Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - On April 20, two world-class speakers, John Patten and Chang Liu, will share their knowledge on nanotechnology and MEMS at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. This event is a continuation of the nanotechnology lecture series started earlier this semester by the UW-Platteville College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science (EMS).

Professor Patten is the first chair of the Manufacturing Engineering Department at Western Michigan University (WMU), as well as the first director of the Manufacturing Research Center at WMU. In 1986, Patten developed an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary Manufacturing Engineering Technology program at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. In 1988, he started the Precision Engineering program at UNC and was the catalyst behind the formation of the Carolinas' Consortium for Alternatively Fueled Electric Vehicles. At UW-Platteville, Patten will present "Comparison of Numerical and Experimental Results during Scratching of Silicon and Silicon Carbide."

Liu, an associate professor at the University of Illinois, working in the Microelectronics Laboratory, has had 14 years of experience in the MEMS area and has published 120 technical papers in journals and refereed conference proceedings. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses covering broad-ranging topics including MEMS, solid-state electronics, electromechanics and heat transfer, and is the author of one of the leading books in MEMS design. In 1998, Liu received the National Science Foundation's CAREER award for his research proposal of developing artificial haircells using MEMS technology. He is also currently a subject editor of the IEEE/ASME Journal of MEMS and an associate editor of the IEEE Sensors Journal. His presentation is titled, "Biologically Inspired Artificial Haircell Sensors: Designs, Materials and Applications."

UWP Professor Hisham A. Abdel-Aal, organizer of the nanotechnology lecture series, said, "The speakers are recognized experts in their respective fields. So it will be a very good chance for our students, faculty and the Platteville community at large to attend."

The spring 2006 semester marks the first semester UWP is offering an interdisciplinary class on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems and Nanotechnology. The lecture series serves as a complement to the course and is given by individuals in the field of nanotechnology, including researchers, engineers and academic specialists.

The event will be held on Thursday, April 20 in Room 222 of Ottensman Hall on the UWP campus. Patten's presentation will begin at 4 p.m., and Liu's presentation will begin at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will also be available. For more information, contact Abdel-Aal, UWP assistant professor of general engineering, at (608) 342-1515 or via e-mail atabdelaah@uwplatt.edu

Contact: Hisham A. Abdel-Aal, assistant professor, Department of General Engineering, (608) 342-1515, abdelaah@uwplatt.edu

Prepared by: Kate McKinney, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194,mckinnka@uwplatt.edu