In order to provide students with the training required to meet the substantial and diverse challenges of the 21st Century, effective programs in engineering, science, and technology must continue to take the lead in developing high-impact educational practices. Over the past year, faculty across several departments collaborated in the establishment of a campus 3D printing and fabrication center. This facility was founded to offer opportunities for exploring innovative active learning strategies in order to enhance the lives of Wabash College students and serve as a model to other institutions of higher education. This campus resource provides the infrastructure that will empower faculty and staff to explore diverse and meaningful cross-disciplinary collaborations related to teaching and learning across campus. New initiatives include the development of courses on design and fabrication, collaborative cross-disciplinary projects that bridge courses in the arts and sciences, 3D printing and fabrication-based undergraduate research internships, and entrepreneurial collaborations with local industry. These innovative approaches are meant to open the door to greater active learning experiences that empower and prepare students for creative and practical problem solving. Furthermore, service learning projects, community-based opportunities, and global outreach initiatives provide students with a sense of social responsibility, ethical awareness, leadership, and teamwork. This paper shares initial successes of this effort and goals for future enrichment of student learning.

Sci-Toons is a new, experimental, teaching and learning approach that engages students in materials science research via interaction with experts, narrative, visual representations, iterative feedback and multimedia platforms. Based on a model (the Multimedia Theoretical Learning Framework) and multimedia design principles, Sci-Toon Creation Group (SCG) members, which include both science and non-science majors, work with faculty to produce video animations dealing with scientific topics. The creative process of producing scripts for two selected Sci-Toons videos dealing with materials science subjects (Graphene and Conductive Polymers) are discussed; initial and final versions of each are combined through use of Word Clouds.

The videos that are produced are distributed via the internet, providing instruction and information about materials sciences and other STEM topics. Demographic data about the types of individuals downloading these Sci-Toons are provided.

We conclude that Sci-Toons can be used in both formal and informal educational settings for science learning and teaching as well as in communicating materials science concepts to broad audiences including females and underrepresented minorities students.

Summer research placements are an effective training and research tool. Over three years, our group has hosted nine pre-university students over periods of four to six weeks. Apart from student training and skills acquisition, the placements have produced several peer-reviewed technical publications. Our approach relies on careful pre-planning of activities, frequent student interaction, coupled with independent and group learning. We explore the advantages and disadvantages of this manner of running summer placements.

This paper outlines updates to and evaluation of a learning module that incorporates a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation tool with a physical lab to introduce students to the atomic-level processes that are responsible for plastic deformation. Sophomore materials science and engineering (MSE) students at Purdue University get experience with both a physical laboratory, where they perform and analyze tensile tests of macroscopic samples, and a simulation laboratory, where they run and analyze MD simulations of tensile tests of metal nanowires. By integrating these two activities and discussing reasons for the large difference in yield stress, students may build an intuitive feel for how plastic deformation is linked across length scales

Educators are advocating a variety of 21st century technologies to increase student engagement and prepare them for the modern workplace. As part of this effort this paper describes the development of several introductory laboratory activities which enhance online collaborative skills in the context of group collaborations. The experiments mostly deal with measurement and error in the context of mathematical modeling. They inculcate online collaborative skills including group writing, collection of experimental data, student feedback, and assessment using forms, spreadsheets with data pooling, real-time graphing/computations, and discussions using chat. These are all available in Google Drive, a free cloudbased application. We have also introduced student collaborative-pair computational spreadsheet assignments, and results of two projects in general chemistry are presented. Building formative assessment into these activities allows for immediate adjustment to instruction. This approach could be used from middle school through the undergraduate level. It can be implemented both in informal education or formal classroom settings by enhancing interactions with remote partners. Student evaluations have been very positive for the variety of activities, as well as from workshop feedback from high school teachers.

This work is focused on the laser ablation synthesis of Cu/Ag nanocolloids in chitosan-based aqueous solution using a flow cell. A two-step process using femtosecond laser pulses was applied to consecutively ablate each metal. As-prepared nanomaterials were morphologically and spectroscopically characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy, UV-Vis and X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopies. Application of Cu/Ag nanomaterials is envisaged as antibacterial materials for food packaging.

We introduce a new set of multifunctional metal-coordinating polymers as ligands for the surface functionalization of three different inorganic nanocrystals: luminescent quantum dots (QDs), magnetic iron oxide nanocrystals and metal gold nanoparticles. The ligand design relies on the introduction of a large but controllable number of anchoring groups, hydrophilic moieties and reactive functionalities all in the same polymer chain, via a one-step nucleophilic addition reaction. Nanocrystals capped with these polymer ligands exhibit long-term stability over a broad range of biological conditions. Furthermore, when zwitterion groups are introduced as hydrophilic blocks, this yields a compact ligand coating that allows conjugation of biomolecules to the nanocrystals via metal-histidine self-assembly. The resulting hydrophilic nanocrystals have been used to develop a few specific sensing platforms targeting soluble iron ions and cysteine.

The motivation of this study is to learn more about the effect of lipid to polymer ratios on the biosensing platform in lipid-based vesicles. Nanoparticles are useful because of their ability to detect cancer in the body with the aid of antibodies. This early detection is crucial in avoiding the rapid spread of tumors. In this study, nanoparticles were synthesized for bio-sensing applications. This was accomplished by combining a long chain lipid (dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, DPPC) and a short chain lipid (diheptanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, DHPC). After this, the nanoparticles underwent a temperature cycling procedure. Next, the nanoparticles went through a 100nm extrusion filter. This transformed the multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) into unilamellar vesicles (ULVs). The polymer (polypropylene oxide - polyethylene oxide - polypropylene oxide) was then added to the samples, which served as a linker to create a cluster of ULVs. The clustering process was monitored using apparent UV absorption and dynamic light scattering. Dynamic light scattering reflects the hydrodynamic radius of the particle and UV absorption records the change in turbidity. If large clusters are formed, then both the UV absorption and the hydrodynamic radius will increase. Three different polymer to lipid ratios were used: 2.5:1, 1:1, and 0.5:1. The results show that with an increase of polymer to lipid ratios, the aggregation process was facilitated. The nanoparticles were fabricated at the Self-Assembled Functional Nanomaterials (SAFN) lab under the mentorship of Professor Mu-Ping Nieh. The results of this study could provide a more effective way to detect malignant cancer cells in susceptible patients.

Here we report on the effect of gamma radiation treatment on transport properties and single-trap kinetics in Si nanowire (NW) field effect transistor (FET) structures. We used noise spectroscopy as a powerful method for advanced physical characterization of nanoscale devices. Our results demonstrate that transport properties of NW FETs can be changed using small doses of gamma radiation treatment. We reveal an enhancement of the gate coupling effect, which is explained as a result of the reorganization of the native defect structure after treatment. The radiation treatment approach allows the single-trap dynamic to be changed, which opens up prospects for a number of fundamental studies and applications of Si NW FET device structures, including biosensors.

Silicon nanotubes (SiNTs) represent unique building blocks for future nanoscale biosensor devices merging electronic sensing and nanofluidics. Configured as ion-sensitive field effect transistors (ISFETs), SiNTs have great potential for charge sensing or label-free chemical detection in minute sample volumes flowing through their inner cavity. In the present study, doped SiNTs were synthesized from the gas phase in a bottom-up approach. To study their nanofluidic and electronic transport properties, single SiNTs were functionally integrated as ISFETs and coupled to a microfluidic system. The experimental results for ion diffusion through a SiNT are in full agreement with numerical calculations based on Fick's second law if a diffusion coefficient is assumed approximately one order of magnitude smaller than the bulk value.

Submicron-sized poly(lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles (PLGA-NPs) stabilised with bovine serum albumin (BSA) are dual radiolabelled using gamma emitters with different energy spectra incorporated into the core and coating. PLGA core is labelled by encapsulation of 111In-doped iron oxide NPs inside PLGA-NPs during NP preparation, while the BSA coating is labelled by electrophilic substitution using 125I. After intravenous administration into rats, energy-discriminant single-photon emission computerised tomography (SPECT) resolved each radioisotope independently. Imaging revealed different fates for the core and coating, with a fraction of the two radionuclides co-localising in the liver and lungs for long periods of time after administration, suggesting that NPs are stable in these organs. The general methodology reported here represents an excellent alternative for visualising the degradation process of multi-labelled NPs in vivo and can be extended to a wide range of engineered NPs.

Given their low toxicity and natural presence in the human diet, selenium nanoparticles have been established as potential candidates for the treatment of numerous cancers. In this study, red-allotrope selenium nanoparticles (rSeNPs) were synthesized and characterized. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cell lines were cultured and exposed to rSeNPs at concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 100μg rSeNP/mL media for one to three days. The cytotoxicity of rSeNP towards HNSCC and HDF was analyzed. Results indicated that the particles were approximately four times as cytotoxic toward HNSCC compared to HDF, with their respective IC50 values at 19.22 and 59.61μg rSeNP/mL media. Using statistical analysis, an effective dosage range for killing HNSCC cells while simultaneously minimizing damage to HDF over a three-day incubation was established as 20 to 55μg rSeNP/mL media. Such results indicate that rSeNPs are a potential option for treating HNSCC. Due to its ability to minimize nanoparticle agglomeration, making a it a candidate with which to functionalize selenium, similar assays were performed using poly(ethylene glycol) with a molecular weight of 200g/mol (PEG200), with results indicating that only a slight cytotoxic effect exists for HNSCC and almost no effect for HDF.

The main objective of this report is to demonstrate novel engineering technologies to investigate regulatory mechanisms of systems immunology in a time-dependent and high-throughput manner. Understanding of immune system behavior is crucial for accurate prognosis of infections and identification of diseases at early stage. An ultimate goal of biomedical engineering is to develop predictive models of immune system behavior in tissue, which necessitates a comprehensive map of dynamic (time-dependent) input-output relationships at the individual cell level. Traditionally, biochemical analysis on the cell signaling is obtained from bulky cell ensembles which average over relevant individual cell response. The response consists firstly of signaling protein (cytokine) secretions which are released during a disease state and which are used to activate the immune system to respond to the disease. We investigate the cytokine secretion dynamics of a single immune cell in response to the stimulant using automated and comprehensive optofluidic platforms. These platforms enable survival and manipulation of single cells in compartments having compatible sizes with cells as well as provide precise control over the type, dose and time-course of the stimulant. The cytokine secretion dynamics of single cell are typically explained by measuring the types, rates, frequencies and concentrations of various cytokines. For the quantitative measurements, label free localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) based biosensor can be integrated within the microfluidic device. Microfluidic channels can confine secreted cytokines in compartments, minimize dilution effects and increase detection sensitivity for label free plasmonic biosensing. The direct application of LSPR to in-situ live cell function analysis is still in its infancy and use of such in-situ, real time, and label free biodetection will effortlessly provide high-throughput quantitative bioanalysis for understanding immune system behavior.