Before an Escherichia coli cell divides to give two viable daughter cells, the constantly growing cell must replicate, topologically decatenate, and spatially segregate its genetic materials. These processes pose non-trivial, conceptual questions at the interface between physics and biology. In this talk, I will discuss the questions in two independent and yet related contexts. … Read the rest »
Upcoming Seminars
“Chemical-Mechanical Processes in Nanoscale Optics and Electronics: Plasmonic Antennae, Rubber Solar Cells, and Electronic Skin” by Dr. Darren J. Lipomi, Stanford University
New applications in electronics and optics require methods of forming micro- and nanostructures in ways that are applicable to different classes of materials and substrates. These methods should also be simple, inexpensive, and amenable to manufacturing. This seminar describes several unconventional methods of forming micro- and nanostructures for electronic, optical, and optoelectronic applications. … Read the rest »
“Polymer Crystallization and the Semicrystalline State: a Molecular Modeling Perspective” by Dr. Gregory C. Rutledge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The solid state properties of many technologically important polymers are exquisitely sensitive to the molecular structure and chain-like nature of the molecules and to the organization of these chains into a “semicrystalline” morphology. These features reflect both the kinetic nature of crystallization and the metastable thermodynamics of the resulting crystal/amorphous polymer composite morphology, … Read the rest »
“Science Going Global” by Dr. Nancy B. Jackson, Sandia National Laboratories
Globalization with regards to business is a well studied phenomenon, but what does the globalization of science and technology mean? For more than a decade, the majority of articles published in the American Chemical Society’s 44 journals have originated from outside the U.S. Many of the impacts of globalization have had profound economic … Read the rest »
CSE Lectureship- “New Materials: Enabling Engineering of the Future” by Dr. Gary S. Calabrese, Corning Inc.
Cockrell School of Engineering Lectureship Series
Seminar Abstract:
Since the dawn of man, discovery or invention of new materials has provided an ever increasing capability to engineer useful new things. As long as we keep inventing new materials, we will get more internet bandwidth and ubiquity, live longer, and make better use of scarce global … Read the rest »
“Engineered Nanomaterials and Human Health: Lessons from the Past and Questions for the Future” by Dr. Alison C.P. Elder, University of Rochester
Nanosized particles (<100 nm in diameter) possess unique physicochemical properties that hold the promise of significant advances in electronics, diagnostics, and therapeutic agents. There has consequently been an explosion in the manufacture of nanomaterials with great diversity in terms of their physicochemical properties. With the technological advances and increased production of nanomaterials comes … Read the rest »
TDFL- “Lessons Learned from Catalyst Design” by Dr. Mark A. Barteau, University of Delaware
Texas Distinguished Faculty Lectureship Series
Seminar Abstract:
“If only we knew more about _____, we could do a better job of _____”
Every researcher has probably written a variation of the above sentence many times, from the first draft of their dissertation proposition to their latest paper or proposal! However, the continuing arrival of exciting … Read the rest »
“Nanoscale Interfacial Engineering to Grow Ge on Si as Virtual Substrates and Subsequent Integration of GaAs” by Dr. Sang Han, University of New Mexico
High-quality Ge-on-Si (GoS) heterostructures have been actively pursued for many advanced applications, including near-infrared photodetectors, high-mobility field effect transistors, and virtual substrates for integrating III-V multijunction solar cells. However, growing epitaxial Ge on Si poses many engineering challenges, ranging from lattice mismatch, to thermal expansion coefficient mismatch, to non-planar morphological evolution. The lattice … Read the rest »
“Systems Analysis of Integrated Genome-Scale Metabolic and Regulatory Networks” by Dr. Nathan D. Price, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
As the dominant form of life on our planet, microbes are deeply involved in the environment, health, and the generation of bioenergy. The rise of genomics has given us a new lens to study the microbial world – providing a torrent of data that requires deep network contexts to interpret biologically. To harness … Read the rest »
“Developing Improved Models of Signal Transduction Pathways via Systems Biology” by Dr. Juergen Hahn, Texas A&M University
Seminar Abstract:
Gaining an improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the acute phase response (APR) in the liver upon trauma or injury can lead to improved treatment of complications arising from inflammatory disorders. The dynamics of expression and interaction of the IL-6 signaling pathway molecules is a key factor of the phenotypical characteristic … Read the rest »