PennEngineering professor Mark Allen <\/p>\n
What goes on in the orange world behind the glass wallsof the nanotechnology building? The Daily Pennsylvanian sat down with Engineering professor Mark Allen, the Inaugural Scientific Director of the Singh Center for Nanotechnology, to get an inside look. <\/p>\n
The Daily Pennsylvanian:What does nanotechnology actually mean? <\/p>\n
Mark Allen: The best way to describe it is applying the science of the very small. There are two interesting things that happen when things get really small. One is that by being able to put very small things in close proximity you can build up complex systems. Weird quantum things also start to occur; things you normally think are intuitive, stop being intuitive. <\/p>\n
DP:Why has this field become so popular recently? <\/p>\n
MA: Over the past 20 years, the ability to manipulate things on small scales has become available. There have been tremendous examples of impactful successes, like the integrated circuit, that allow people to see the benefit of making things smaller and smaller. <\/p>\n
DP:What is your area of research? <\/p>\n
MA: Our research group is in the area of MEMS, which stands for micro-electro-mechanical systems. A lot of things that are sensed in the natural world are through these mechanical structures. For example, iPhones have small accelerometersinside that measure the acceleration due to gravity and adjusts the screen appropriately. These small mechanical structures started off as devices in cars to fire off airbags, since then they have become widespread. <\/p>\n
DP:What are other applications for your research in MEMS? <\/p>\n
MA:Some other things weve done in our groupweve built devices that are planted in the body and are used to measure pressures inside the body. This information can be communicated wirelessly to doctors and they can figure out how best to help people with heart failure. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Here is the original post:<\/p>\n
Singh Center Director talks nanotechnology<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PennEngineering professor Mark Allen What goes on in the orange world behind the glass wallsof the nanotechnology building? The Daily Pennsylvanian sat down with Engineering professor Mark Allen, the Inaugural Scientific Director of the Singh Center for Nanotechnology, to get an inside look. The Daily Pennsylvanian:What does nanotechnology actually mean? Continue reading