what is isis?
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ISIS,
the Institute For Surface and Interface Science,
is the home of nanoscience on the University of California, Irvine
(UCI) campus. More specifically, ISIS is one of 16 Organized
Research Units (ORUs) on the UCI campus.
fax:
(949) 824-8125Hermann Gaub, Chair of Applied Physics at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Münich, has remarked, “At the nanometer scale, the differences between disciplines disappear”[1]. His point is that a protein nanoparticle, an aerosol nanoparticle, and a semiconductor nanoparticle are remarkably similar because all conform to the same immutable laws: • Thermodynamics: As the dimensions of a nanostructure decrease, the surface free energy per unit area and the fraction of molecules on the boundary of a nanovolume increase[2], with profound implications both for structure, mechanical properties, and chemical reactivity[3]. Biologists, chemists, physicists, and engineers who engage nanometer-scale structures in their research also rely on many of the same tools: Scanning probe microscopes, electron microscopes, and spectroscopies including solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to mention just a few. The main point is that in nanoscience, intellectual and physical economies of scale are present. The Institute For Surface and Interface Science (ISIS) is a consortium of physicists, chemists, engineers, and biologists with common research interests in nanoscience. ISIS exists to do excellent research in nanoscience. In pursuit of this goal, ISIS has the following objectives: 1. Initiate new research thrusts in nanoscience that exploit the expertise of more than one ISIS faculty member. When this happens, ISIS members will publish joint papers. 2. ‘Vertically integrate’ the research of ISIS members. Vertical integration means coupling theory with experiments aimed at elucidating fundamental atomic scale phenomena, and the fabrication of new devices that exploit the fundamental breakthroughs. Again, the evidence that this is occurring is the existence of joint research publications. 3. Develop a research infrastructure, including shared instrumentation. 4. Win multi-investigator centers (e.g. NIRTs, MURIs, CBCs, and MRSECs) by leveraging the fruit of ISIS-mediated collaborations. A disproportionate fraction of the funding in nanoscience is dedicated to multi-investigator programs. ISIS and it faculty must win centers in order to compete in the nanoscience arena. To achieve these objectives, ISIS organizes Activities and it produces Products. Activities are organized by the ISIS director, supported by its staff, and funded at least in part by the Institute. Products are generated by ISIS members with ISIS staff support and, often, ISIS funding. These Products and Activities are the following: Products: 1. Grant proposals for new multi-user instruments. This activity by ISIS members is supported by ISIS staff. In 2005/2006, a successful proposal to NSF CRIF ($275k) will be used to fund a new powder XRD instrument. 2. Grant proposals for centers or for interdisciplinary science and science training. This activity by ISIS members is supported by ISIS staff. In 2005/2006, a NSF IGERT pre-proposal for a new graduate training program, titled: NanoMaterials, Architectures, and Processes (NanoMAP), was submitted. 3. The ISIS website: http://www.physics.uci.edu/~isis/. This web site, which is maintained by ISIS staff, advertises all ISIS activities, including research by ISIS scientists. Activities: 4. The ISIS weekly coffee. This coffee (Fridays, 1-2pm, NS2 Room 1115) is the focal point for discussions of science as well as new BAAs and RFPs. The ISIS coffee is where new ideas are hatched and where grant proposals between ISIS members are initiated. 5. ISIS administrative support of funded proposals. In 2005/2006, two centers – an NSF NIRT and an NSF CBC – were administered by ISIS. Included in the support provided by ISIS staff is the coordination of educational outreach activities of the NSF CBC project. 6. ISIS-sponsor seminars. In 2005/06, ISIS sponsored 25 seminars. 7. ISIS-sponsored workshops. In 2005/06, ISIS organized and partially funded two workshops: The California Symposium on Nanomagnetism, April 10-11, 2006, http://www.physics.uci.edu/%7Eisis/UCDiscovery-Symposium/ and Yountville Conference, June 25 - 28, 2006, Napa Valley Lodge in Yountville, California http://www.physics.uci.edu/%7Eisis/Yountville/index.html. 8. ISIS poster sessions: These biannual (Dec. and June) poster sessions celebrate the accomplishments of ISIS researchers, and they provide an opportunity for ISIS students and postdocs to meet, interact, and collaborate. The Dec. 2005 poster session was the largest in ISIS history with 30 poster presentations. 9. The ISIS Distinguished Lecturer Program. In 2006, the ISIS Distinguished Lecturer will be Prof. Michael Grunze of the Univ. of Heidelberg. Michael will be at UCI for one week in October. This program advertises ISIS research to some of the world’s most prominent scientists, and it catalyzes interactions between ISIS faculty. Literature References (1) Moore, A. "Brave Small World: Biotechnology and Nanotechnology May Give Rise to a Completely New Industry", EMBO reports 2001, 2, 86-89. (2) Sakai, H. "Surface-induced melting of small particles", Surf Sci 1996, 351, 285-291. (3) Delogu, F. "Thermodynamics on the nanoscale", J Phys Chem B 2005, 109, 21938-21941. (4) Alivisatos, A. P. "Semiconductor Clusters, Nanocrystals, and Quantum Dots", Science 1996, 271, 933-937. (5) Mansoori, G. A. Principles of Nanotechnology- Molecular-Based Study of Condensed Matter in Small Systems; World Publishing Co., 2005. (6) Astumian, R. D. "Thermodynamics and Kinetics of a Brownian Motor", Science 1997, 276, 917. |