Last Day

Today I read a collection of various articles, from DNA nanoassembly to carbon nanotube price cuts.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa002&articleID=00008E5D-7C81-11F1-BC8183414B7F0000
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa002&articleID=000D08AB-8751-119E-875183414B7F0000
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa002&articleID=0002FFA7-F4A6-1166-B4A683414B7F0000
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa002&articleID=00069535-2EF9-1052-AEF983414B7F0000

Eric Drexler

Today I discovered the website of Eric Drexler, the man who first 'invented' nanotechnology. The site has tons of information, from stronger materials to new PC technologies. It's mostly theoretical stuff, but well worth a look.

http://www.e-drexler.com/

Practice makes. . . ?

Yes, practice is a good idea. Excellent presenters make it a point to rehearse fequently.
Practice allows you to review your thoughts. . .consider additional points to make.
Please let me know if you received the email regarding your presentation which is on July 28 and NOT July 21.
Have a good day.

Practice

Practicing my presentation. I looked up some extra information to throw in if I have extra time. Not much going on here though.

DNA

Today I read some interesting stuff about DNA computing and the Travelling Salesman Problem, or TSP for short. Nothing to do with teaspoons I suppose....


Link One

Link Two

Bright Minds Progress...

Students are learning a great deal about nano technology through this program. The trip to U of I was particularly rewarding. After researching broadly about the field for the past few weeks, the students are now focussing on certain key areas in preparation for their presentation to the CSC Board of Trustees. They are also working on some nano products for their show and tell during their presentation.
Each of the students has been given a budget to buy nano products. From the College's perspective, I have gained some valuable insight into how we can partner with Argonne and U of I in developing nano tech curriculum as well as workforce development for this new technology.

Time is Running Out

Today I worked on finishing my project because time is running out. I am trying to make a good power point. I found some pictures and information to include and I am nearly completed. I also found a list of the top ten nanoproducts of 2004 at forbes.com. Another interesting thing I found and believe should be included in our presentation is a powerpoint about nanotechnology in the high school curriculum. http://www.bowlesphysics.com/nano/Nanotechnology.ppt#32

Quantum foam makes me roam

I read today about quantum computing. This new technology will hopefully help Moore's Law keep true, even there's a physical limit on the size of transistors. UC Berekeley is actually teaching an undergraduate course in quantum computing, a subject usually not breached until the graduate level.

For much mas information, be clickin here: http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/sabl/2005/June/02-quantum-comp.html

Nanowires

Today circuits are all basically made up of copper wire in some way. There are a few optical fiber ones, but for the most part, people use copper wire and electricity. Well that could change within the next ten years. Researchers at UofCal at Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and even NASA are working on using nanowires to send light signals through as new form of media. These wires will work about the same way as optical fiber, but better. Fiber normally has light around it that can interfere with the real signals that are being sent. However, fiber is still one of the fastest ways to send data (however, very expensive). These new nanowires will be able to go even faster and more accurate than today's optical method. White light can separate into different colors which can increase the available bandwidth of the wire. Routing using this wire may not be too far off into the future.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/bmanz

University of Illinois

Yesterday we went to the University of Illinois for a seminar on nanosciences. The speakers present several powerpoints and gave several examples. They showed us how an atomic force microscope works. They showed us the size of a nanometer compared to a hair. They also demonstrated how difficult it is to work using the tools they have. We talked with some students about their current projects. To conclude the day we worked hands on in a clean room and then took a survey to comment on the whole experience.

Dip-pen nanolithography ... Or: How I Spent my Summer Vacation

DPN is a method of 'drawing' nanostructures onto a substrate. The tip of this 'pen' can also be used as an atomic force microscope (
http://www.che.utoledo.edu/nadarajah/webpages/whatsafm.html. DPN can be used to draw transistors on a semiconductor to make a CPU. Applications include protein nanoarrays, electrochemical whittling, Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization, and nanostructure arrays.

Link One
Link Two
Link Three
Link Four

The trip to University of Illinois

Yesterday we were went to the University of Illinois to get a better look at what they have been studying in the field of nanotechnology. They explained to us many of the different projects that they had going on right now. They also came up with a clever way to show us how small a nanometer is and how difficult it can be to work on that scale. They had us try to assemble a logo car with cooking mittens on our hands. Later that day we got to go into a clean room and do a lab. Over all it was a was very interesting and I would recommend going there for a visit for anyone that is interested in going into nanotechnology for a career or even if they are just interested in the technology.

U of I trip

Yesterday we went to U of I, where we got lost. It's a pretty big campus for us small town folks. We took too many lefts, but in the end found where we were suppose to be. When we got there we put on little name tags and went into room 2005. We stood before a big yellow circle that represented a hair. Then one of the speakers pulled out many sizes of spheres until he had a grain of salt. If the yellow circle was actually a hair, then the grain of salt would be a visible nanometer. We did many different activities that showed how important tools are in nanotechnology and how getting atoms to go where you want them can be a difficult task. Other activities showed how nanotechnology is and will be applied to future objects to things better overall. The last thing we did was go to a clean room where, through the use of UV light, we printed a label on a silicon wafer. We then went back and took a survey and headed home.

It was a fun trip and I really enjoyed it.

Coming up next...

Everyone is doing a good job on their research. Here are upcoming events and assignments:

Tuesday, June 28th -- visit to the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign -- Leave CSC Circle Drive at 7am

Tuesday, July 5th -- Final day of Internship at CSC starting time 9am -- Board Room -- Discussion of Findings and Board Presentation Rehearsal

Thursday, July 28st -- 7:00PM --Presentation to CSC Board of Trustees -- Carthage Branch Campus -- 15 Minute Presentation by the group which will include show and tell of products made of nano materials.

Nano Today

I looked for my product to present as an example of currently available nanotech. I found several products and I am trying to decide which one to get. I will likely get a pair of pants with stain resistance. Dockers makes some of these pants and I will try to get them. If I am unable to aquire them i will try to obtain another product as long as it is not the same as anyone else's. If anybody finds a good product but needs help getting it let me know.

Nano Products

Nanotechnology is not being used in may different products on the market today. They have used this technology to make mini videocameras that can fit into your hand. Also car waxes and new windshields that have strong water repellents in them. They also use them in sports like tennis rackets and tennis ball that make them bounce better. Also golf clubs that have built-in inserts that allow the user to hit the ball farther and straighter.

Nano now

I read about nanoproducts that are actually on the market today, from muscle cream to windshield coatings to golf balls. It's amazing some of the things they can do...there are footwarmers that are 3 to 100 times more efficient than existing insulators, golf balls that self-correct wobbles in flight, air filters that have no filters, to carbon nanotubes.

http://www.forbes.com/investmentnewsletters/2005/01/12/cz_jw_0112soapbox.html
http://www.voyle.net/Nano%20Products%202005/Products%202005-0003.htm
http://www.larta.org/lavox/articlelinks/2003/031006_nanojapan.asp

Electric Eye

Nanosensors is today' topic. These nano guys could be used to better detect potential weapons for air ports and/or luggage departments. These will be more active than today's passive sensors in a sense that will follow its target, keeping the viewers safe from harm. Maybe they'll be able to track a target as it goes through the building.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/7avfl

The production costs will also be able to be cut way down. Using these sensors, security could detect radiation or other biochemical agents that may be in the building. In medicine they could be use as an ultra-early cancer detector. To keep our airplanes in tip-top-shape, the sensors could be used to monitor how well the plane is doing in all of its aspects.

Like the rest of nanotechnology, don't expect to see too many in the near future. The market for such things is still in its infancy. Once nanotechnology is seen as the next step, technology will be evolving really fast.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/clfqa