Conversations
in Science
for
K-12 Educators
A program conceived and organized by the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with the collaboration of the Madison Metropolitan School District and the Edgewood Sonderegger Science Center.
Nanotechnology: The Next Big Thing, Only Smaller
Wendy Crone
Associate Professor Department of Engineering Physics -- U of W - Madison
About the conversation:
In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as an exciting new arena of scientific
research and technological innovation. Nanotechnology is the study and design
of materials and systems at the nanoscale – the scale of atoms and molecules.
Based on researchers’ growing ability to manipulate matter on such a small
scale, some believe that nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize our
lives. Already nanotechnology is impacting the way we live in small ways, with
applications ranging from stain-resistant pants to self-cleaning windows to
longer-lasting tennis balls. Research on nanoscale exploration of materials
is poised to impact a vast array of industries in the future. I will talk about
some of the research we are conducting in my lab to fabricate nanoscale materials,
“see” what we have created at the nanoscale, and manipulate these
nanoscale materials so that we may one day be able to incorporate them into
engineering designs.
About the professor:
Wendy C. Crone is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Physics
at the University of Wisconsin - Madison with affiliate faculty appointments
in the Materials Science Program and the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Her research interests focus on improving fundamental understanding of mechanical
response of materials, improving material behavior through surface modification
and nanostructuring, and developing new applications and devices. Prof. Crone
has conducted research on shape memory alloys, metallic single crystals, and
biomaterials with specific emphasis on pseudoelastic behavior, plastic deformation,
and fracture in these materials. Applications for these materials occur in the
microelectronics, aerospace, and biomedical industries. Her research has been
funded by the Whitaker Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research,
the Department of Energy, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and
the National Science Foundation. Prof. Crone is also the Director of the Interdisciplinary
Education Group of the University of Wisconsin Materials Research Science and
Engineering Center (MRSEC) on nanostructured materials and interfaces. This
education and outreach effort, focused on Exploring the Nanoworld, impacts all
levels of learners, as well as in-service teachers and the general public. Prof.
Crone is the Vice-Chair and co-founder of the MEMS and Nanotechnology Technical
Division for the Society for Experimental Mechanics and the University of Wisconsin
representative to the Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Exemplar of the
Worldwide University Network.
References and Suggested Readings:
Daniel Ratner and Mark Ratner, Ch. 1 “Introducing Nano” and Ch.
2 “Size Matters,” Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction (Upper Saddle
River: Pearson Education, 2003).
A.K. Bentley, J.S. Trethewey, A.B. Ellis, W.C. Crone, “Magnetic Manipulation of Copper-Tin Nanowires Capped with Nickel Ends,” Nano Letters, 4(3) 487-490 (2004).
G.A. Shaw, J.S. Trethewey, A.D. Johnson, W.J. Drugan, W.C. Crone, “Thermomechanical High-Density Data Storage in a Metallic Material via the Shape-Memory Effect,” to appear in Advanced Materials.
R.W. Carpick, M. Salmeron,“Scratching the surface: Fundamental investigations of tribology with atomic force microscopy.” Chemical Reviews, 97 (4), 1163 (1997).
MRSEC “Exploring the Nanoworld” Education Site, http://www.mrsec.wisc.edu/nano/