue is filled with inspiring stories of breakthrough research, landmark achievements, and numerous other accomplishments of IMS students, alumni, faculty and staff members.

Visit the UConn-Thermo Fisher Scientific Center for Advanced Microscopy and Materials Analysis.
Watch the video.

Upcoming Events

Apr 23 EEB Undergrad. Research Symposium1:00pm
Apr 23 Particles, Astrophysics and Nuclear Physics Seminar2:00pm
Apr 23 Microbiology Seminar4:00pm
Apr 23 Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Seminar4:00pm
Apr 24 MCB Seminar: Dr. Monica Medina, Penn State University2:00pm
Apr 24 Condensed Matter Physics Seminar2:00pm
Apr 25 Astronomy Seminar Series2:00pm
Apr 25 Chemistry Colloquium: Carlos Castaneda, Syracuse4:30pm
Apr 26 MCB 5299 Cell Biology Journal Club12:00pm
Apr 26 Graduate Seminar: Terianna Wax, Zhao Group4:45pm

EEB Undergrad. Research Symposium

Monday, April 23rd, 2018

01:00 PM - 04:30 PM

Storrs Campus
WW01

Research talks by undergraduates in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) department

Contact Information: Eric Schultz

Particles, Astrophysics and Nuclear Physics Seminar

Monday, April 23rd, 2018

02:00 PM - 03:00 PM

Storrs Campus
Physics Building, P121

Dr. Yibo Yang, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University

A glimpse of the proton spin through lattice

Deep-inelastic scattering experiments reveal that contrary to the naive quark model, the quark spin contribution to the proton spin is quite small, about 30%. In an effort to search for the missing proton spin, recent analyses of the high-statistics 2009 STAR experiments at RHIC showed evidence of non-zero glue helicity in the proton. However, the results are limited by very large uncertainty in the x < 0.05
region.

To address this issue from the theoretical side, we made the first lattice QCD calculation of the glue spin in the proton based on the LaMET framework, and the results suggested that a large part of the missing component of the proton spin comes from the gluon spin. The results on the other parts of the proton spin will be also presented.

Contact Information: Prof. Luchang Jin

Microbiology Seminar

Monday, April 23rd, 2018

04:00 PM - 05:00 PM

Storrs Campus
TLS 263

This semesterâs micro seminar consists of weekly discussions led by the students.

Please feel free to join us.

Contact Information: sarah.hird@uconn.edu

Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Seminar

Monday, April 23rd, 2018

04:00 PM - 05:00 PM

Storrs Campus
Physics Building, P121

Dr. Robert R. Jones, Department of Physics, University of Virginia

Controlled Transfer of Electronic Wavepacket Motion Between Distant Atoms

The establishment, observation, and potential control of correlated multi-electron dynamics is a complex problem of interest across disciplines with numerous applications in a variety of contexts, from femtosecond interatomic Coulomb decay and attosecond charge migration within small molecules, to energy transfer in photosynthetic systems, to quantum control of few- and many-body systems, and quantum information processing. The extreme sensitivity of Rydberg atoms to electric fields, including those produced by neighboring atoms, makes them superb candidates for studying such phenomena. In a quantum analogy to classical far-field radio transmission from a source to receiver antenna, we have transferred electronic wavepacket motion established within Rydberg atoms in a dilute nearly-frozen gas to neighboring Rydberg atoms. The transfer is enabled by electron correlations resulting from electric field-controlled, atom-atom couplings and relies on the use of both cold atom and ultrafast techniques.

Contact Information: Prof. C. Trallero

MCB Seminar: Dr. Monica Medina, Penn State University

Tuesday, April 24th, 2018

02:00 PM - 03:00 PM

Storrs Campus
BPB 130

MCB Seminar Series Presents:

Dr. Monica Medina, Penn State University

Seminar title: "Symbiosis and bleaching in coral holobiontsâ

MÃ³nica Medina, Associate Professor of Biology and Associate Head for Equity & Diversity, Penn State, is a marine biologist and the primary focus of her research is cnidarian-algal symbiosis and coral reef ecology. She is one of the leaders in the study of climate-change effects on corals and coral-algae interactions. In 1998 she obtained her Ph.D. in marine biology and fisheries from the University of Miami. She joined the Penn State faculty in 2013 as an associate professor of biology and associate head for equity & diversity. She is interested in a wide range of topics dealing with the ecology and evolution of marine organisms including charismatic invertebrates like corals and mollusks, as well as other less known but equally fun critters like algae, fungi and microbes.

Hosted by Dr. Nyholm

Please join us for light refreshments in the BPB lobby at 1:45.

Contact Information: lisa.dejesse@uconn.edu

Condensed Matter Physics Seminar

Tuesday, April 24th, 2018

02:00 PM - 03:00 PM

Storrs Campus
Physics Building, P121

Dr. Maitri Warusawithana,
Department of Physics,
University of North Florida

Emergent New Electronic
Properties in Atomic Layer Complex Oxide Superlattices

Complex oxides exhibit a plethora of collective phenomena such as ferroelectricity, magnetism and superconductivity.
They have been widely studied both in bulk and thin film form. Advances in synthesis techniques have enabled the
formation of atomically precise interfaces between isostructural complex oxide phases with different ground states. Using ozone-assisted molecular beam epitaxy we synthesize such superlattices with sharp interfaces at the atomic layer limit. I will discuss two examples where the interfaces lead to novel electronic properties that do not exist in the bulk constituent phases: asymmetric ferroelectricity in three-component superlattices of titanate phases, and modified
electronic and magnetic properties in ordered pseudo alloys of mixed-valent manganites.

Contact Information: Prof. G. Fernando

Astronomy Seminar Series

Wednesday, April 25th, 2018

02:00 PM - 03:00 PM

Storrs Campus
IMS159

Luke Kelley, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Harvard University

LIGO has now detected Gravitational Waves (GW) from numerous, stellar-mass black-hole binary systems. Pulsar Timing Arrays can use the incredibly precise radio flashes from pulsars to measure GW from binaries of supermassive black-holes (SMBH). We use state-of-the-art, cosmological hydrodynamic-simulations ("Illustris") to model the mergers of galaxies and the SMBH they host. In this talk, I will outline the key physical processes which mediate the SMBH-binary merger process, and present our predictions for the GW signals that Pulsar Timing Arrays will observe. I will highlight the physical information about SMBH & SMBH-environments encoded in those GW signals, and discuss how long we'll have to wait for the first detections in this exciting new regime.

Luke Kelley is a finishing PhD student in the Harvard Astronomy Department, working with Prof. Lars Hernquist on Massive Black-Hole Binaries using data from the Illustris cosmological simulations. Luke's work makes important predictions for gravitational wave signals detectable by Pulsar Timing Arrays in the next decade. If you would like to meet with Luke, please email Cara Battersby (cara.battersby@uconn.edu) to set up a time.

Contact Information: Prof. C. Battersby

Chemistry Colloquium: Carlos Castaneda, Syracuse

Wednesday, April 25th, 2018

04:30 PM - 05:30 PM

Storrs Campus
CHEM A-203

Chemistry Colloquium: Carlos Castaneda, Syracuse

Chemistry Colloquium
"ALS and UBQLN2: Liquid-liquid Phase Separation of UBQLN2 is Modulated by Oligomerization and Ubiquitin Binding"

Carlos Castaneda
Syracuse
Host: Mark Peczuh/Kyle Hadden

Refreshments will be served at 4:15pm. All are welcome.

Contact Information: gael.ung@uconn.edu

MCB 5299 Cell Biology Journal Club

Thursday, April 26th, 2018

12:00 PM - 01:00 PM

Storrs Campus
TLS 263

All interested are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Contact Information: david.daggett@uconn.edu

Graduate Seminar: Terianna Wax, Zhao Group

Thursday, April 26th, 2018

04:45 PM - 05:45 PM

Storrs Campus
CHEM A-203

Graduate Seminar: Terianna Wax, Zhao Group

Graduate Seminar
"Optoelectronic Interactions of Quantum Dots with Gold Nanoparticles and Bacteriorhodopsin"

Terianna Wax
Zhao Group
Host:

Refreshments will be served at 4:30pm. All are welcome.

Contact Information: gael.ung@uconn.edu

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IMS Industrial Affiliates Program 2018 Annual Meeting

MSE-IMS Students Win at 2018 Electronic and Advanced Materials
The Electronic and Advanced Materials Conference (EAM) is geared towards engineers, technologists, researchers and students with an interest in science, engineering and the applications of electroceramic materials. Several MSE students and faculty attended this year’s EAM Conference held in Orlando, FL. MSE Associate Professor and Director for Undergraduate Studies, Serge Nakhmanson, co-organized a symposium at […]

Xingxu Lu Wins Graduate Student Speaker Contest
The student chapter of the Materials Research Society recently announced Xingxu Lu, a second-year graduate student in Professor Pu-Xian Gao’s research group, as the winner of the Graduate Student Speaker Contest. The award recognizes his presentation entitled “Microwave-assisted Hydrothermal Synthesis and Manufacturing of TiO2 Nano-array Integrated Catalytic Converters,” as judged by a panel of students. […]

UConn MSE Featured Prominently at US-Japan Seminar
The US-Japan Seminar on Dielectric and Piezoelectric Ceramics has occurred once every two years for almost 4 decades, bringing together ~100 scientists and technologists from industry, academia and government laboratories. It is one of the premier venues for the exchange of scientific ideas on ceramic materials for electronics and serves to foster relationships between experts […]

UConn Engineers Develop Ceramic/Metal 3D Printing Solution for Navy
The US Navy is a big proponent of additive manufacturing technology, and its use of 3D printers on ships offers self-sustainability in remote areas, allowing sailors and officers to make and repair their own tools, parts, and components on board while out at sea, rather than having to go back in to port. It is […]

More News

The Institute of Materials Science (IMS) supports over 100 graduate students in three primary fields of study, Materials Science and Engineering, Polymer Science, and Materials Science. In addition, graduate students in affiliated departments use IMS facilities to perform materials-related research.

IMS provides superior graduate research education in the interdisciplinary fields of materials science and engineering, and provides materials-related technical outreach to Connecticut’s industries. IMS operates and maintains extensive state-of-the-art instrumentation including a wide range of laboratories. Support facilities include an electronics shop and an instrument and machine shop.

Over 100 faculty members from twenty departments including the UConn Health Center are affiliated with IMS, contributing to the Institute’s interdisciplinary research programs. Primary disciplines represented are chemistry, physics, chemical engineering, materials science and engineering, polymer science, pharmacy, molecular and cell biology, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, biomaterials, and biosciences.

The Institute is also home to the Industrial Affiliates Program, an industry outreach program which assists Connecticut companies in their research and development efforts to improve new and existing products. The Industrial Affiliates Program provides many benefits for member companies, including access to facilities and faculty at UConn, short courses, and other resources that can assist in materials-related problem solving for industry.