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Governor Mike Beebe announces Tuesday, Jan. 16, that nanotechnology researchers at the UA will receive a $4 million grant from the state's General Improvement Fund. The money will benefit research and facilities in the College of Engineering and in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

$4 million nanotech grant from Beebe brings opportunities to area

By: Alex Lanis

Posted: 1/28/08

The UA will receive a $4 million grant to help boost nanotechnology facilities, research and development on campus, Gov. Mike Beebe announced this month, a move that officials think will bring an abundance of opportunities to the area, according to a UA press release.

"The world is watching these Arkansas scientists, and this research can lead to high-quality, knowledge-based jobs for Arkansans," Beebe said in the press release.

The grant, which came out of the state's General Improvement Fund, will be used to build state-of-the-art facilities and finance the very successful nanotechnology program and faculty that are at the university, said Donald Bobbitt, dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Bobbitt is excited about the program and said that it will bring many jobs to Fayetteville and to UA graduates. Nanotech firms, he said, are hiring from all areas of the university.

"These guys are not just hiring from engineering, but they're hiring marketers, accountants and managers, too," he said.

Nanotechnology is essentially the study of the properties of very small amounts of matter, which behave differently than larger amounts, Bobbitt said.

"We have a real army of people working on this campus," Bobbitt said, "and an exceptional faculty." The UA has a large effect on the rest of the state, and nanotechnology can bring in well-paying jobs and revenue to Arkansas, he said.

Research in nanotechnology at the university has led to the founding of local companies, such as Nanomaterials and Nanofabrication Labs, which was created by Xiaogang Peng, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and NanoMech, founded by mechanical engineering professor Ajay Malshe, according to the press release.

Last year, Jacques Chakhalian, assistant professor of physics, developed a way to "look" at atomic orbitals in complex oxides. He and his colleagues demonstrated for the first time that atomic orbitals change dramatically when interacting with a ferromagnet and a high-temperature superconductor, according to the press release.

The oxide interfaces developed by Chakhalian and his team helped boost oxide interface discoveries to the No. 5 spot for scientific breakthroughs of 2007, according to Science Magazine.

The College of Engineering announced in 2004 the addition of Vijay and Vasundara (Vasu) Varadan, both well-known internationally in nanotechnology and medical circles, according to the press release.

Vijay has developed biosensors that treat disorders such as Parkinson's disease and has researched applications to control blood sugar levels and treat Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy, while Vasu has researched medical sensors and wireless microsensors for monitoring patients at home and in hospitals, according to the press release.

Since Vijay's arrival, the Center for Nano-, Bio- and Info-Technology Sensors and Systems has been created, which recently received part of a $9 million grant from the National Science Foundation, according to the press release.

Greg Salamo, a professor with the UA-OU Center for Semiconductor Physics in Nanostructures, used biomolecular, electronic and superconducting materials to help create faster, more powerful and more reliable electronics that are smaller and require less power to operate, according to the press release. In 2005, the National Science Foundation renewed funding for the center with a six-year, $7.8 million grant.

"Investments in faculty and facilities in nanoscience and technology are key to educating science and engineering students who are preparing for the many challenges our society will continue to face in the next several decades," said Ashok Saxena, dean of the College of Engineering, in the press release.

"This investment by the state will play a key role in incubating new technology-based businesses in Arkansas and will go a long way toward attracting more federal research funds."