UW-Stevens Point: UWSP researchers at congressional briefing in Washington February 23

University Relations and Communications, 715-346-3046, Fax 715-346-2042, http://www.uwsp.edu/news

A congressional panel has tapped a University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point scientist to share his experiences in the kind of “high-risk, high-reward” research that leaders in Washington and Madison alike are eyeing as key to jump-starting the nation’s economy. Professor Michael Zach will discuss his groundbreaking work in nanotechnology at a briefing co-hosted by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), and the House Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Caucus on Tuesday, Feb. 23.

Zach, a UWSP assistant professor of chemistry and a guest researcher at the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, recently received a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award for his work in the production of nanowires.

“My research is geared toward providing the right set of conditions for self-assembly of nanowires using low-energy methods rather than using more traditional brute force methods for manufacturing,” said Zach. “My research targets new ways to produce patterned nanowires that can then be grown into circuits and components for manufacturing materials with vastly improved material properties.”

The CUR luncheon and presentation, “Transformative Research at Undergraduate Institutions: The Capacity to Revolutionize,” is from noon–1:30 p.m., B338 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

”Mike Zach’s research holds great potential in applications in the marketplace and is a prime example of the research-to-jobs opportunities being generated at universities like UW-Stevens Point,” said UWSP Interim Chancellor Mark Nook. “Another significant benefit are the opportunities our applied research present to our undergraduates, who are hands on in our laboratories alongside professors like Dr. Zach,” Nook added.

Accompanying Zach will be UWSP chemistry student Tyler Shogren of Amherst, Wis. Shogren received a bachelor’s degree in English from UW-Madison prior to attending UWSP. He returned to college at UWSP and took an introductory course in chemistry, became intrigued by Zach’s research and became a full-time chemistry major. Shogren has since joined an active research group under Zach’s supervision and has been given the opportunity to conduct work at Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials. Shogren’s research is in sharpening normally tiny carbon fibers down to even smaller, nanometer dimensions for use as basic tools in future research. He has just been accepted to the doctorate program in chemistry at North Carolina State University where he plans to continue research in nanotechnology.

The CUR briefing will feature Zach and other national experts on the topic of transformative research. The discussion will examine our nation’s broad, long-term capacity for applied research and related regional economic and workforce development.