Program and Participant Directory - wires - Georgia Institute of ...

Sarah Bergbreiter
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
University of Maryland, College Park
USA
Phone: 301-405-6506
Fax:
Email: sarahb@umd.edu
Website: http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~sarahb/
Primary Research Area: Nanotechnology/Microtechnology
Keywords: Microrobots, MEMS, Wireless Sensor Networks
Research program: Our vision is to engineer a new class of networked millimeter and centimeter-sized mobile
robots. We are exploring new microscale fabrication techniques, scaleappropriate locomotion, novel
mechanism design, and new ways to mechanically and electrically integrate microscale components. We are
also adapting these technologies for use in sensor networks, science, medicine and consumer products.
Research facilities available: Cm-scale wireless mobile robot network (10s to 100s of robots); Probe station and
other test equipment; UMd FabLab for MEMS fabrication; UMd NispLab for electron microscopy and
characterization
Research partners needed: Power – specifically energy scavenging and thin-film battery technology network
(10s to 100s of robots); Modeling with compliant mechanisms; New applications for cm and mm -scale robots,
actuators, and processes
Diana-Andra Borca-Tasciuc
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA
Phone: 5182746196
Email: borcad@rpi.edu
Website:
http://www.eng.rpi.edu/soe/directory_faculty_details.cfm?facultyID=borcad
Primary Research Area: Nanotechnology/Microtechnology
Keywords: power harvesting mems, biomems, thermal transport in micro
and nanosystems
Research program: Micro and nano-electro-mechanical systems - novel
techniques for kinetic to electric energy conversion employing: 1) variable
capacitors and 2) engineered fluid dynamic systems based on ferrofluids. We are investigating a fully integrated,
turnkey platform for nucleic acid extraction, purification, amplification, and detection for real time identification
of viruses and other biothreat agents. Energy transport at nanoscale - heat generation and dissipation to
understand the main parameters that affect these processes, such as nanoparticle coating, concentration and or
cluster formation. We are also developing a novel technique for measuring local temperature in the vicinity of
remotely heated nanoparticles.
Research facilities available: Fiber optic thermometry, High power amplifier, LCZ meter (up to 1 MHz), Vibration
measurement system, etc; Shared user facilities at RPI (for fee) -Class 100 CMOS compatible microfabrication
cleanroom -Biotechnology Center -Materials Science Center (AFM, SEM, TEM, Raman, and XPS systems -
Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovation
Research partners needed: Expertise in physics of ferrofluids; Magnetic nanoparticles synthesis;
Molecular dynamics for thermal transport characterization; Control systems for MEMS
19