2007 - Chemical & Biomedical Engineering - University of South ...

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Faculty and Research Interests Dr. Norma A. Alcantar Assistant Professor alcantar@eng.usf.edu (813) 974-8009 website: http://www.eng.usf.edu/~alcantar Education: Post-Doctoral Research in Materials Science, University of California, Dept of Chem. Eng & Mat Sci/UC Davis & Mat Res Lab/UCSB, CA, USA. Ph.D in Chemical Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara, 2000. B.S. in Chemical Engineering, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico. Research Interests: Surface Forces and Chemical Characterization of Biomimetic Membranes, Amyloid Beta Peptides, Micellar Surfactants, Chemically Active Surfaces, Natural Materials, and Drug Delivery Systems. Using natural materials to produce safe drinking water Waterborne diseases from pathogens and contaminants afflict a majority of the World’s population, especially in developing countries. A major victory in the battle against infectious and chronic diseases can be won if safe drinking water can be made available for people irrespective of their economic conditions. Basic understanding of the local customs and attitudes regarding water use is required to design and implement a Nopal Cactus Plant: Opuntia ficus-indica technology using locally obtainable, natural materials that can provide clean drinking water to low-income communities in such pressing need. The long-term goal of this research project is to develop, implement, and test a culturally appropriate, economically viable, and environmentally and socially sustainable “green technology” for water purification using cactus mucilage in rural and developing communities of Mexico, which have been exposed to polluted drinking water and where access to conventional filtration technology is limited. Funding Source: Sustainable Communities: Water Project, USF-State of Florida. Systematic Study of Amyloid Beta Peptides: Implications for Alzheimer’s Disease This research project examines how antibodies against amyloid beta (Aß) peptides modify the process of aggregate formation, the corresponding changes in conformation, and the time-lines related to the antibody- Aß interactions. By studying the effects of amyloid peptides with 40, 42 or 41 amino acid sequences, both separated or combined, will allow one to understand the effects of length and end group of the peptide. The long term objective of this work is to identify the extent to which antibodies can modify Aß secondary structure and determine what the impact of this mechanism might be in relation to other mechanisms in mouse models and patients. Funding source: Rinat-Pfizer. Amyloid-β Peptide Fibrillar Assembly as Seeing using Atomic Force Microscopy (Scan size: 10µm x10µm). Recent Research Projects ‣ Conducting and Semi-transparent Chemically Active Surfaces ‣ Antibody Mediated Conformational Changes in Aß Peptides ‣ Critical technologies and strategies for meeting the UN’s Millennium Development Goals on water and sanitation ‣ Study of the Flocculating Capacity of Nopal Mucilage ‣ Transforming the Educational Experience of Transfer Students in Chemical Engineering using a Multi-Dimensional Approach ‣ Drug delivery systems for cancer patients Recent Publications and Patents Anzalone, A., Boles, J., Greene, G., Young, K., Israelachvili, J., Alcantar, N., Confined Fluids and their Role in Pressure Solution. Chemical Geology, 2006. 230 (3-4):220- 231. Jiménez, J., Heim II, A., Matthews, G., Alcantar, N., Construction and Characterization of Soft-Supported Lipid Bilayer Membranes for Biosensors. Application Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2006. No. EMBC061976. Dearborn, K., Toomey, R., VanAuker. M, Hood, E., Alcantar, N., Niosome drug delivery systems containing nanoparticles embedded into biodegradable polymer hydrogels. PCT Int. Appl. (2007), 12pp. Patent: WO 2007123993. Young, K., Anzalone, A., Pichler, T., Picquart, M., Alcantar, N.: The Mexican Cactus as a New Environmentally Benign Material for the Removal of Contaminants in Drinking Water in Materials Science of Water Purification, ed. Shannon, M. et al., 2006, 0930-JJ01-01. 6
Dr. Venkat R. Bhethanabotla Professor venkat@eng.usf.edu (813) 974-2116 (Office) (813) 396-9302 (Laboratory) website: http://www.eng.usf.edu/~bhethana Education: Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, College Park, PA, 1987 M.S. Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, College Park, PA, 1983 B.S. Chemical Engineering, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India, 1981 Research Interests: Acoustic Wave Sensor Systems, Molecular and Electronic Structure Simulation Acoustic Wave Devices in Sensor Systems and in Physical Property Measurement The primary goal of our research group is to develop the fundamental science and application technology for the sensor system components that are common to the platforms which can meet significant sensing needs, like medical diagnostics, national defense and energy security. The current focus is on acoustic wave devices for these applications. The sensing principle in these devices is the perturbation of elastic waves in solids by environmental variables, and its recognition by suitable electronics. A variety of these acoustic waves at radio frequencies are excited in various piezoelectric materials in our laboratory using suitably designed micro-fabricated electrodes. These transducers are functionalized with sensing layers that interact with analytes to form selective, sensitive, fast-responding and robust sensors. Our recent successes include palladium and palladium-alloy functionalized single walled carbon nanotube (Pd-SWNT) interfaces to a Rayleigh surface acoustic wave transducer for superior hydrogen sensing, a polymer functionalized, high frequency thickness shear mode (TSM) transducer for organic vapor detection and process monitoring, and a hexagonal transducer that propagates guided shear horizontal surface acoustic waves in one direction while propagating waves with substantial shear vertical components in others to achieve differential sensing of multiple biomarkers, for applications to ovarian cancer and trauma biomarker sensing. Sensor response modeling at multiple time and length scales is integral to our research, includes perturbation theories and simulation techniques from electronic structure calculations, molecularlevel simulation and finite element methods for interpreting the response of these acoustic wave devices to environmental disturbances. Such measurements in our lab include sorption, diffusion, and viscoelastic properties of polymer/solvent systems, extremely low vapor pressures and enthalpies of vaporization of solids, and phase transitions in hydrogel thin films in various environments. Recent Research Projects: ‣ Differential Sensing of Multiple Biomarkers with a Multifrequency Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Device ‣ High Frequency Thickness Shear Mode Sensors for Organic Vapor Sensing and Process Monitoring ‣ Synthesis and Property Simulations of Nanomaterials for Hydrogen Sensing Using SAW Devices ‣ Electronic Structure of Functionalized SWNT Sensing Materials ‣ Multiple-scale Simulations for SAW and TSM Sensor Response ‣ Sorption and Diffusion of Small Molecules in Polymers ‣ Viscoelastic Properties of Polymer/Solvent Systems ‣ Vapor Pressure of Low Volatile Solids Recent Publications Williams, R. D., Upadhyayula, A.K., and Bhethanabotla, V.R., High frequency thickness shear mode devices for organic vapor sensing. Sensors and Actuators B. 2007, 122(2), 635- 643. Sankaranarayanan, S. K. R. S.; Bhethanabotla, V. R.; Joseph, B., Molecular dynamics simulation study of phase transformations in transition bimetallic nanowires Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2007, 111, (6), 2430-2439. Sankaranarayanan, S. K. R. S.; Bhethanabotla, V. R.; Joseph, B., Molecular dynamics simulation study of temperature and strain rate effects on the elastic properties of bimetallic Pd-Pt nanowires Physical Review B 2007, 76(13), 134117/1- 134117/13. Choudhury, P.; Bhethanabotla, V. R.; Stefanakos, E., Ni induced destabilization dynamics of crystalline zinc borohydride. Applied Physics Letters 2008, Accepted 7 Fabricated hexagonal SAW device (above) showing different responses along the three propagation axes (right). Diff. Attenuation (dB) Diff. Phase Angle (degrees) 25 20 15 10 5 -20 Attenuation Response to Hexane on 500 nm PIB 0 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 40 20 0 On Axis Off Axis 1 Off Axis 2 Phase Angle Response to Hexane on 500 nm PIB -40 On Axis -60 Off Axis 1 Off Axis 2 -80 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 Time (Seconds)
Page 1 and 2: CHEMICAL & BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 2
Page 3 and 4: Announcing our Name Change Dr. Babu
Page 5 and 6: USF College of Engineering Pursuin
Page 7: Major Research Areas Advanced Mater
Page 11 and 12: Dr. Richard Gilbert Professor gilbe
Page 13 and 14: Dr. Vinay K. Gupta Associate Profes
Page 15 and 16: Dr. Babu Joseph Professor and Chair
Page 17 and 18: Dr. J.A. Llewellyn Professor Emerit
Page 19 and 20: Dr. Aydin K. Sunol Professor sunol@
Page 21 and 22: Dr. Michael VanAuker Assistant Prof
Page 23 and 24: Dr. John T. Wolan Associate Profess
Page 25 and 26: Gupta, Vinay Shim ,J .Y. and Gupta
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Page 29 and 30: Lee, W.E. III, et al., “A novel p
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Page 35 and 36: Awards and Recognitions Faculty Dr.
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Page 39 and 40: 2007 ChBME Industrial Advisory Boar
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