JOINT SCHOOL RECEIVES $3.5 MILLION FOR NANOENGINEERING RESEARCH GREENSBORO, N.C. - Three North Carolina A&T State University nanoengineering professors at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN) have been awarded research grants totaling $3.5 million. “The Department of Nanoengineering is off to a fast start in research,” said Dr. James Ryan, dean of the JSNN. “Competing successfully for $3.5 million in research funding in the department’s first year and a half of operation is a tribute to both the quality of these researchers and the value of their work.” The awards are: · “Computational Modeling and Enabling Technologies for Nano and Bio Systems and Interfaces,” $1.2 million from the Army Research Office. Dr. Ajit Kelkar, professor and chairman of the Department of Nanoengineering, is the principal investigator. This research will focus on the computational modeling of nano and bio systems and interfaces. It will explore the molecular-level interaction of material systems and biological constituents through molecular nano modeling. · “Nano to Continuum Multi-Scale Modeling of Cementitious Materials under Dynamic Loading,” $1.8 million from the Army Research Office. Dr. Ram Mohan, associate professor of nanoengineering, is the principal investigator. This project will focus on the nano-to-continuum modeling of hierarchical and nanoengineered cementitious materials. Project research efforts will enable the better understanding of the performance of cementitious-based protection materials for defense and civilian uses and will help to develop advanced cementitious concrete panels. · “A Study of GaAsSb (gallium arsenide antimonide) Nanowires by Molecular Beam Epitaxy for Near Infrared Applications,” $563,497, from the Army Research Office. Dr. Shanti Iyer, professor of nanoengineering and electrical engineering, is the principal investigator. This research will focus on semiconductor nanowires, the building blocks for next-generation integrated nanosystems. The project will focus on the synthesis of GaAsSb-based heterostructure nanowires on silicon by molecular beam epitaxy for the fabrication of infrared lasers and photodetectors. The research will potentially lead to efficient, inexpensive, flexible, portable, and tunable lasers for infrared countermeasures, integrated sensor/detection systems, and other areas of photonics. The Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering is a collaboration between N.C. A&T and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The school offers master’s degrees and Ph.D.s in nanoscience and nanoengineering. It is located in the Gateway University Research Park, South Campus, in Greensboro.