Mohawk Valley Nanotech

Catch up on nano news

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:40:00 +0000

Want to read up on any nanotechnology news you may have missed?

Well, rest assured — now you can.

In 1990, the journal Nanotechnology was the first academic publication dedicated to disseminating the results of research in what was then a new field of scientific endeavour, according to IOP Electronic Journals.

To celebrate its 20th volume a special issue of top research papers covering nanotechnology will be published, according to the Web site.

The goals is to include the past and present directions the field has taken and will continue to take, according to the site.

Officials work to hash out agreement over land

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:51:00 +0000

SUNY and local development officials met in Albany Tuesday to hash out terms of a project development agreement surrounding more than 300 acres of SUNYIT land to the way for arrival of a computer-chip fabrication company someday.
Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito, D-Rome, said she met with representatives of Mohawk Valley EDGE, SUNYIT and the SUNY Chancellor’s office to discuss the agreement that would allow Mohawk Valley EDGE to take control of the land and move forward with infrastructure improvements and marketing of the site. Destito said there is no date as to when an agreement will be signed, but called Tuesday’s meeting very productive.
The planned agreement occurs against the backdrop of the summer announcement that SUNYIT will become home to a nanotechnology research center in association with the University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.

Marcy nanocenter team takes marketing effort to Europe

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:41:00 +0000

This week, representatives from Mohawk Valley EDGE will be taking their efforts on the road, exhibiting with the NY Loves Nanotech team at Semicon Europa, according to a news release from the agency.

“While the global economy continues to struggle, early indicators in the semiconductor industry point to significant investments in the 2010-11 timeframe,” EDGE President Steve DiMeo said.

“EDGE’s goal is to ensure decision-makers in the industry are well versed on the assets of Marcy NanoCenter at SUNYIT and Upstate New York in advance of those decisions,” he said.

SemiCon Europa, which is held today through Friday in Dresden, Germany, is the largest international exposition and conference in Europe dedicated to semiconductor equipment, materials, suppliers and services, according to the release.

In addition to a large presence at the show, EDGE representatives will be attending the Fab Manager’s Meeting, covering the latest trends and needs of manufacturing operations worldwide, they said.

A huge leap for nanotechnology

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:17:00 +0000

The Australian research community will soon have access to one of the most powerful nanotechnology instruments in the world, able to write and etch data on particles ten thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair, according to nanotechwire.com.

The electron beam lithography instrument is designed to write or mark nano-sized objects and has the capabilities of writing the novel War and Peace on a surface as small as a pin-head, according to the Web site.

The multi-million dollar electron-beam lithography tool will be unique in Australia and is capable of ultra-high resolution patterning at very high speeds and placement accuracy. It will be housed in the soon-to-be-completed Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) located near Monash University's Clayton Campus and will be officially launched in March next year, according to the article.

Small-scale art

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Got an eye for nanoscale art? The 2009 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition welcomes the public to pick its favorite image, to be held alongside other finalists chosen from 2,000 entries along with judges' selections of the year's "most visually stunning and technically proficient" micrographic images. Voting at www.nikonsmallworld.com is open until Oct. 2. There's also an "Identify the Image" game to correctly ID the five finalist micrographs.
The annual Nikon Instruments-sponsored show, now in its 35th year, is the preeminent showcase for beauty and complexity of life as seen through light microscopes, as captured across a wide variety of scientific disciplines.
Top selections will be announced on Oct.15 at New York City's Astor Center, and exhibited in a full-color calendar and 24-city national museum tour.

Nanoblog: Big exhibit on a small topic

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:25:00 +0000

So you've heard all about this SUNYIT nanotechnology thing but don't want to admit you're somewhat ... confused.

Not to worry. Drive to the train station in Rensselaer, across the Hudson River in Albany, and check out the UAlbany NanoCollege's Educational Nanotechnology Exhibit. The exhibit opened last month and runs through September. It is co-sponsored by the Capital District Transit Authority.

The exhibit showcases New York state's growing list of nanotechnology accomplishments as well as the significant societal impact of nanoscale innovations, according to a press release from the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.

If you go, you'll see silicon wafers, computer chips and biochips, as well as solar and fuel cells with nanotechnology-enabled consumer products, including an Xbox, iPod Touch, clothing and cosmetics, the press release says.

In the next few years, SUNYIT will become home to a nanotechnology research facility that will be a partner with the UAlbany NanoCollege. It promises to bring new jobs and business opportunities to the Mohawk Valley.

Nanotech breath test could detect lung cancer early

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:13:00 +0000

A sensor made with gold nanoparticles can detect lung cancer in a patient's breath and may offer a diagnosis before tumours show up on an x-ray, according to a Reuters India article.

The device, which the developers say would be cheap enough for everyday use by family doctors, detected lung cancer with 86 percent accuracy and may offer a way to screen for a disease not usually diagnosed until it has spread and is no longer curable, according to the article.

Hossam Haick, one of the scientists working on the sensor, said he hoped it could soon allow doctors to have a simple test at hand to screen people during routine appointments, according to the article.

Nanoblog: Check out nanotech in action

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:03:00 +0000

Have you been wondering what nanotechnology is? What does it look like? How is it used?

The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany and the Capital District Transportation Authority have put together an exhibit that might answer some of your
questions and show the growing impact of nanoscale technologies in the 21^st century.

In an exhibit now on display at the Rensselaer Rail Station, you can see high-tech items from CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex.

Silicon wafers, computer chips and biochips, and solar and fuel cells with nanotechnology-enabled consumer products, including an Xbox, iPod Touch, clothing and cosmetics - will be located through September at CDTA's Rensselaer Rail Station.

Nanoblog: It's Evident nanotech not a sure thing

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:50:00 +0000

Evident Technologies Inc., a Troy-based nanotechnology company formed at the start of the decade, filed for bankruptcy protection last month.

According to the Business Review in Albany, the company listed $4.8 million in debts in a filing at U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The company, which continues to operate, cites a patent infringement lawsuit as a source of the problem.

Evident developed nanocrystal quantum dots, which the Business Review said is used in items including flat screen TVs and Christmas lights.

Nanoblog: No shoes allowed

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:01:00 +0000

Fashion doesn’t matter when it comes to nanotechnology.

When a group of local editors and reporters toured the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University at Albany Thursday, they got to see a couple of the schools’ four clean rooms up close.

But to ensure dirt wasn’t carried into the clean rooms, everyone had to cover their shoes with blue, disposable booties.

Not possible if you’re wearing heels.

So one editor and one reporter left their shoes behind and padded down the hallway with their bare feet covered in booties.

At least, they didn’t have to put on the full clean room suits.

Nanoblog: A room mom would have loved

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:50:00 +0000

A lot more clean room space should be available in about a year at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University at Albany.

In nanotech parlance, a clean room is not every mom's wish for their children's bedrooms, but instead a research area kept free of contaminants such as dust or bacteria, according to answers.com.

The nanoscale college currently has four clean rooms, where scientists do research and make tools needed by nanochip manufacturers.

A new room currently is being completed and will account for about 15,000 square feet of 80,000 square feet of clean room space at the college.

Mohawk Valley moms, take note: SUNYIT in Marcy also will be getting a clean room when the Computer Chip Commercialization Center is built over the next two years. That one will be about 10,000 square feet.

Nanoblog: Researchers' competition akin to Coke vs. Pepsi

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:57:00 +0000

A large part of the success at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University at Albany comes from scientists from multiple companies collaborating on nanotechnology research and development.

Even when those companies are competitors in the business world.

Applied Materials – the world’s leading seller of semiconductor manufacturing equipment – and Tokyo Electron – No. 2 in the same sector – have proprietary clean room space right next to each other at the college. It’s separated by only a transparent glass wall.

In fact, their offices at the college are next to each other, too.

“It’s like having Coke and Pepsi next to each other,” Steve Janack, vice president for marketing and communications for the college, said during a tour of the facility Thursday.

Nanoblog: Is nanotech reflection of a post-industrial economy?

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:36:00 +0000

The Mohawk Valley, like much of the rest of the Northeast, has seen its manufacturing base erode for decades. What's been lost are thousands of well-paying jobs that provided the foundation for the Utica area's middle class.

Now, as SUNYIT begins its partnership with the University at Albany College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering on nanotechnology research, our region's economy might be evolving to its post-industrial form. The partnership is supposed to create 475 jobs and eventually attract private semiconductor chip firms to Marcy.

The future, according to an article in The New York Times on Dresden, Germany, might well be in research, not production, of things such as nanotechnology and wireless technology. Such jobs can be lucrative, and the research involved can be in high demand.

“Silicon Valley isn’t a factory anymore,” one source in the piece says. “It’s a think-tank.”

What do you think? Can our economy thrive on research without manufacturing? Please post your thoughts.

Nanoblog: Is there a nanodoctor in the house?

noreply@blogger.com (Observer-Dispatch) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:36:00 +0000

Nanotechnology at first glance might not seem to have anything to do with medicine, but one of the latest hires at the University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering says otherwise.

A medical doctor, Dr. Sara Brenner, will head up an effort to focus on the health and safety implications of nanoparticles and how to reduce exposure to them in research facilities and elsewhere, according to an article in The Business Review of Albany.

Brenner is 29 and has earned a master’s degree in public health from the University at Albany, the publication reports. Alain Kaloyeros, CEO of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, told The Business Review that Brenner has “keen intellect, contagious energy, comprehensive knowledge and responsible ethics.”

SUNYIT in Marcy is joining forces with the University at Albany nanotechnology research efforts through a new Computer Chip Commercialization Center that will bring the first "clean room" for such research to the Mohawk Valley.