2008-2009 Bulletin – PDF - SEAS Bulletin - Columbia University

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areas of investigation include the fluid
mechanics of inkjet printing, drop on
demand, the suppression of satellite
droplets, shock wave propagation, and
remediation in high-frequency printing
systems. (Attinger, Modi)
In the area of microscale transport
phenomena, current research is focused
on understanding the transport through
interfaces, as well as the dynamics of
interfaces. For instance, an oscillating
microbubble creates a microflow pattern
able to attract biological cells. Highspeed
visualization is used together with
innovative laser measurement techniques
to measure the fluid flow and temperature
field with a very high resolution. (Attinger).
MEMS and Nanotechnology. In these
areas, research activities focus on power
generation systems, nanostructures for
photonics, fuel cells and photovoltaics,
and microfabricated adaptive cooling
skin and sensors for flow, shear, and
wind speed. Basic research in fluid
dynamics and heat/mass transfer phenomena
at small scales also support
these activities. (Attinger, Hone, Lin,
Modi, Wong)
Research in the area of nanotechnology
focuses on nanomaterials such as
nanotubes and nanowires and their
applications, especially in nanoelectromechanical
systems (NEMS). A laboratory
is available for the synthesis of
carbon nanotubes and semiconductor
nanowires using chemical vapor deposition
(CVD) techniques and to build
devices using electron-beam lithography
and various etching techniques. This
effort will seek to optimize the fabrication,
readout, and sensitivity of these
devices for numerous applications, such
as sensitive detection of mass, charge,
and magnetic resonance. (Hone, Wong,
Modi)
Research in the area of optical nanotechnology
focuses on devices smaller
than the wavelength of light, for example,
in photonic crystal nanomaterials
and NEMS devices. A strong research
group with facilities in optical (including
ultrafast) characterization, device
nanofabrication, and full numerical intensive
simulations is available. Current
efforts include silicon nanophotonics,
quantum dot interactions, negative
refraction, dramatically enhanced nonlinearities,
and integrated optics. This effort
seeks to advance our understanding of
nanoscale optical physics, enabled now
by our ability to manufacture, design,
and engineer precise subwavelength
nanostructures, with derived applications
in high-sensitivity sensors, highbandwidth
data communications, and
biomolecular sciences. Major ongoing
collaborations across national laboratories,
industrial research centers, and
multiuniversities support this research.
(Wong)
In the area of microscale power generation,
efforts are dedicated to build a
micromotor using acoustic energy amplified
by a microbubble. (Attinger)
Research in BioMEMS aims to
design and create MEMS and
micro/nanofluidic systems to control
the motion and measure the dynamic
behavior of biomolecules in solution.
Current efforts involve modeling and
understanding the physics of micro/
nanofluidic devices and systems,
exploiting polymer structures to enable
micro/nanofluidic manipulation, and integrating
MEMS sensors with microfluidics
for measuring physical properties of
biomolecules. (Lin)
Biological Engineering and Biotechnology.
Active areas of research in the
musculoskeletal biomechanics laboratory
include theoretical and experimental
analysis of articular cartilage mechanics;
theoretical and experimental analysis
of cartilage lubrication, cartilage tissue
engineering, and bioreactor design;
growth and remodeling of biological tissues;
cell mechanics; and mixture theory
for biological tissues with experiments
and computational analysis (Ateshian).
The Hone group is involved in a number
of projects that employ the tools of
micro- and nano-fabrication toward the
study of biological systems. With collaborators
in biology and applied physics,
the group has developed techniques to
fabricate metal patterns on the molecular
scale (below 10 nanometers) and attach
biomolecules to create biofunctionalized
nanoarrays. The group is currently using
these arrays to study molecular recognition,
cell spreading, and protein crystallization.
Professor Hone is a co-PI of the
NIH-funded Nanotechnology Center for
Mechanics in Regenerative Medicine,
which seeks to understand and modify
at the nanoscale force- and geometrysensing
pathways in health and disease.
The Hone group fabricates many of the
tools used by the center to measure and
apply force on a cellular level (Hone).
Microelectromechanical systems
(MEMS) are being exploited to enable
and facilitate the characterization and
manipulation of biomolecules. MEMS
technology allows biomolecules to be
studied in well-controlled micro/nanoenvironments
of miniaturized, integrated
devices, and may enable novel biomedical
investigations not attainable by
conventional techniques. The research
interests center on the development of
MEMS devices and systems for labelfree
manipulation and interrogation of
biomolecules. Current research efforts
primarily involve microfluidic devices that
exploit specific and reversible, stimulusdependent
binding between biomolecules
and receptor molecules to enable
selective purification, concentration, and
label-free detection of nucleic acid, protein,
and small molecule analytes; miniaturized
instruments for label-free characterization
of thermodynamic and other
physical properties of biomolecules; and
subcutaneously implantable MEMS affinity
biosensors for continuous monitoring
of glucose and other metabolites (Lin).
The advanced robotics and mechanism
application lab (ARMA) is focused
on surgical intervention using novel
robotic architectures. Examples of these
architectures include flexible snakelike
robots, parallel robots, and cooperative
robotic systems. The current research
activity is focused on providing safer
and deeper interaction with the anatomy
using minimally invasive approaches,
surgery through natural orifices, surgical
task planning based on dexterity and
performance measures, and manipulation
of flexible organs. The ongoing
funded research projects include NIHfunded
grants on designing next-generation
robotic slaves for incisionless surgical
intervention (surgery through natural
opening); minimally invasive surgery
for the throat and upper airways; imageguided
insertable robotic platforms for
less invasive surgery (surgery that is
carried out using a single incision in the
abdomen); and robotic assistance for
SEAS 2008–2009