UA Researchers Invite Public to ‘Science Cafe’ Jan. 15

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Researchers from The University of Alabama invite the public to learn more about nanotechnology – the science of the ultra small – via a Science Café scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 15 at the Barnes & Noble book store on McFarland Boulevard.

Between noon and 7 p.m. at the book store, located at 1800 McFarland Boulevard in Tuscaloosa, visitors to the Science Cafe are invited to enjoy a free cup of coffee, watch a nanotechnology demonstration, and talk with UA faculty and students about nanotechnology and its growing impact on our lives.

The event, hosted by Dr. Nitin Chopra, assistant professor of metallurgical and materials engineering at UA, is made possible via a grant he was awarded from the Alabama section of the American Chemical Society.

“Events such as this can serve to motivate the younger generation, in particular, to pursue careers in emerging science and technology – a necessity in developing the needed workforce,” Chopra said.

Chopra, a researcher within UA’s department of metallurgical and materials engineering as well as its Center for Materials for Information Technology, or MINT, said he plans to develop a similar outreach effort again in 2012.

Nanotechnology is a key in electronic and manufacturing advances, and it holds promise for better treatments and earlier detection of disease. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. For perspective, a sheet of notebook paper is 100,000 nanometers thick. Or, put another way, it would take a million nanometers to span a grain of sand. The University of Alabama is a leader in key segments of the nanotechnology field.

UA’s MINT Center is an interdisciplinary research center focusing on developing new materials to advance data storage. More than 30 faculty from seven academic programs comprise MINT. This research program was the first in the South to be designated as a National Science Foundation Materials Research and Science Engineering Center when it achieved that highly sought designation in 1994.

MINT is active in research and education through global professional partnerships, including industries, national laboratories and universities around the world.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering classes. Today, UA’s fully accredited College of Engineering has more than 2,700 students and more than 100 faculty. In the last eight years, students in the College have been named USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater scholars, Hollings scholars and Portz scholars.