NEWSLETTER Advanced Materials Research Institute Volume 15, Issue 2 http://www.uno.edu/amri June 2017 THE DIRECTOR'S CORNER New Start-Up Company Works Side by Side with AMRI Greetings! This quarter has brought an exciting “advance” to AMRI. We have Through a University of Louisiana system welcomed Advano, a renewable energy approved collaborative agreement, the startup start-up. This is especially eventful because company, Advano, is now renting space in it represents a new paradigm in AMRI to further their efforts to establish collaborations for AMRI and UNO. Advano themselves as a new leader in the development is working as an independent company of the next generation of anode components for renting lab space in AMRI, while at the rechargeable batteries. Success in these same time, they are able to readily access materials could increase the energy storage AMRI equipment and collaborate with AMRI and lifetimes of batteries by several fold. So far researchers. AMRI benefits from equipment Advano has over $500 K in committed financial use fees and more importantly from the fast support from venture capitalists. developing collaborations with Advano. (http://www.advanotech.com/) Plans are already in the works for AMRI researchers to pursue funding opportunities with Advano through the Louisiana Board of Regents Industrial Ties Program. Another success this quarter has been the return of both our undergraduate and high Other companies rent space on campus but school summer research programs. These this collaborative agreement with Advano programs have run continuously for 14 and represents a new paradigm in that these 15 years, respectively. While the researchers will also be collaborating with AMRI undergraduate program is supported faculty and using AMRI instrumentation (for a through federal funding, the high school fee) to carry out their research. This program receives support through a variety relationship gives Advano quick and of sources. To shore up this support, in the inexpensive access to a number of pieces of fall we will have a crowd funding campaign key instrumentation while producing a small in an effort to raise funds for future revenue stream for AMRI. Further, the summers. impromptu discussion between AMRI and Mardi Gras - We are already organizing Advano researchers has already produced new the Mardi Gras annual review. The plan is to avenues of collaboration such that joint th have the AMRI review on Thursday, Feb 8 research projects are naturally evolving, with and an all-day Mardi Gras Symposium on the expectation that grant applications to Board Friday, Feb 9th. Please stay tuned for of Regents Industrials ties programs are details on the program. – John Wiley expected to follow. AMRI - NEWSLETTER 1 Also significant in this relationship is the none of these funds will go to support UNO involvement of UNO/AMRI alumni. The co- faculty or staff and, all the supplies costs from founder and chief technical officer, Dr. Shiva the summer research effort will be covered by Adireddy, is a UNO graduate (M.S. 2011 and the faculty’s labs or through support from AMRI. Ph.D. in 2013 in Chemistry). The lab manager is Mark Granier, B.S. in Chemistry 2015. One AMRI Summer Outreach of the Advano summer interns, Pramathesh Maji, received a M.S. from UNO and in the fall Research Program 2017 will become a full-time student in the Ph.D. program in Chemistry. The 2017 AMRI/Chemistry Summer Outreach The company started at Tulane University Research Program began on May 30 with 5 (TU) and the technology is based on a patent undergraduate students, who were joined by 5 developed at TU. The President and CEO, high school students on June 5. The program Alex Girau, is a Tulane graduate (BS Loyola, continued through July 28, where the closing MS Tulane). event included a poster session and cook-out A recent press release from UNO about AMRI lunch. This summer research program has and Advano can be found at: continued every summer since 2002, when we http://www.uno.edu/campus- started with a program for high school students news/2017/Renewable-Energy-Start-Up- and teachers. The next year, 2003, our program Makes-UNO-Home.aspx was expanded to include undergraduate students. The AMRI summer research program Upcoming Crowd Funding Effort is designed to increase awareness and understanding of scientific research among undergraduates, high school students and AMRI will start a new crowd funding effort this teachers. No prior research experience is Fall to raise funds for our summer high school required for participation. Participants are research program. The target, $10,000, will conducting research on an independent project allow us to support 5 local high school students in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Materials this coming summer. The summer high school Science, Psychology, or Mechanical research program was started in 2002 with Engineering. They attend weekly seminar funds from the LA Board of Regents. Since that programs that allow for discussion of current time we were able to “piggyback” this program scientific issues, general research concepts, onto a number of grants. More recently, such and scientific ethics. We gratefully acknowledge funding opportunities have dissipated and so the support for this program by the following we will be seeking support from individuals. In sources: the Academy of Applied Sciences, the 16-year history of the program, we have through its Research and Engineering been able to support 149 students. All the Apprenticeship Program, the National Science students are from the Greater New Orleans Foundation through Award No. NSF CHE- area and include a strong representation from 1412670, Award No. NSF CHE-1507295, and underrepresented groups; historically we have Award No. NSF DMR-1262904, and the LA involved over 36% African American, over 10% Board of Regents through Contract No. BOR Latino, and over 60% female students. By DOE(2014-17)-UNO. raising these funds, we will be able to maintain and possibly expand the number of participants. It is important to note, that these funds will be used only for high school student stipends - AMRI - NEWSLETTER 2 Summer Outreach Program Anthony worked with Participants Dr. Matthew Tarr on the danslyation of NSF-REU Undergraduate Participants unactivated alcohols and surface oil from Kylene worked with the Deepwater Dr. Damon Smith Horizon spill. researching different dispersion methods Anthony J. Ross, Georgia and concentrations of Southern University carbon nanotubes in Dana worked with Dr. 3D printed polymers Viktor Poltavets on and their effects on both the synthesis of tensile strain and Kylene Pickett, LA Tech the doped nickelate, cross sectional University LaNi1‐xMxO2 (M= topography. Cu1+, Co1+), an Zhivon worked with analog to HTSC Dr. Wellie Zhou on a cuprates, and the materials science synthesis of Ca3VN3 research project ternary nitride, a Dana Karkoutli, Univ. of titled “Synthesis of potential catalyst for New Orleans Negative Electrode ammonia Materials for decomposition. Supercapacitors.” High School Student Participants Zhivon Johnson, Jackson State University Amaris worked with Katy worked with Dr. Dr. Zhengchang Liu Steve Rick on researching molecular dynamics retrograde signaling simulations of DMoE, transduction a monomer of pathways in yeast polyethylene cells through the use glycol(PEG), in of genetic mutations. aqueous phase of water using a model Amaris Lewis, Lusher Katy Wong, Tulane called coarse‐ Charter School University grain(CG). AMRI - NEWSLETTER 3 Julia worked with Dr. Congratulations to Dr. Damon Smith John Wiley on research focused on Dr. Damon Smith, Assistant Professor of different Mechanical Engineering, was awarded a nanoparticles and $200,000 LA Board of Regents grant. This implementing them research will improve the mechanical and into nanoscrolls, optical properties of materials used in 3-D nanotubes, or making printing by developing nanoparticle additives. Julia McDow, Mount nanopeapods. The hope is that these materials will ultimately Carmel Academy increase the applications of 3-D printing. A Ashley, with Dr. Elliott recent press release from UNO can be found at: http://www.uno.edu/campus- Beaton, researched news/2017/UNO-Faculty-Member-Awarded- children with 150000-Toward-Improving-Functionality-of-3-D- 22Q11.2DS (DiGeorge Printed-Products.aspx Syndrome) and how the deletion impacts a child’s ability to Dr. Viktor Poltavets Earns Award track multiple The Louisiana Space Consortium (LaSPACE) objects, compared to Ashley Presley, Riverdale has awarded an AMRI faculty, Dr. Viktor typical children in the High School Poltavets, $34,370 for one year for the proposal same age group. entitled ““Bulk Nanostructured Thermoelectric Vigneer worked with Materials with Quantum Confinement.” Dr. Viktor Poltavets Thermoelectric materials convert heat flow into on the creation of electricity. This effect is utilized for power Copper‐doped generation by radioisotope thermoelectric Nickelate compounds generators in many NASA missions (Apollo 12- for the purposes of 17, Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Viking 1, Viking 2, testing for Curiosity rover). The goal of the proposal is the superconductivity. investigation of bulk nanostructured Vigneer Reyes, Riverdale thermoelectric composites that exhibit quantum High School confinement, which represents a new approach Wenwen worked with toward increasing the energy conversion Dr. Steven Rick using efficiency of thermoelectrics. AMRI has coarse graining extensive capabilities for thermoelectrics techniques