TABLE OF CONTENTS

• International Research Experience Program Funded

• Annual Retreat & IAP Expo in Tucson

• Expanded Capacity for Structural Investigations at NMHU

• CMDITR Applies for Phase 2 Renewal

• Travel Report:
Amalia Leclercq

• UW Ethics Seminar on RFID Technologies Online

• GPAC is Off and Running

• Congratulations to...

• Dr. Peter Günter to visit UW

• Research Highlight

CMDITR Receives Funding for International Research Experiences Program

by Glen Shen

In September 2005, NSF announced the availability of approximately $850K for use by STCs in formulating an International Experiences Program for Center students. Cornell University's NanoBiotechnology Center (NBTC) took the lead and, in collaboration with a newly formed advisory panel, issued an RFP on October 20.

As a Center with particularly strong international links, the CMDITR pursued this opportunity aggressively. As a result, our proposal was highly rated and funded at a level of $138K. This amount is sufficient to sponsor about one dozen Center students, primarily advanced graduate students, for 10-week research exchanges overseas. We have identified the Université de Mons-Hainaut (Brussels), Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing), University of Osaka, and the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow) as host institutions with which we hope to engage in reciprocal exchanges.

PhD students Denise Bale (UW), Thomas Beechem (GT), Colleen Craig (UW), Eric Heatwole (UW), Peter Hotchkiss (GT), Joshua Griffin (GT), Kelly Lancaster (GT), PaDreyia Lawson (GT), Susan Odom (GT), Joel Prothro (GT), Jocelyn Takeyesu (UW) and Masters candidates Taina Cleveland (NSU) and Tiffany Kinnibrugh (NMHU) have expressed interest in being the CMDITR's first international ambassadors.

Exchanges may take place January 2006-September 2007 and students will be encouraged to travel in groups. Center participants will be expected to enroll in introductory language courses to enhance their experience. You will hear about their adventures in future issues of Light Works as well as at future Annual Retreats. The Center will sustain this program in future years using internal funds and by building on the experience and goodwill fostered during this initial phase. We will look to all members to help us make visiting students from our international partner institutions feel welcome and productive. Faculty and students interested in learning more about this program may wish to consult the 2005 RFP and Proposal available in our online Document Archive.

Thanks go to Jean-Luc Bredas for his participation on the first Advisory Panel, to Elisa Riedo for volunteering as Project PI, to Tatiana Timofeeva, Oleg Prezhdo, Seth Marder, Greg Durgin, Sam Sun, Alex Jen, Bernard Kippelen, and Larry Dalton for their help in identifying prospective host labs, and to Elisa, Seth, Deborah Illman, and Glen Shen for writing the proposal.

Annual Retreat and IAP Expo in Tucson, AZ

Mark your calendars: the CMDITR's 2006 Industrial Affiliate Expo and Annual Retreat have been scheduled for February 22nd and the 23nd through the 25th respectively. This is an important annual event for the Center, both for community building and furthering our research. The Annual Retreat is our opportunity to get together as a whole, evaluate our progress and define strategic goals for the future. This will be our most elaborate and inclusive retreat to date. There will be panel discussions and breakout sessions for both thrusts, as well as education and diversity program overviews. On the afternoon of the 25th there will be an optional outing to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, a 21-acre world-renowned zoo, natural history museum, and botanical garden.

All STC members are invited to attend. Our goal is to have widespread participation. For funding details, draft agendas and to register please login into the CMDITR's web site and click on the "2006 Scientific Retreat" link.

ALL attendees should register as soon as possible but no later than January 20th.