Going the Mile a Megadollar Grant Funds a Nanoscience Institute
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u. 1- 1- u. Cl) 1- The campus community biweekly March 18, 2004, vol. 4, no. 6 Going the mile Rossman receives Revel steps down Feynman Prize as dean George Rossman, professor of mineral Dean of Students and Ruddock Professor ogy and the divisional academic officer of Biology Jean-Paul Revel will step for Geological and Planetary Sciences, down from his administrative post in has been awarded the 2003-04 Richard P. June, Vice President for Student Affairs Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teach Margo Marshak wrote in a March 8 ing. Acting provost Ed Stolper presented e-mail memo. him with the award at the February 23 Making the announcement "with faculty meeting. great regret," Marshak wrote: "Profes The prize committee's recommenda sor Revel has provided able and gener tion of Rossman reads in part: "George ous leadership as Dean since September Rossman has been teaching with enthusi 1996. Over these past years, Professor asm and with superb results since he Revel has made an important difference joined the Caltech faculty in 1971 ... in the lives of our undergraduates for George's style of teaching exploits the whom he has such affection and con beautiful and beguiling qualities of miner cern. His advice, compassion, and guid als and their relationships to geological ance have been invaluable to students processes. He employs a series of mind see Revel, page 6 stretching demonstrations .. He tells stories about minerals. He asks probing questions about their color, and then leads students to think in general about the "Bob," the Chevy Tahoe four-wheel drive that was Caltech's entry in Saturday's highly anticipated proper approach to scientific questions. A course in first DARPA autonomous vehicle race, is pictured at last week's qualifying trials with Engineering and [His] courses ... evolve each year, in the Applied Science division administrator Elliott Andrews (who, incidentally, retired on race day). Among the 15 entries, the farthest distance covered was seven miles; Bob navigated itself for a mile of the best tradition of didactic innovation." response rugged 142-mile desert course before becoming disabled. Professor Richard Murray will discuss the see Rossman, page 6 results of the contest in a Watson Lecture on Wednesday, March 31. As the victim lay on the floor of the Brown Gym classroom, a squad of emer gency workers huddled over him. Wield ing splints, bandages, and an oxygen tank, the four went to work. A megadollar grant funds a FBI charges student "Does everyone have their gloves on?" asked instructor Mark Stapf, who nanoscience institute with arson teaches a course for first responders to emergency situations. He nodded ap William Jensen Cottrell, a second-year provingly as he watched his students, Fred Kavli and the Kavli Foundation have and students worldwide; and to support Caltech graduate student in physics, was occasionally issuing a gentle reminder. awarded a $7.5 million grant to create a the cross-disciplinary community through taken into custody by agents from the Within five minutes, Alex Cervantes, a new institute at Caltech for research in significant infrastructure investment and Federal Bureau of Investigation on March Caltech security guard, playing the victim the emerging field of nanoscience. renewal. 9. Cottrell, 23, is suspected of involve of an accident who has sustained various Caltech's Kavli Nanoscience Institute Michael Roukes, Caltech professor of ment in incidents of arson and vandalism wounds, resembled a mummy. Thus (KNI) will be founded as a "lasting cen physics, applied physics, and bioengi that occurred last year at four San trussed, he was ready to be wheeled into ter dedicated to defining research fron neering, has been named the founding Gabriel Valley automobile dealerships. an ambulance. tiers and establishing new scientific director of the institute. "The primary The vandals targeted dealerships that "A first responder is basically an EMT directions in nanoscience," says David emphases of the KNI will be on nano feature sport utility vehicles, which are [emergency medical technician] without Baltimore, president of Caltech. "This biotechnology, which merges nanodevice denounced as gas-guzzling polluters by the transportation and ambulance issues; generous award allows us to solidify a engineering with the molecular and cellu environmental groups. but they get training in pretty much plan that we have been considering for lar machinery of living systems, and During the early morning of August 22, everything else," Stapf says. "They do some time-one based on our strengths nanophotonics, which employs new 2003, approximately 125 vehicles, primarily definitive care until other professional and on the future direction of science." materials technology and nanofabrica Hummers and SUVs, and one warehouse help arrives." Nanoscience, in its broadest defini tion processes to develop novel devices were either damaged by paint or set afire. Eleven members of the Caltech tion, involves the underlying physical such as optically active waveguides and According to reports, the vandals had community are taking part in this first principles that govern the function of microlasers," Roukes says. "Central to painted the words "Polluter," "I • Pollu responder course, meeting twice a week devices measuring less than a billionth both of these endeavors is large-scale tion" and "ELF" on the vehicles. The dam for three hours per session. The course of a meter. integration of nanosystems, which will age was estimated at $3.5 million. spans 10 weeks and includes 60 hours of The purpose of the KNI will be to be enabled by the new facilities that we ELF is an acronym for the Earth Lib instruction, many of those spent acting foster innovative research at the fron are constructing." eration Front, a group the FBI considers out various rescue scenarios. tiers of nanoscale science and engineer Caltech has had an ongoing interest to be dangerous ecoterrorists. This group Stapf-the coordinator of the Health ing with an emphasis on efforts to and presence in nanoscience and is not a Caltech student club nor is it Advocates, a Caltech course (PA 50) transcend traditional disciplinary bound nanotechnology-or the engineering of affiliated with the Institute in any way. designed to teach the basics of health aries; to create new research opportuni such devices-and, in fact, one of the see KNI, page 2 see FBI, page 2 see EMT, page 2 ties that will attract the best researchers 2 Caltech 336, March 18, 2004 EMT, from page 1 KNl from page 1 care-teaches undergraduates many of Institute's most renowned researchers is these same rescue skills. credited with the origin of the concept. The first responders receive training in In 1959, Caltech physicist Richard NewsBriefs rescue cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Feynman gave a now-famous lecture taking vital signs (such as blood pres titled "There's Plenty of Room at the sure), treating shock, assisting with dia Bottom," in which he mapped out possi betic emergencies and seizures, and bilities for extremely small devices, con Pamela Bjorkman has been named the Max mitigating many other life-threatening sistent with the principles of quantum Delbruck Professor of Biology, effective April 1; this title replaces that of professor of biology. She conditions. They are also taught how to mechanics. Since that time, research at will continue as executive officer for biology and summarize a victim's status and convey it Caltech and other institutions has led to as a full investigator with the Howard Hughes to paramedics. discoveries that are bringing about a Medical Institute. A member of the Caltech faculty The first-responder course, which is in realization of Feynman's vision. since 1988, she received her BA from the Univer .In January 2000, President Bill Clinton sity of Oregon in 1978 and her PhD from Harvard a pilot phase, is a collaboration between in 1984. the Health Center and Staff Education visited Caltech and announced the and Career Development, which is a part launch of the "National Nanotechnology Serguei Denissov, Taussky-Todd Instructor in of Human Resources. In the event of a Initiative," which has since led to an Mathematics, has been selected to receive the local catastrophe that overwhelms city upsurge of activity nationally. A number Vasil A. Popov Prize in Approximation Theory. of universities and research institutions Established in honor of the late Professor Vasil A. rescue operations, trained technicians Popov of Bulgaria, the prize is awarded every three have to respond to the injured, says have embarked upon their own "nano" years to an outstanding young approximation Gregg Henderson, chief of Caltech Secu initiatives. theorist with at most six years of professional rity and Parking Services. The KNI will involve many research experience. This year's prize will be awarded in "All security personnel have first-aid ers, spanning five of Caltech's six aca May at the Eleventh International Conference in Chi "Chelsea" Chang '05, second from left, was demic divisions-biology; chemistry and Approximation Theory, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. and CPR training, but we're looking to named winner of the Tech Express's first. karaoke The recipient of a PhD from Moscow State Univer take it to the next level," Henderson chemical engineering; engineering and contest for her rendition of Faith Hill's "Breathe." sity in 1999, Denissov came to Caltech in 2001 as a adds. "We wanted the training to enable applied science; geological and plan Pictured with her are judges (from left} Chris Bateman Research Instructor and was appointed etary sciences; and physics, mathemat Henderson of Graphic Resources and Mail security staff, who are usually the first Taussky-Todd Instructor in 2002. Services, Linda Bustos of Public Relations, and persons on site, to provide professional ics and astronomy. Its governing board Joe DeVito of the Tech Express.