The development of advanced thin-film synthesis techniques over the past several decades has sparked a renaissance in the design of nanomaterials for clean energy and quantum computing technologies. While it is now possible to produce oxide and semiconductor thin films in almost limitless configurations, the engineering of desirable functionality for device applications depends on precise control of atomistic structure and defects. Complex synthesis pathways can lead to significant deviations from idealized structures, which occur at length scales that are challenging to probe experimentally and theoretically. This task is further compounded by dynamic changes imparted by processing steps and subsequent exposure to extreme environments. Here Dr. Steven R. Spurgeon will discuss a materials design strategy based on the precision synthesis, theory calculations, and atomistic characterization, grounded in emerging data science tools that enable rich, quantitative analysis at scale. The results illustrate how the full range of information from modern, data-infused electron microscopy can unlock promising new materials for energy storage, electronics, and computing.

Dr. Carmen Gomes aims to generate “new food for thought” and highlight the need for convergence between several domains, to address the challenges presented by manufacturing food, to feed the future ten billion. How can science and engineering help solve problems, which may arise, when we must replenish, and maintain inventories, in a manner that is sustainable, for public access to the most basic global public goods?

Perhaps the most important context is convergence and the evolution of new dynamic paradigms driven by consumer’s demand. Food is inextricably linked with energy, water and sanitation (FEWS). It can be easily extended to include healthcare. Hence, what is the “bigger” picture? FEWSH? What role(s) does technology play in this dynamic system?

Principles of convergence science will be applied to view food manufacturing through the lens of resource management, food production, nanotechnology development, economics, and consumer needs. “What is the future of (nano)technology in sustainable food manufacturing?”

“Hidden technologies” (antimicrobial materials, autonomous sensors, genetic engineering) as well as conventional technologies (unit processes, dairy processing systems, sensory panels) and the role that they play in sustainable food manufacturing will be discussed. In some cases, the application calls for unique attributes provided by nanotechnology.

This talk will cover new frontier research on phonon and hot carrier transport probing based on Raman scattering, a technology traditionally widely used for structure analysis. The team has developed a new technique, termed energy transport-state resolved Raman (ET-Raman). It is capable of probing physical transport processes down to nanosecond and picosecond scales and is able to simultaneously characterize the conjugated phonon transport in the in-plane and cross-plane directions and hot carriers diffusion in the in-plane direction. 2D materials down to monolayer thickness have been investigated for studying the structure effect on the in-plane thermal conductivity, interface thermal resistance, hot carrier diffusion coefficient/ mobility, and electron-hole radiative recombination. This provides an advanced phonon and electron transport study of virgin 2D materials. Also for the first time, the team has distinguished the temperatures of optical and acoustic phonons in 2D materials under photon excitation and characterized the energy coupling factor between them. Solving this decade-long problem presents a significant advance in measuring the intrinsic thermal conductivity and interface thermal conductance of 2D materials and will enable advanced material structure design toward thermal control and optimization.

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) has traditionally been the most frequently used micro-/nano- characterization technique to overcome the optical losses coming from lenses. This talk is going to begin by discussing the fundamental blocks of an SEM starting from the electron beam emission. Presenters will talk about the key concepts like working distance, beam current, aberration, and their effects on resolution and depth of focus. Beam specimen interactions will be categorized and studied. Various detection types will be introduced. Simple interactive Monte Carlo simulations will accompany the talk to understand the importance of low keV imaging. Furthermore, a very useful online tool that is available on myscope.training will be run together. The seminar will also connect to a Field Emission (FE) SEM tool remotely and carry out an actual demo with the participants. In the remaining time, the seminar will go over the basics of Electron Probe MicroAnalysis (EPMA) and compare it with the traditional SEM. Finally, the workshop will look into Electron BackScatter Diffraction (EBSD) characterization technique and see what kind of new information can be collected about the specimen. No prior experience in any of these characterization methods will be required for attendance. The talk will aim to discuss the basic ideas and guide the interested participants in the right direction to get a deeper understanding of the shared supplementary materials.

Target audience: post-secondary science and technology teachers, vocational-technical teachers, & school administrators who are investigating adding a Nanotechnology aspect to their curriculum.

The Business & Industry Leadership Team Model (BILT) is an employer high-engagement model for college programs, projects, and grants that originated with the NSF National Convergence Technology Center (DUE 1700530) in the early 2000s. The model is widely used to deepen employer involvement in educational programs producing such benefits as a curriculum better-aligned to meet employer needs, increased support for recruitment of students, and others. The two webinars on March 16 and 24 together will provide high-level coverage of the many specifics that make the model work.  The origins of the BILT will be explained to set the context; key details ranging from employer recruitment to using a structured, repeatable process for the employers to prioritize the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities desired in the “workforce-ready” graduates in the future will be explained; model variants for colleges, NSF ATE projects, and NSF ATE Centers will be discussed; resources will be identified, and questions will be answered. Participants who attend both sessions will receive a certificate of completion from MNT-EC.

Participants will learn how to set up personal nanoHUB dashboard and interact with different simulation tool interfaces, including Jupyter notebooks. MNT-EC will run nanoHUB simulation tools for visualizing crystal structures and biological molecules and learn how to find and bookmark self-paced lessons in nanoHUB on a wide range of topics, from nanotechnology labs to data science and machine learning. This workshop will also prepare you for upcoming workshops that explore specific applications and nanoHUB simulation tools in more depth. All are welcome! No prior coding or simulation experience necessary. 

While there are volumes of interesting material on vacuum technology, this workshop will overview just a few of the core concepts. The workshop will focus on the foundations of vacuum technology used in advance manufacturing and some areas of material characterization, including the definition of vacuum, defining “how much” vacuum is needed, and how concepts, such as “mean free path”, have a direct consequence on the nanoscale material deposition. Vacuum system design and vacuum pump physics/design will help lead to a demonstration of a vacuum-based deposition tool at Normandale Community College, which is available on the RAIN network.

This hands-on tutorial will introduce users to the Gr-ResQ (‘graphene rescue’) platform. Gr-ResQ is (i) an open, crowd-sourced database of recipes and characterization of graphene synthesized by chemical vapor deposition, (ii) a set of analysis tools that enable users to analyze the database, and (iii) an online cyber-physical manufacturing network that provides access to distributed CVD reactors in the form of online transactions. The purpose of Gr-ResQ is to enable wide-scale sharing of data around CVD synthesis of graphene in order to advance community knowledge of the synthesis process. Gr-ResQ was developed in collaboration with the Materials Data Facility and with the Operating System for Cyberphysical Manufacturing. You may read more about Gr-ResQ here.  In this tutorial, you will learn how to access Gr-ResQ database and analysis tools on nanohub.org, learn how to search for and contribute recipes to the Gr-ResQ database, and be trained on the analysis tools available, including raman spectrum analysis and machine learning/deep learning based analysis of SEM images.

The Business & Industry Leadership Team Model (BILT)is an employer high-engagement model for college programs, projects, and grants that originated with the NSF National Convergence Technology Center (DUE 1700530) in the early 2000s. The model is widely used to deepen employer involvement in educational programs producing such benefits as a curriculum better-aligned to meet employer needs, increased support for recruitment of students, and others. The two webinars on March 16 and 24 together will provide high-level coverage of the many specifics that make the model work.  The origins of the BILT will be explained to set the context; key details ranging from employer recruitment to using a structured, repeatable process for the employers to prioritize the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities desired in the “workforce-ready” graduates in the future will be explained; model variants for colleges, NSF ATE projects, and NSF ATE Centers will be discussed; resources will be identified, and questions will be answered. Participants who attend both sessions will receive a certificate of completion from MNT-EC.

Thermal evaporation is a technique used in the nanotechnology industry to deposit thin films of materials on substrates. In this workshop, you’ll learn about how thermal evaporation works and what type of materials and products involve thermal evaporation. At the end of the session, you’ll see a real-world example of thermal evaporation in action using a low-cost set-up that you can build in your lab and use with students.

This hands-on tutorial will introduce users to the Gr-ResQ (‘graphene rescue’) platform. Gr-ResQ is (i) an open, crowd-sourced database of recipes and characterization of graphene synthesized by chemical vapor deposition, (ii) a set of analysis tools that enable users to analyze the database, and (iii) an online cyber-physical manufacturing network that provides access to distributed CVD reactors in the form of online transactions. The purpose of Gr-ResQ is to enable wide-scale sharing of data around CVD synthesis of graphene in order to advance community knowledge of the synthesis process. Gr-ResQ was developed in collaboration with the Materials Data Facility and with the Operating System for Cyberphysical Manufacturing. You may read more about Gr-ResQ here.  In this tutorial, you will learn how to access Gr-ResQ database and analysis tools on nanohub.org, learn how to search for and contribute recipes to the Gr-ResQ database, and be trained on the analysis tools available, including raman spectrum analysis and machine learning/deep learning based analysis of SEM images.