NANO @ IOWA

News from the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute at UI
January 20, 2015 Items in red are new this issue.

(Others are carried forward from previous issues.)

1. Upcoming conferences and seminars including nanoscience and nanotechnology:

· Nanoinformatics Workshop

Arlington, VA

January 26-28, 2015

http://nanoinformatics.org/2015/overview

· Nanotech 2015 – The 14th International Nanotechnology Exhibition & Conference

Tokyo, Japan

January 28-30, 2015

http://www.nanotechexpo.jp

· Controlling fluorescence with nanostructures: Applications to biophysics and biotechnology

Dr. Joseph R. Lakowicz, PhD, Professor, Director, Center for Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine

University of Iowa Biochemistry & Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry Seminar

Thursday January 29, 2015, 10.30 a.m.

2117 MERF

Reception beforehand at 10.15 a.m. in MERF Break Room (Rm 3113)

· Nanomaterials for Applications in Energy Technology: Energy Conversion, Storage, and Transport

Ventura, CA

February 22-27, 2015

http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?id=15821

· SUN-SNO-GUIDENANO Sustainable Nanotechnology Conference

Venice, Italy

March 9-11, 2015

http://www.susnano.org/conferenceOverview2015SNO-SUN-GN.html

· U.S.-EU: Bridging nanoEHS Research Efforts Joint Workshop

Venice, Italy

March 12-13, 2015

http://us-eu.org/Calendar/eu-u-s-bridging-nanoehs-research-efforts-joint-workshop/

· Society of Toxicology 54th Annual Meeting

San Diego, CA

March 22-26, 2014

http://www.toxicology.org/AI/MEET/AM2015/

· SENN 2015 – International Congress on Safety of Engineered Nanoparticles and Nanotechnologies

Helsinki, Finland

April 12-15, 2015

http://www.ttl.fi/PARTNER/SENN2015/Pages/default.aspx

· ASME 2015 4th Global Conference on Nanengineering for Medicine and Biology

Minneapolis, MN

April 19-22, 2015

http://www.asmeconferences.org/NEMB2015/

· SETAC Europe 25th Annual Meeting

Barcelona, Spain

May 3-7, 2015

http://barcelona.setac.eu/general_info/welcome!/?contentid=790&pr_id=766&last=769&sub=790

· Third Annual Conference on Governance of Emerging Technologies: Law, Policy, and Ethics

Scottsdale, Arizona

May 26-28, 2015

http://conferences.asucollegeoflaw.com/get2015/

· TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo

Washington, DC

June 14-17, 2015

http://www.techconnectworld.com/World2015/

· International Symposium on Clusters and Nanomaterials (ISCAN)

Richmond, Virgina

October 26-29, 2015

http://www.iscan.vcu.edu

· 5th International Conference on Nanotek and Expo

San Antonio, Texas

November 16-18, 2015

http://nanotechnologyexpo.conferenceseries.com/

2. Upcoming grant opportunities and funding requests in nanoscience and nanotechnology:

· U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center Broad Agency Announcement

Department of Defense

Deadline Date: January 31, 2015

http://nano.gov/node/1270

· National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure

National Science Foundation nsf15-519

Deadline Dates: Letter of Intent February 2, 2015; Full proposal April 3, 2015

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505149&org=NNCO&sel_org=NNCO&from=fund

· NSF: Science of Science and Innovation Policy

National Science Foundation PD 09-7626

Deadline Date: February 9, 2015 and September 9, 2015

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=501084

· Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative Department of Defense Office of Naval Research

Department of Defense ONRFOA14-012

Deadline Date: February 23, 2015

http://www.grants.gov/view-opportunity.html?oppId=266208

· Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation Grant Program

Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation

Internal deadline: February 26, 2015

https://research.uiowa.edu/grantTrack/preselection.php?get=uiwins&GrantID=17949&Type=2

· Office of Naval Research – Research Opportunity – Select Topics in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Office of Naval Research ONR-15-SN-0002

Deadline Date: February 26, 2015

http://www.grants.gov/custom/viewOppDetails.jsp?oppId=269741

· Project on Advanced Systems and Concepts for Countering WMD (PASCC)

Naval Postgraduate School NPS-BAA-14-003

Deadline Date: March 31, 2015

http://www.nps.edu/Research/workingwithnps.html

· U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command Broad Agency Announcement for Extramural Medical Research

Department of Defense W81XWH-BAA-15-1

Deadline Date: September 30, 2015

http://nano.gov/node/1273

· Innovative Research in Cancer Nanotechnology

National Institutes of Health FOA Number: PAR-14-285

Deadline Date: April 15, 2015; October 15, 2015

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-285.html

· Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers Program

National Science Foundation nsf13-594

Deadline Dates: Letter of Intent June 26, 2015; Full proposal September 25, 2015

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5501&org=NNCO&sel_org=NNCO&from=fund

· FY 11-16 Basic Research for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction

Department of Defense HDTRA1-11-16-BRCWMD-BAA

Deadline Date: September 30, 2016 or until superseded

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=75633

· Army Research Laboratory BAA for Basic and Applied Scientific Research

Department of Defense FOA Number: W911NF-12-R-0011

Deadline Date: March 31, 2017

http://www.arl.army.mil/www/default.cfm?page=8

· Research interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Department of Defense BAA-AFOSR-2014-0001

Deadline Date September 30, 2017

http://nano.gov/node/1277

· Research interests of the US Air Force Academy

Department of Defense USAFA-BAA-2009-1

Deadline Date: September 30, 2018, or until superseded

http://www.federalgrants.com/Research-Interests-of-the-US-Air-Force-Academy-20503.html

· Image-guided Drug Delivery in Cancer

National Institutes for Health (NIH) FOA Number: PA-09-253

Deadline Dates: January 25, May 25, and September 25, annually

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-09-253.html

· Development of Multifunctional Drug and Gene Delivery Systems

National Institutes for Health (NIH) FOA Number: PA-10-048

Deadline Dates: February 5, June 5, and October 5, annually

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-048.html

· Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Biology and Medicine

National Institutes of Health (NIH) FOA Number: PA-11-148

Deadline Dates: February 5, June 5, October 5, annually

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-148.html

· Development of Appropriate Pediatric Formulations and Pediatric Drug Delivery Systems

National Institutes of Health FOA Number: PAR-11-301

Deadline Dates: February 5, June 5, October 5, annually

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-11-301.html

· Bioengineering Nanotechnology Initiative

National Institutes of Health (NIH) FOA Number: PA-10-149

Deadline Dates: April 5, August 5, December 5, annually

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=53500

· Cancer Diagnostic and Therapeautic Agents Enabled by Nanotechnology

National Institutes of Health (NIH) FOA Number: PAR-10-286

Deadline Dates: April 5, August 5, December 5, annually

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-286.html

· Complex Technologies and Therapeutics Development for Mental Health Research and Practice

National Institutes of Health FOA Number: PA-11-133

Deadline Dates: April 5, August 5, December 5, annually

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-133.html

· Metals and Metallic Nanostructures Program

National Science Foundation PD 09-1771

Deadline Dates: September 1-October 31, annually

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5351

· Naval Research Lab Wide Broad Agency Announcement

Department of Defense BAA-N00173-01

Deadline Date: September 30, annually

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=132454

· Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI)

National Science Foundation (NSF) Solicitation: 12-513

Full Proposal Accepted Anytime. See link for more details.

http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504699

3. Recent news and updates from NNI:

· Spring 2015 Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Symposium

Save the date! Friday April 10, 2015 all-day symposium with keynote speaker Dr Philip Demokritou, Associate Professor,Director, Laboratory for Environmental Health NanoScience (LEHNS), and Director, Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology Harvard School of Public Health who will talk on “In-vitro Dosimetry of Nanomaterials: Too complicated to consider, too important to ignore”

· Nano REU program receives funding

The National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) program in Nanosicence and Nanotechnology at The University of Iowa recently received funding for 3 more years, from 2015-2017. The program is co-directed by Professor Allan Guymon (Chemical and Biochemical Engineering) and Professor Sarah Larsen (Chemistry). The program will provide approximately eight undergraduate students with research experience in cutting edge topics related to environmental and health aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology. REU participants will have the opportunity to work with faculty mentors from the departments of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chemistry, and Pharmacy. The application deadline is March 2, 2015. Application materials will be posted on the website at http://nanotech.uiowa.edu/education/nano-reu-program/application

4. Highlights of some new interesting nanoscience and nanotechnology research and articles:

· DNA origami could lead to nano 'transformers' for biomedical applications

If the new nano-machines built at The Ohio State University look familiar, it's because they were designed with full-size mechanical parts such as hinges and pistons in mind. The project is the first to prove that the same basic design principles that apply to typical full-size machine parts can also be applied to DNA—and can produce complex, controllable components for future nano-robots. In a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Ohio State mechanical engineers describe how they used a combination of natural and synthetic DNA in a process called "DNA origami" to build machines that can perform tasks repeatedly. "Nature has produced incredibly complex molecular machines at the nanoscale, and a major goal of bio-nanotechnology is to reproduce their function synthetically," said project leader Carlos Castro, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. "Where most research groups approach this problem from a biomimetic standpoint—mimicking the structure of a biological system—we decided to tap into the well-established field of macroscopic machine design for inspiration."

http://phys.org/news/2015-01-dna-origami-nano-biomedical-applications

· Gold Nanorods Halt Growth of Cervical Cancer Cells

Researchers at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia have shown for the first time that gold nanorods can effectively stop the growth of cervical cancer cells. The laboratory study of attaching the nanorods to their cell receptors used the famous HeLa cell lines as a cervical cancer model. The gold nanorods, positioned where they are and with growth factors attached to their tips, stop the clustering of the cell receptors and halt the growth of the cell. This happens because apparently the cell receptors need to reach a certain density in a region for a signal from the growth factors to be passed into the cell.

http://www.medgadget.com/2014/12/gold-nanorods-halt-growth-of-cervical-cancer-cells.html

· NIST Sensor Could Improve One of Nano Research’s Most Useful Microscopes

Spotting molecule-sized features—common in computer circuits and nanoscale devices—may become both easier and more accurate with a sensor developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). With their new design, NIST scientists may have found a way to sidestep some of the problems in calibrating atomic force microscopes (AFMs). The AFM is one of the main scientific workhorses of the nano age. It can resolve features as small as individual atoms. Instead of magnifying with a lens, AFMs “feel” a surface, using a flexible cantilever with a tiny, sharp tip. As the tip passes near a nanoscale feature on a surface, interactions between the atoms on the tip and on the object’s surface cause the cantilever to bend, revealing the finest of details. Because the forces that cause the tip to bend are fairly weak, scientists have increased AFM sensitivity by making the tip vibrate at a particular frequency as it passes over the surface and measuring how much the frequency changes. Frequency can be measured more precisely than almost anything else in the physical sciences.

http://www.nist.gov/pml/div684/afm-121614.cfm

· Mixed nanoparticle systems may help purify water and generate hydrogen

A new catalyst could have dramatic environmental benefits if it can live up to its potential, suggests research from Singapore. A*STAR researchers have produced a catalyst with gold-nanoparticle antennas that can improve water quality in daylight and also generate hydrogen as a green energy source. This water purification technology was developed by He-Kuan Luo, Andy Hor and colleagues from the A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE). "Any innovative and benign technology that can remove or destroy organic pollutants from water under ambient conditions is highly welcome," explains Hor, who is executive director of the IMRE and also affiliated with the National University of Singapore. Photocatalytic materials harness sunlight to create electrical charges, which provide the energy needed to drive chemical reactions in molecules attached to the catalyst's surface. In addition to decomposing harmful molecules in water, photocatalysts are used to split water into its components of oxygen and hydrogen; hydrogen can then be employed as a green energy source. Hor and his team set out to improve an existing catalyst. Oxygen-based compounds such as strontium titanate (SrTiO3) look promising, as they are robust and stable materials and are suitable for use in water. One of the team's innovations was to enhance its catalytic activity by adding small quantities of the metal lanthanum, which provides additional usable electrical charges.

http://phys.org/news/2014-12-nanoparticle-purify-hydrogen.html

About NANO @ IOWA
NANO @ IOWA is a biweekly electronic newsletter to inform faculty, staff and students about important news and events in nanoscience and nanotechnology. This newsletter is provided as a service of the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute at UI (NNI).

To subscribe to NANO @ IOWA, please send an email to with subject line: Subscribe NANO @ IOWA. In the body of the message, type: (your first name) (your last name). To unsubscribe, send an email message to: with subject line: Unsubscribe NANO @ IOWA. In the body of the message, type: (your first name) (your last name).


If you have news for NANO @ IOWA, please e-mail

or call Jenny Nelson at 319-384-3292.
http://nanotech.uiowa.edu