UW-Whitewater: Nanoscience event set for Oct. 14

Students at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater have the chance to see advanced technology at work at the 2nd Nanoscience Symposium: Year of the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The event will be held from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14 in Upham Hall.

“Nanoscience is really mind-blowing,” said Jalal Nawash, assistant professor of physics. “We are really proud of what we’re doing here at UW-Whitewater and we want students to be a part of it.”

Nanoscience is the study of tiny materials about ten times bigger than an atom. Particles behave and look different at the nano level. By using equipment like the AFM, scientists can see and manipulate the particles, creating the potential for myriad advances in technology, from new ways fight cancer to stain-resistant clothes.

The state-of-the-art AFM on campus cost roughly $400,000, and UW-Whitewater is one of few college campuses in the nation to own the machinery. Students and faculty have the opportunity to use the AFM to closely examine tiny particles and see how different qualities such as conductivity and color change at the nano level.

“Nature has been doing nanoscience forever, we’re just trying to copy what nature is doing. Now we have the means to do it,” Nawash said.

Dr. James Hamilton, Ph.D., a distinguished professor of chemistry and engineering physics at UW-Platteville, will be the keynote speaker for the Symposium.

“If you don’t know what nanoscience is yet, you should be curious about what it is. It’s applicable to all biology, chemistry and physics backgrounds, and it’s the new hot thing in science,” Nawash said.

The event is free and open to the public. Anyone from the UW system, teachers from local schools and people from local businesses are encouraged to attend. The symposium will feature workshops, poster presentations and AFM demos.

More info: http://www.uww.edu/cls/nano/