PEOPLE & PLACES

APRIL 2009 | VOLUME 12 | NUMBER 440

Celebrate Darwin’s 200th birthday It is two hundred years, 73,000 revolutions of the

planet and several million permutations of the fruit

fly since Charles Darwin was born. Budding scientists

from across the globe will pay homage to the man and

revolutionary ideas on evolution in a series of special

events this summer.

Featuring a packed program of seminars,

lectures and fascinating site visits, London

international youth science forum (LIYSF) 2009

will center on ‘Science serving mankind’ as it looks

to develop Darwinian notions regarding the very

advancement of human endeavour. “We believe it

will enable a host of young scientists from across

the globe to leave the event fuelled with a multitude

of scientific ideas for the future,” says Richard

O’Kennedy.

Apart from a series of discussions on Charles Darwin,

the forum will focus on the future of energy on the

planet with contributions from some of the world’s

leading scientists, dignitaries and industry pioneers.

This year the forum will be led by key note speaker

physicist, Professor John Ellis, from the European

organization for nuclear research (CERN).

Attracting 300 outstanding science students globally

aged 17-21 years old, from over 50 participating

countries, LIYSF is dedicated to catalyzing interactions

between young people throughout the world

with science as a central theme. LIYSF will also be

celebrating a landmark in its own existence – it’s

now in its 50th year. Applications for LIYSF 2009 – July

29 to August 12 - are now open! For more information

visit www.liysf.org.uk or email enquiries@liysf.org.uk

Asylum research speakers featured at MRS spring meetingAsylum Research scientists will be presenting their

recent work in piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM)

at the upcoming MRS spring meeting, session JJ, in San

Francisco, CA on April 15-17, 2009.

Asylum’s Dr Roger Proksch will be co-instructor for a

tutorial on April 15 on “Nanoscale electromechanics

and piezoresponse force microscopy - Recent advances

and applications to ferroelectric and biological

systems” with Dr Alexei Gruverman (University

of Nebraska-Lincoln) and Dr William Brownell

(Baylor College of Medicine). Dr Proksch will also be

presenting an invited paper entitled “Multifrequency

response and dissipation mapping in active materials”

on April 16, followed by “Nanoindentation-based

piezoresponse imaging and strain-induced modification

of ferroelectric domains” presented by Dr Alejandro

Bonilla (with Keith Jones and Roger Proksch), also of

Asylum Research.

Partnership formed to advance nonwovens and technical textilesThe Institute of Environmental and Human Health

(TIEHH) at Texas Tech University announces a

partnership with Enercon Industries Corp. that will

combine each organization’s expertise to develop

technology to advance the functionality of nonwovens

and technical textiles.

Seshadri Ramkumar, an associate professor in the

nonwovens and advanced materials laboratory of

TIEHH, said the partnership seeks to explore the

opportunities of commercializing atmospheric

plasma technology in the nonwovens and specialty

fabrics industry to make apparel-grade nonwovens

and other value-added fabrics, such as liquid-repellent

fabrics and breathable protective fabrics. “We are very

excited at the possibilities of working with Enercon,”

Ramkumar said. “Initial lab trials indicate that

Enercon’s atmospheric plasma technology improves

a nonwoven fabric’s breathability by as much as

95 percent, which is a welcoming result for exploring

atmospheric plasma for a number of value-added

applications.”

New CEO of institute of nanotechnology The Institute of Nanotechnology (IoN) – a global

leader in the provision of education, information

and support to the development of nanotechnology

– is pleased to announce the appointment of

Dr Mark Morrison as its chief executive officer, on

the retiral of the original founder and CEO, Ottilia

Saxl.

Dr Morrison, scientific manager at the Institute of

Nanotechnology since 2003, succeeds Ottilia Saxl,

who has spearheaded the role of the institute as

a provider of education, training and information

to industry, government bodies, academia

and the public at large through a culture of

entrepreneurship, initiative and creativity. Ottilia

Saxl will continue to represent IoN in the Nano-TV

project which involves the production of a series of

14 short films on FP5 and FP6 research results in

nanotechnology.

As scientific manager, Dr Morrison has been

instrumental in IoN winning several prestigious

contracts within the European Union’s seventh

framework program, including two major projects,

ObservatoryNano and ICPCNanonet, which have a

combined funding of €5.3 million.

Cambridge anniversary year beginsIn 2009, the University of Cambridge

reaches a special milestone – 800 years

of people, ideas and achievements that

continue to transform and benefit the

world.

Celebrating the best of Cambridge’s

rich history and looking forward to

the future, the University will reflect

on the myriad of achievements and

world-changing ideas born within

its walls, from the establishment

of the fundamentals of physics

to the discovery of the structure

of DNA; from the transformative

thinking of great Cambridge

philosophers, poets and artists to the

groundbreaking work of its many Nobel

Prize winners.

WITec - Advanced customer training programWITec, a manufacturer of high-resolution

optical and scanning probe microscopy

solutions, has established the WITec

academy as a new forum for advanced

instrument and software operation

training. It offers a variety of basic

and expert level courses covering the

entire range of WITec products and

potential applications. Experienced and

new users can benefit from a graded

course structure with seminars and

extensive hands-on training sessions.

The full day courses are held frequently

throughout the year to accommodate

the attendees’ schedules. Small group

sizes for each course guarantee individual

mentoring for the most thorough

instruction.

Agilent technologies introduces new automation brandAgilent Technologies Inc. has

renamed Velocity11 as Agilent

Automation Solutions and selected

LabAutomation2009 to introduce

the new division. The company

is also launching new products

and applications designed to help

researchers and scientists increase

productivity and decrease costs.

Agilent Automation Solutions is part

of the Agilent’s Life Sciences Solutions

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