Fall 2011
Volume 2, issue 2
M AT E R I A L
M AT T E R S
U.Va. Department of Materials Science & Engineering
A titan Gift
state-of-the-art scanning-transmission electron microscope
Diffraction pattern of
austenite in Fe-Mn-C steel
taken on FEI TITAN by Aleks
Ontman and Andrew Cheung
(advised by Gary Shiflet).
Developing Leaders of Innovation
MATERIAL MATTERS
Developing Leaders of Innovation
Contents
3
A Titan Gift: State-ofthe-Art TEM Scope
4
5
Caroline
Pelnik
6
7
8
9
10
11
Hannah Bindig: MSE’s
Own Undergraduate
Success Story
In Focus: Eaman Tahir
Abdul Karim
Faculty Spotlight:
Leonid Zhigilei
Staff Spotlight:
Peter Schare
Faculty
Notes
Alumni
Updates
The Virginia
Nanoelectronics Center
Launches
Editor
Eric Newsome
Writer, Contributing Editor
Susan Hull
Graphic Design
Travis Searcy
Mountain High Media
Photography
Eric Newsome
Susan Hull
Material Matters is published by
the University of Virginia School of
Engineering and Applied Science
Department of Materials Science and
Engineering.
from the
chair’s chair
The department is in full swing as we launch the 2011-2012 academic year. We have already
welcomed twelve new MSE and EP graduate students into the department and we expect to add
an additional five graduate students by next semester. Owing to the recent success of our faculty
in winning grant proposals, we are in need of additional outstanding graduate students and we
have initiated a new spring admissions policy.
Our undergraduate numbers continue to rise with thirty-nine newly-declared, second-year
students majoring in engineering science and twelve new PRODUCED in Virginia students
entering the program as third-year students. That brings the total number of undergraduates in
the engineering science program to 137, including 26 PRODUCED in Virginia distance learners
and 28 students pursuing the materials science and engineering concentration. We have sixteen
students with the MSE concentration on-track to graduate in May and approximately 50 ES
graduates overall. For a bit of perspective on the growing vitality and interest in engineering science, we had just one ES graduate in 2005. Professors James Groves and Sean Agnew are directors of the PRODUCED and ES programs, respectively. They are assisted by our Susan Hull, our
undergraduate coordinator.
The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is currently celebrating the 175th anniversary
of its founding. Next year will be our turn as we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Virginia. We
hope to be able to document our history as fully as possible, and to that end, we need photos and
stories from all of you, especially our alumni. Please share memories of your time here, and if you
have photos, scan them and send them our way so that we might share them with others. [Email
digital items to Eric Newsome ([email protected]) or Susan Hull ([email protected]). Or, you
can mail hard copies to our department at P.O. Box 400745, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4745,
attention Eric or Susan.]
When you are in town, please be sure to drop in and greet us. We look forward to seeing you.
Address corrections should be sent
to the Department of Material Sciecne
and Engineering, P.O. Box 40074,
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4745, or call
434.924-7237, or email
[email protected].
William C. Johnson
Department Chair
a titan gift:
state-of-the-art TEM Scope dedicated
In February, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering
received a $1.5 million state-of-the-art scanning-transmission electron
microscope as a gift from Altria of Richmond. The University hosted
a dedication ceremony on February 18th with officials from Altria and
U.Va. attending, including Jennifer Hunter, vice president for corporate affairs of Altria Group, and U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan.
Located in a specially designed and equipped room in Wilsdorf
Hall, the new microscope, one of the most powerful types ever built,
is a Titan scanning-transmission electron microscope, built by FEI, a
scientific instruments company. This microscope can magnify samples
up to approximately 2 million times. It is one of only 18 such instruments in universities nationwide, and one of the highest-resolution
analytical microscopes in Virginia. Using a high-energy beam of electrons to image an assortment of materials and specimens at extreme
detail and resolution, the Titan allows researchers to view the atomic
structure of those samples, and gain an understanding of the properties of the materials.
“The gift by Altria of this Titan transmission electron microscope
distinguishes U.Va. as having a unique capability in the region,” Phillip A. Parrish, U.Va. associate vice president for research and MSE
principal scientist, said. “It will be a major benefit to U.Va. researchers
in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the College of Arts
and Sciences, and in the School of Medicine. The Titan’s capabilities
make it very useful to researchers in the physical sciences and engineering, as well as – when operated at lower power – for biomedical
analysis of delicate tissues and engineered biomaterials.”
President Sullivan said the research capabilities provided by the
microscope should also help the University attract some of America’s
best young scientists and engineers. “The Titan, along with our two
new lab buildings for the Engineering School and the College, which
A Titan Gift continued on page 4
Material
matters
2
fall 2011
Material
matters
3
fall 2011
MATERIAL MATTERS
Developing Leaders of Innovation
Contents
3
A Titan Gift: State-ofthe-Art TEM Scope
4
5
Caroline
Pelnik
6
7
8
9
10
11
Hannah Bindig: MSE’s
Own Undergraduate
Success Story
In Focus: Eaman Tahir
Abdul Karim
Faculty Spotlight:
Leonid Zhigilei
Staff Spotlight:
Peter Schare
Faculty
Notes
Alumni
Updates
The Virginia
Nanoelectronics Center
Launches
Editor
Eric Newsome
Writer, Contributing Editor
Susan Hull
Graphic Design
Travis Searcy
Mountain High Media
Photography
Eric Newsome
Susan Hull
Material Matters is published by
the University of Virginia School of
Engineering and Applied Science
Department of Materials Science and
Engineering.
from the
chair’s chair
The department is in full swing as we launch the 2011-2012 academic year. We have already
welcomed twelve new MSE and EP graduate students into the department and we expect to add
an additional five graduate students by next semester. Owing to the recent success of our faculty
in winning grant proposals, we are in need of additional outstanding graduate students and we
have initiated a new spring admissions policy.
Our undergraduate numbers continue to rise with thirty-nine newly-declared, second-year
students majoring in engineering science and twelve new PRODUCED in Virginia students
entering the program as third-year students. That brings the total number of undergraduates in
the engineering science program to 137, including 26 PRODUCED in Virginia distance learners
and 28 students pursuing the materials science and engineering concentration. We have sixteen
students with the MSE concentration on-track to graduate in May and approximately 50 ES
graduates overall. For a bit of perspective on the growing vitality and interest in engineering science, we had just one ES graduate in 2005. Professors James Groves and Sean Agnew are directors of the PRODUCED and ES programs, respectively. They are assisted by our Susan Hull, our
undergraduate coordinator.
The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is currently celebrating the 175th anniversary
of its founding. Next year will be our turn as we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Virginia. We
hope to be able to document our history as fully as possible, and to that end, we need photos and
stories from all of you, especially our alumni. Please share memories of your time here, and if you
have photos, scan them and send them our way so that we might share them with others. [Email
digital items to Eric Newsome ([email protected]) or Susan Hull ([email protected]). Or, you
can mail hard copies to our department at P.O. Box 400745, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4745,
attention Eric or Susan.]
When you are in town, please be sure to drop in and greet us. We look forward to seeing you.
Address corrections should be sent
to the Department of Material Sciecne
and Engineering, P.O. Box 40074,
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4745, or call
434.924-7237, or email
[email protected].
William C. Johnson
Department Chair
a titan gift:
state-of-the-art TEM Scope dedicated
In February, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering
received a $1.5 million state-of-the-art scanning-transmission electron
microscope as a gift from Altria of Richmond. The University hosted
a dedication ceremony on February 18th with officials from Altria and
U.Va. attending, including Jennifer Hunter, vice president for corporate affairs of Altria Group, and U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan.
Located in a specially designed and equipped room in Wilsdorf
Hall, the new microscope, one of the most powerful types ever built,
is a Titan scanning-transmission electron microscope, built by FEI, a
scientific instruments company. This microscope can magnify samples
up to approximately 2 million times. It is one of only 18 such instruments in universities nationwide, and one of the highest-resolution
analytical microscopes in Virginia. Using a high-energy beam of electrons to image an assortment of materials and specimens at extreme
detail and resolution, the Titan allows researchers to view the atomic
structure of those samples, and gain an understanding of the properties of the materials.
“The gift by Altria of this Titan transmission electron microscope
distinguishes U.Va. as having a unique capability in the region,” Phillip A. Parrish, U.Va. associate vice president for research and MSE
principal scientist, said. “It will be a major benefit to U.Va. researchers
in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the College of Arts
and Sciences, and in the School of Medicine. The Titan’s capabilities
make it very useful to researchers in the physical sciences and engineering, as well as – when operated at lower power – for biomedical
analysis of delicate tissues and engineered biomaterials.”
President Sullivan said the research capabilities provided by the
microscope should also help the University attract some of America’s
best young scientists and engineers. “The Titan, along with our two
new lab buildings for the Engineering School and the College, which
A Titan Gift continued on page 4
Material
matters
2
fall 2011
Material
matters
3
fall 2011
MATERIAL MATTERS
Developing Leaders of Innovation
HANNAH BINDIG:
A Titan Gift continued from page 3
MSE’S OWN UNDERGRADUATE
SUCCESS STORY
From Left to right: Richard White and Jim Howe,
respectively facility manager and director of the
Nanoscale Materials Characterization Facility.
“The gift by Altria of this Titan transmission electron microscope
distinguishes U.Va. as having a unique capability in the region,”
—Phillip A. Parrish
and information technology.”
The new microscope enhances the capabilities of the Engineering
School’s Nanoscale Materials Characterization Facility, which Howe
directs. The facility now operates two scanning-transmission electron
microscopes, two scanning electron microscopes, a focused ion beam
microscope, several X-ray diffractometers, and has extensive hardware
and software for processing and analysis.
“The new microscope has significantly higher spatial resolution than
any other instrument in the facility and can probe the chemistry of
and bonding in materials at nearly the atomic level,” Howe noted.
The facility is available for use by qualified U.Va. faculty, students
and researchers, as well as by researchers at other universities. Facility
staff members also perform materials analysis for industries. Richard
White, the facility manager, provides specialized training for researchers in the preparation of samples and in the use of the microscopes.
Many of the students he has trained over the years have gone on
to use their electron microscopy skills in industry, governmental and
academic laboratories. Learning to use the new Titan will be a further
advantage.
“We have real expertise here at U.Va. in the use of this type of microscope,” White said. “The Titan will be well-utilized and no doubt
some terrific materials and research, and students, will come out of
this facility in the coming years.”
will open next year, strengthen U.Va.’s position as a center for research
and innovation,” she said.
Virtually every modern engineered material is repeatedly analyzed
under electron microscopes during development, according to Thomas
Goodwin Digges Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
James Howe, a nationally recognized expert in the use of transmission
electron microscopes.
“When we’re making materials for everyday use, such as semiconductor nano-tubes for computers, we are working at the atomic level,
and we really don’t know much about those materials until we look
at their atomic structure,” Howe said. “We do that with transmission
electron microscopes.”
“By understanding our materials at the atomic/molecular level, by
actually being able to see the atoms and how they are arranged, we
can go back to the lab and remake and reprocess the materials and test
them again, and look at them again under the microscope, and keep
doing that until we really understand what we have,” Howe said. “It’s
a process of manipulation that allows us to keep making things better
and better.”
“This microscope serves an extremely important function,” said
Thomas C. Skalak, U.Va.’s vice president for research. “It helps drive
collaborative research, exposes students to cutting-edge techniques
in nanotechnology, and enhances our ability to positively impact the
economy in areas such as renewable energy generation, biomedicine
read more:
Material
matters
4
fall 2011
www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=14195
Hannah Bindig, the first young
woman to receive the engineering
science degree with the Materials
Science concentration, was a
welcome fixture in Wilsdorf Hall
since the end of her first year at
U.Va.
In the spring of 2008, Bindig
enrolled in MSE 209 with Professor James Groves and was captured by the subject. She writes,
“MSE 209 really interested me
in materials science. I was really
fascinated with the material and
when I found out you could do
Materials Science through ES, I
knew it was a good idea.” Shortly
after that, she connected with
Professor John Scully and began
working in his laboratory, a job
she continued into the summer of
2011, after her graduation.
Her 4th year project was a
corollary of her work with Scully.
Making use of the antimicrobial
nature of copper, she has assisted
Scully in his search for an alloy of
copper that can be used in hospitals, will resist tarnishing corrosion, and could help to prevent the spread of diseases such as
MRSA and E. Coli. Bindig describes one of her contributions in this way: “The biggest way
that copper would corrode in hospital environments would be from sweat from your hands
so I make artificial perspiration in the lab and see how copper alloys corrode in it.”
In March of 2011, Bindig traveled with the Center for Electrochemical Science and Engineering (CESE) group to the NACE International Annual Corrosion Conference and Exposition in Houston, Texas, where her research poster was named “Best Undergraduate Poster.”
That poster would go on to win 2nd place in the university’s annual Undergraduate Research and Design Symposium on May 11th. Of her 4th year successes, Hannah remarked,
“It was really exciting winning at the NACE conference and coming in second here at
URDS. It was amazing to see work pay off from all the late nights I spent in the lab trying
to get results. It’s really hard to have patience and see the big picture sometimes in the lab,
but this year was a really great time for me because it reaffirmed that I’m good at what I do
and that hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.”
When she was in Texas, Hannah made a connection that would lead to her post-graduation profession. She is now employed as a jr. program engineer” for SAIC and contracted
out to the defense department’s Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.
read more: www.seas.virginia.edu/events/urds/
Material
matters
5
fall 2011
Noreen Poulson, vice chair of the
Jefferson Trust, presents Pelnik with an
award for Spectra which Pelnik edits.
Carolyn Pelnik
Carolyn Pelnik, a 3rd year Engineering Science major, had an outstanding
April! Early in that month, Carolyn was
one of twenty-four students at the University of Virginia to receive a Harrison
Undergraduate Research Award. Her
award of $3000.00, the largest amount
given, will assist Carolyn this year in her
work with Chemical Engineering Professor and Chair Roseanne Ford. Since
Carolyn’s engineering science major has
allowed her to merge the fields of biomedical engineering and environmental
science, her research fittingly is on the
“ability of bacteria to migrate towards
and degrade chemical pollutants in
groundwater systems” (U.VA. Today,
4/6/11).
On April 15th, Founder’s Day, the
Jefferson Trust announced that Carolyn
had been awarded a $35,000.00 grant.
Carolyn is on the editorial board of the
Spectra, the School of Engineering’s
new journal on undergraduate research,
and the Jefferson Trust grant will provide funding for the publication of the
journal.
A Rodman Scholar, Carolyn’s advisor
is Professor Dana Elzey.
read more:
www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=14686
MATERIAL MATTERS
Developing Leaders of Innovation
HANNAH BINDIG:
A Titan Gift continued from page 3
MSE’S OWN UNDERGRADUATE
SUCCESS STORY
From Left to right: Richard White and Jim Howe,
respectively facility manager and director of the
Nanoscale Materials Characterization Facility.
“The gift by Altria of this Titan transmission electron microscope
distinguishes U.Va. as having a unique capability in the region,”
—Phillip A. Parrish
and information technology.”
The new microscope enhances the capabilities of the Engineering
School’s Nanoscale Materials Characterization Facility, which Howe
directs. The facility now operates two scanning-transmission electron
microscopes, two scanning electron microscopes, a focused ion beam
microscope, several X-ray diffractometers, and has extensive hardware
and software for processing and analysis.
“The new microscope has significantly higher spatial resolution than
any other instrument in the facility and can probe the chemistry of
and bonding in materials at nearly the atomic level,” Howe noted.
The facility is available for use by qualified U.Va. faculty, students
and researchers, as well as by researchers at other universities. Facility
staff members also perform materials analysis for industries. Richard
White, the facility manager, provides specialized training for researchers in the preparation of samples and in the use of the microscopes.
Many of the students he has trained over the years have gone on
to use their electron microscopy skills in industry, governmental and
academic laboratories. Learning to use the new Titan will be a further
advantage.
“We have real expertise here at U.Va. in the use of this type of microscope,” White said. “The Titan will be well-utilized and no doubt
some terrific materials and research, and students, will come out of
this facility in the coming years.”
will open next year, strengthen U.Va.’s position as a center for research
and innovation,” she said.
Virtually every modern engineered material is repeatedly analyzed
under electron microscopes during development, according to Thomas
Goodwin Digges Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
James Howe, a nationally recognized expert in the use of transmission
electron microscopes.
“When we’re making materials for everyday use, such as semiconductor nano-tubes for computers, we are working at the atomic level,
and we really don’t know much about those materials until we look
at their atomic structure,” Howe said. “We do that with transmission
electron microscopes.”
“By understanding our materials at the atomic/molecular level, by
actually being able to see the atoms and how they are arranged, we
can go back to the lab and remake and reprocess the materials and test
them again, and look at them again under the microscope, and keep
doing that until we really understand what we have,” Howe said. “It’s
a process of manipulation that allows us to keep making things better
and better.”
“This microscope serves an extremely important function,” said
Thomas C. Skalak, U.Va.’s vice president for research. “It helps drive
collaborative research, exposes students to cutting-edge techniques
in nanotechnology, and enhances our ability to positively impact the
economy in areas such as renewable energy generation, biomedicine
read more:
Material
matters
4
fall 2011
www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=14195
Hannah Bindig, the first young
woman to receive the engineering
science degree with the Materials
Science concentration, was a
welcome fixture in Wilsdorf Hall
since the end of her first year at
U.Va.
In the spring of 2008, Bindig
enrolled in MSE 209 with Professor James Groves and was captured by the subject. She writes,
“MSE 209 really interested me
in materials science. I was really
fascinated with the material and
when I found out you could do
Materials Science through ES, I
knew it was a good idea.” Shortly
after that, she connected with
Professor John Scully and began
working in his laboratory, a job
she continued into the summer of
2011, after her graduation.
Her 4th year project was a
corollary of her work with Scully.
Making use of the antimicrobial
nature of copper, she has assisted
Scully in his search for an alloy of
copper that can be used in hospitals, will resist tarnishing corrosion, and could help to prevent the spread of diseases such as
MRSA and E. Coli. Bindig describes one of her contributions in this way: “The biggest way
that copper would corrode in hospital environments would be from sweat from your hands
so I make artificial perspiration in the lab and see how copper alloys corrode in it.”
In March of 2011, Bindig traveled with the Center for Electrochemical Science and Engineering (CESE) group to the NACE International Annual Corrosion Conference and Exposition in Houston, Texas, where her research poster was named “Best Undergraduate Poster.”
That poster would go on to win 2nd place in the university’s annual Undergraduate Research and Design Symposium on May 11th. Of her 4th year successes, Hannah remarked,
“It was really exciting winning at the NACE conference and coming in second here at
URDS. It was amazing to see work pay off from all the late nights I spent in the lab trying
to get results. It’s really hard to have patience and see the big picture sometimes in the lab,
but this year was a really great time for me because it reaffirmed that I’m good at what I do
and that hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.”
When she was in Texas, Hannah made a connection that would lead to her post-graduation profession. She is now employed as a jr. program engineer” for SAIC and contracted
out to the defense department’s Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.
read more: www.seas.virginia.edu/events/urds/
Material
matters
5
fall 2011
Noreen Poulson, vice chair of the
Jefferson Trust, presents Pelnik with an
award for Spectra which Pelnik edits.
Carolyn Pelnik
Carolyn Pelnik, a 3rd year Engineering Science major, had an outstanding
April! Early in that month, Carolyn was
one of twenty-four students at the University of Virginia to receive a Harrison
Undergraduate Research Award. Her
award of $3000.00, the largest amount
given, will assist Carolyn this year in her
work with Chemical Engineering Professor and Chair Roseanne Ford. Since
Carolyn’s engineering science major has
allowed her to merge the fields of biomedical engineering and environmental
science, her research fittingly is on the
“ability of bacteria to migrate towards
and degrade chemical pollutants in
groundwater systems” (U.VA. Today,
4/6/11).
On April 15th, Founder’s Day, the
Jefferson Trust announced that Carolyn
had been awarded a $35,000.00 grant.
Carolyn is on the editorial board of the
Spectra, the School of Engineering’s
new journal on undergraduate research,
and the Jefferson Trust grant will provide funding for the publication of the
journal.
A Rodman Scholar, Carolyn’s advisor
is Professor Dana Elzey.
read more:
www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=14686
Material matters
graduate
in focus:
highlights
In 2008, while pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Baghdad, Eaman Tahir Abdul Karim determined that she wanted
to dig deeper in her field of study, laser material interaction.
The Laser Institute for High Studies, where she worked and
researched, could not produce an accurate simulation of what
occurs inside materials during laser interaction. Eaman began
searching for a place to continue her studies, and she discovered
Professor Leo Zhigilei’s work. She found very interesting the
code he developed for his simulations, combining the two-temperature model (TTM) and the molecular dynamic code (MD).
When Eaman initially came to Virginia, it was for a shortterm visit, but she eventually realized her work here would be
wasted if she returned to Baghdad, where no cluster computer
is available. At that point, she applied for admission to our
department, hoping to complete her Ph.D. here and become
an expert at using Professor Zhigilei’s code. She was admitted
in December of 2009.
The Computational Materials Group, led by Professor
Zhigilei, includes undergraduate students as well as grad
students, faculty, and research scientists, allowing for interesting and fruitful discussions. Since the group meets weekly,
sometimes joined by other groups, cross-pollination of ideas
is promoted. Eaman appreciates all of these facets and looks
forward to leading her own research group one day.
Lok-kun Tsui, a Ph.D candidate in materials science, was a 2011
awardee of an ARCS Scholarship. These competitive awards are given
across a variety of academic disciplines critical to promoting American technological leadership and advancement. Advised by Professor
Giovanni Zangari, Lok-kun’s work focuses on the applications to solar cell technology, specifically investigating a means of splitting water
for hydrogen production by a light induced electrochemical process.
The ARCS FOUNDATION (Achievement Rewards for College
Scientists) is “dedicated to providing scholarships to outstanding
students pursuing degrees in science and engineering.” The University of Virginia is one of 52 participating schools and belongs to the
Metropolitan Washington chapter of ARCS.
At the biannual Department of Defense Corrosion Conference held
August 2011, six students with MSE’s Center for Electrochemical
Studies and Engineering won honors.
The conference brought together researchers, government employees, and elected officials to discuss DOD corrosion issues and
practices. Another strong showing by CESE, the awards reflect their
on-going impact on the field.
Congratulations to all!
Rebecca Schaller
2nd Place:
Corrosion Engineering
Mary Lyn Lim
1st Place:
Corrosion Science
Developing Leaders of Innovation
read more: www.virginia.edu/ms/news.html
Sam Madden
2nd Place:
Corrosion Science
Material
matters
Merrill Tayler
1st Place:
Corrosion Technology
6
fall 2011
Ye Wan
???:
Corrosion Bowl
Above, members of Leonid Zhigilei’s Computational Materials Group from the left to right:
Eaman Abdul Karim, Marshall Tabetah, Leonid Zhigilei, William Jacobs, David Nicholson,
Chengping Wu, Alexey Volkov. Below left: simulation modeling networks of carbon
nanotubes and right, an enlarged view of a fragment of the network.
faculty spotlight:
Leonid Zhigilei
In 1991, when Leonid Zhigilei completed his Ph.D. in solid state
physics at the St. Petersburg State University in Russia, the Soviet
Union was coming apart. With the Soviet government and economy
in turmoil and his prospects for scientific employment dim, Leo began
to take on odd jobs to support his wife Angelica and their infant
daughter. For two summers he worked on construction sites in Denmark, feeling as if “science had become a mere hobby,” although he
continued publishing papers.
Finally, in 1994, Leo and Angelica decided to move to America. Leo
started to send out applications and received several offers. The opportunity to be a post-doc at Penn State, working with chemist Barbara
Garrison, turned out to be the right choice for Leo, and he remained
there for five years, working on the mechanisms of chemical vapor
deposition diamond growth and laser interactions with organic matter.
Leo joined our department in 2000 and was promoted to full
professor in 2010. The University of Virginia was well known to
Leo before he arrived since he had made use of Professor Robert A.
Johnson’s work on interatomic potentials in his graduate research back
in Russia, but Leo had not imagined he would one day meet Johnson
and become his colleague.
Leo’s research concerns computational materials science and
computational methods for materials modeling. Highly collaborative,
his computational materials group produces atomistic models aimed
at explaining or motivating other groups’ corresponding physical
experiments. Ultimately, the simulations are a means of advancing
the theoretical understanding of complex materials phenomena. His
current work ranges from atomistic and continuum modeling of lasermaterials interactions to mesoscopic modeling of nanocomposites.
Having worked with some outstanding students, both graduate and
undergraduate, Leo says he enjoys teaching because it is a pleasure for
him to observe his students’ intellectual and professional growth. As he
lends practical support to their research, he appreciates the reciprocal
contributions of their thoughtful ideas and probing questions. Since
graduating his first student in 1994, Leo has had the pleasure of seeing
his former students thrive at laboratories and universities in Germany,
Japan, the U.K., the U.S. and France.
Leo is responsible for overseeing the graduate distance learning
program for MSE and is currently serving on the Dean’s Promotion
and Tenure Committee.
Leo and his family celebrated two graduations this spring. His
daughter Varya, an Echols Scholar, graduated from the University
of Virginia with a double major in Spanish and Foreign Affairs. Son
Vasil, born while the family lived in Pennsylvania, graduated from Red
Hill Elementary School.
Erica Macha
???:
Corrosion Bowl
read more: www.faculty.virginia.edu/CompMat/News.html
Material
matters
7
fall 2011
Material matters
graduate
in focus:
highlights
In 2008, while pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Baghdad, Eaman Tahir Abdul Karim determined that she wanted
to dig deeper in her field of study, laser material interaction.
The Laser Institute for High Studies, where she worked and
researched, could not produce an accurate simulation of what
occurs inside materials during laser interaction. Eaman began
searching for a place to continue her studies, and she discovered
Professor Leo Zhigilei’s work. She found very interesting the
code he developed for his simulations, combining the two-temperature model (TTM) and the molecular dynamic code (MD).
When Eaman initially came to Virginia, it was for a shortterm visit, but she eventually realized her work here would be
wasted if she returned to Baghdad, where no cluster computer
is available. At that point, she applied for admission to our
department, hoping to complete her Ph.D. here and become
an expert at using Professor Zhigilei’s code. She was admitted
in December of 2009.
The Computational Materials Group, led by Professor
Zhigilei, includes undergraduate students as well as grad
students, faculty, and research scientists, allowing for interesting and fruitful discussions. Since the group meets weekly,
sometimes joined by other groups, cross-pollination of ideas
is promoted. Eaman appreciates all of these facets and looks
forward to leading her own research group one day.
Lok-kun Tsui, a Ph.D candidate in materials science, was a 2011
awardee of an ARCS Scholarship. These competitive awards are given
across a variety of academic disciplines critical to promoting American technological leadership and advancement. Advised by Professor
Giovanni Zangari, Lok-kun’s work focuses on the applications to solar cell technology, specifically investigating a means of splitting water
for hydrogen production by a light induced electrochemical process.
The ARCS FOUNDATION (Achievement Rewards for College
Scientists) is “dedicated to providing scholarships to outstanding
students pursuing degrees in science and engineering.” The University of Virginia is one of 52 participating schools and belongs to the
Metropolitan Washington chapter of ARCS.
At the biannual Department of Defense Corrosion Conference held
August 2011, six students with MSE’s Center for Electrochemical
Studies and Engineering won honors.
The conference brought together researchers, government employees, and elected officials to discuss DOD corrosion issues and
practices. Another strong showing by CESE, the awards reflect their
on-going impact on the field.
Congratulations to all!
Rebecca Schaller
2nd Place:
Corrosion Engineering
Mary Lyn Lim
1st Place:
Corrosion Science
Developing Leaders of Innovation
read more: www.virginia.edu/ms/news.html
Sam Madden
2nd Place:
Corrosion Science
Material
matters
Merrill Tayler
1st Place:
Corrosion Technology
6
fall 2011
Ye Wan
???:
Corrosion Bowl
Above, members of Leonid Zhigilei’s Computational Materials Group from the left to right:
Eaman Abdul Karim, Marshall Tabetah, Leonid Zhigilei, William Jacobs, David Nicholson,
Chengping Wu, Alexey Volkov. Below left: simulation modeling networks of carbon
nanotubes and right, an enlarged view of a fragment of the network.
faculty spotlight:
Leonid Zhigilei
In 1991, when Leonid Zhigilei completed his Ph.D. in solid state
physics at the St. Petersburg State University in Russia, the Soviet
Union was coming apart. With the Soviet government and economy
in turmoil and his prospects for scientific employment dim, Leo began
to take on odd jobs to support his wife Angelica and their infant
daughter. For two summers he worked on construction sites in Denmark, feeling as if “science had become a mere hobby,” although he
continued publishing papers.
Finally, in 1994, Leo and Angelica decided to move to America. Leo
started to send out applications and received several offers. The opportunity to be a post-doc at Penn State, working with chemist Barbara
Garrison, turned out to be the right choice for Leo, and he remained
there for five years, working on the mechanisms of chemical vapor
deposition diamond growth and laser interactions with organic matter.
Leo joined our department in 2000 and was promoted to full
professor in 2010. The University of Virginia was well known to
Leo before he arrived since he had made use of Professor Robert A.
Johnson’s work on interatomic potentials in his graduate research back
in Russia, but Leo had not imagined he would one day meet Johnson
and become his colleague.
Leo’s research concerns computational materials science and
computational methods for materials modeling. Highly collaborative,
his computational materials group produces atomistic models aimed
at explaining or motivating other groups’ corresponding physical
experiments. Ultimately, the simulations are a means of advancing
the theoretical understanding of complex materials phenomena. His
current work ranges from atomistic and continuum modeling of lasermaterials interactions to mesoscopic modeling of nanocomposites.
Having worked with some outstanding students, both graduate and
undergraduate, Leo says he enjoys teaching because it is a pleasure for
him to observe his students’ intellectual and professional growth. As he
lends practical support to their research, he appreciates the reciprocal
contributions of their thoughtful ideas and probing questions. Since
graduating his first student in 1994, Leo has had the pleasure of seeing
his former students thrive at laboratories and universities in Germany,
Japan, the U.K., the U.S. and France.
Leo is responsible for overseeing the graduate distance learning
program for MSE and is currently serving on the Dean’s Promotion
and Tenure Committee.
Leo and his family celebrated two graduations this spring. His
daughter Varya, an Echols Scholar, graduated from the University
of Virginia with a double major in Spanish and Foreign Affairs. Son
Vasil, born while the family lived in Pennsylvania, graduated from Red
Hill Elementary School.
Erica Macha
???:
Corrosion Bowl
read more: www.faculty.virginia.edu/CompMat/News.html
Material
matters
7
fall 2011
material matters
Developing Leaders of Innovation
staff spotlight:
peter schare
In the basement of the old MSE building, there is a workshop
furnished with massive tools and enticingly littered with coils of
aluminum and steel confetti. On most days, that is where you
can find our multi-talented laboratory instrument maker hard
at work. Peter Schare arrived at U.Va. engineering on November 1, 1989, armed with extensive skills gleaned from a variety
of experiences. He had spent twelve years working at Mt. Sinai
Hospital in New York City, and before that, ten years working
in high energy physics laboratories at Princeton University.
For his first couple of years here, Peter worked in aerospace
engineering in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering, but he finally found his niche in materials science in 1992. During his almost-twenty years in MSE, he has
worked with nearly all our faculty and continues to be sought
out for help by faculty from other departments. With faculty,
research groups, and graduate and undergraduate students,
Peter has a varied clientele numbering about a hundred people
per year.
Adept at working with most materials — ceramics, fiberglass, copper, steel, aluminum — Peter enjoys the many
challenges of his job. In fact, he told us, “Everything is a challenge” and “You never know what someone is going to bring
in here.” A recent test came from graduate student Micah
Schaible, who needed Peter’s help in making a copper device
to hold a sample in a vacuum chamber. Copper is difficult
to work with since it is “soft and full of holes,” but Peter was
able to complete the project without wasting the material,
something he tries to avoid. In fact, he recycles everything he
can. A sturdy and beautiful rolling table for the department’s
wide-screen television Peter made from an old door.
When asked what he finds most rewarding about his job,
Peter said he has especially enjoyed working with undergraduate students on their capstone projects. Working with
students, he has an opportunity to shape their understanding
of the materials and tools they use. It is a teaching moment,
and Peter loves to teach.
Clockwise, from Top left: Agnew family dances on oobleck, Giovanni Zangari on sabbactical,
Jerry Floro addressing a crowd for NanoDays, and Rob Kelly in his electrochemistry lab.
faculty notes:
The research contributions of several MSE faculty are being recognized
this semester with Sesquicentennial sabbatical leave: Raul Baragiola is
at the Balseiro Institute in Bariloche, Argentina, where he is developing new methods in theoretical applied physics for the interaction of
ions with materials; Rick Gangloff is at the U.S. Air Force Academy
where he is studying environmental effects on metal fatigue and fracture; Petra Reinke is working at the University of Lund in Sweden and
at Jacobs University Bremen in Germany where she is pursuing ideas
on the electronic and magnetic interactions between dissimilar hybrid
nanostructures and the modeling of carbon-based nanomaterials; and
Giovanni Zangari is working with colleagues at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, in Erlangen, Germany, studying the synthesis and application of
nanotubes and their integration with electrodeposited nanomaterials.
On August 25th, U.VA. Today featured an article about the 37
experienced faculty members from across the university invited by
the Teaching Resource Center to become inaugural members of the
“Academy of Teaching.” These faculty members “regarded as master
teachers,” include two of our own from the Department of Materials
Science and Engineering, Professor Rob Kelly and Professor and Chair
Bill Johnson.
Hosted by Professor Sean Agnew and sponsored by the National
Science Foundation, a workshop held on May 19 and 20 in Arlington,
Virginia, brought together a diverse group of 52 scientists and engineers from academia, government laboratories, industry, and funding
agencies with two purposes: to identify the outstanding fundamental
science issues which inhibit broader application of Magnesium (Mg)
alloys in structural (including biomedical) applications, and also, to
recommend research directions to address the outstanding issues.
Twelve invited speakers, including John Allison of the University of
Michigan and J.F. Nie of Monash University, presented eleven lectures
designed to set the tone for the smaller group discussions.
The school-wide SEAS Open House was held on Saturday, March
19th, and Professor Jerry Floro coordinated our department’s efforts
for the event. Since Jerry is also our Nanodays ambassador, he decided
to incorporate Nanodays demonstrations as part of the open house.
With around 700 people walking through Wilsdorf Hall that day, Jerry
remarked, “Our previous high was about 250, so this surpassed my
wildest dreams.” Visitors included families with younger children from
the local community, but also high schoolers who are prospective students. We hope our guests left with a greater appreciation of the field of
materials science—and maybe a desire to study with us one day.
Jerry says, “We do plan on having Nanodays again at the Open
House, with two rooms filled with interactive demos, a design contest,
multimedia, and the giant Nanotube balloon construction.”
ore:
Material
matters
8
fall 2011
Material
matters
fall 2011
material matters
Developing Leaders of Innovation
staff spotlight:
peter schare
In the basement of the old MSE building, there is a workshop
furnished with massive tools and enticingly littered with coils of
aluminum and steel confetti. On most days, that is where you
can find our multi-talented laboratory instrument maker hard
at work. Peter Schare arrived at U.Va. engineering on November 1, 1989, armed with extensive skills gleaned from a variety
of experiences. He had spent twelve years working at Mt. Sinai
Hospital in New York City, and before that, ten years working
in high energy physics laboratories at Princeton University.
For his first couple of years here, Peter worked in aerospace
engineering in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering, but he finally found his niche in materials science in 1992. During his almost-twenty years in MSE, he has
worked with nearly all our faculty and continues to be sought
out for help by faculty from other departments. With faculty,
research groups, and graduate and undergraduate students,
Peter has a varied clientele numbering about a hundred people
per year.
Adept at working with most materials — ceramics, fiberglass, copper, steel, aluminum — Peter enjoys the many
challenges of his job. In fact, he told us, “Everything is a challenge” and “You never know what someone is going to bring
in here.” A recent test came from graduate student Micah
Schaible, who needed Peter’s help in making a copper device
to hold a sample in a vacuum chamber. Copper is difficult
to work with since it is “soft and full of holes,” but Peter was
able to complete the project without wasting the material,
something he tries to avoid. In fact, he recycles everything he
can. A sturdy and beautiful rolling table for the department’s
wide-screen television Peter made from an old door.
When asked what he finds most rewarding about his job,
Peter said he has especially enjoyed working with undergraduate students on their capstone projects. Working with
students, he has an opportunity to shape their understanding
of the materials and tools they use. It is a teaching moment,
and Peter loves to teach.
Clockwise, from Top left: Agnew family dances on oobleck, Giovanni Zangari on sabbactical,
Jerry Floro addressing a crowd for NanoDays, and Rob Kelly in his electrochemistry lab.
faculty notes:
The research contributions of several MSE faculty are being recognized
this semester with Sesquicentennial sabbatical leave: Raul Baragiola is
at the Balseiro Institute in Bariloche, Argentina, where he is developing new methods in theoretical applied physics for the interaction of
ions with materials; Rick Gangloff is at the U.S. Air Force Academy
where he is studying environmental effects on metal fatigue and fracture; Petra Reinke is working at the University of Lund in Sweden and
at Jacobs University Bremen in Germany where she is pursuing ideas
on the electronic and magnetic interactions between dissimilar hybrid
nanostructures and the modeling of carbon-based nanomaterials; and
Giovanni Zangari is working with colleagues at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, in Erlangen, Germany, studying the synthesis and application of
nanotubes and their integration with electrodeposited nanomaterials.
On August 25th, U.VA. Today featured an article about the 37
experienced faculty members from across the university invited by
the Teaching Resource Center to become inaugural members of the
“Academy of Teaching.” These faculty members “regarded as master
teachers,” include two of our own from the Department of Materials
Science and Engineering, Professor Rob Kelly and Professor and Chair
Bill Johnson.
Hosted by Professor Sean Agnew and sponsored by the National
Science Foundation, a workshop held on May 19 and 20 in Arlington,
Virginia, brought together a diverse group of 52 scientists and engineers from academia, government laboratories, industry, and funding
agencies with two purposes: to identify the outstanding fundamental
science issues which inhibit broader application of Magnesium (Mg)
alloys in structural (including biomedical) applications, and also, to
recommend research directions to address the outstanding issues.
Twelve invited speakers, including John Allison of the University of
Michigan and J.F. Nie of Monash University, presented eleven lectures
designed to set the tone for the smaller group discussions.
The school-wide SEAS Open House was held on Saturday, March
19th, and Professor Jerry Floro coordinated our department’s efforts
for the event. Since Jerry is also our Nanodays ambassador, he decided
to incorporate Nanodays demonstrations as part of the open house.
With around 700 people walking through Wilsdorf Hall that day, Jerry
remarked, “Our previous high was about 250, so this surpassed my
wildest dreams.” Visitors included families with younger children from
the local community, but also high schoolers who are prospective students. We hope our guests left with a greater appreciation of the field of
materials science—and maybe a desire to study with us one day.
Jerry says, “We do plan on having Nanodays again at the Open
House, with two rooms filled with interactive demos, a design contest,
multimedia, and the giant Nanotube balloon construction.”
ore:
Material
matters
8
fall 2011
Material
matters
fall 2011
material matters
alumni updates:
Developing Leaders of Innovation
Contact us!
Clockwise, from 9:00, Mircea Stan, Jiwei Liu,
Stu Wolf, and Lloyd Harriott.
Find out more about our
department and how you
can be a part of it. Please
send us any events or story
ideas of your own that we
can help publicize.
434-924-7237
materialsscience@ virginia.edu
Many returning alumni choose to enjoy a Bodo’s stop while they are
passing through; Kevin Cooper (PhD ’01 - pictured top left), Louie
Scribner, and Paul Natishan (PhD ’79 – center facing away) are no
exception. Before founding Scribner Associates, Louie Scribner spent 20
years heading up the U.VA. CESE labs. Kevin is now Principal Scientist
with Scribner Associates, and Paul is with NRL.
Last month, Kaushik
Chatterjee (MSE ‘03) began
working as an Assistant
Professor of Materials
Engineering at the Indian
Institute of Science in
Bangalore (India’s premier
research institution) where he is
starting a research and teaching
program in biomaterials and
tissue engineering. At U.VA.
Kaushik began his graduate
studies with Jim Howe and Bill
Johnson and then continued
at Penn State for his PhD.
Awarded a fellowship from the
National Research Council
of the US National Academy
of Sciences, Kaushik did his
post-doctoral research at NIST
and NIH.
Material
matters
10
fall 2011
Brian Hinderliter (PhD ‘01) stopped
in to see Bill Johnson. He returned last
August to Virginia and joined Virginia
Commonwealth University as an Associate
Professor in the Mechanical and Nuclear
Engineering Department; he is one of the
founding members of the new Nuclear
Engineering Track at VCU. After graduating
under Professor Bill Johnson, Brian held
an appointment at North Dakota State
University as a Research Scientist in
the Coatings and Polymeric Materials
Department.
the virginia nanoelectronics center
On May 25th, the University of Virginia, in partnership with the College of William & Mary and Old Dominion University, launched the
Virginia Nanoelectronics Center, or ViNC, to advance research aimed
at developing next-generation electronics.
The center’s initial project is the development of information processing based on vanadium dioxide in place of traditional technologies.
This approach offers the benefit of smaller size and faster processing at
much lower power.
“This new center is positioning Virginia at the heart of the develop-
ment of a new nanoscale technology,” said Stuart Wolf, director of nanoSTAR and ViNC. “This center could establish the commonwealth
as the ‘Oxide Hills’ rather than a new ‘Silicon Valley.’”
Wolf, a professor with joint appointments in the Department of
Materials Science and Engineering and in the College of Arts &
Sciences’ Department of Physics, will work closely with co-principal
investigators Jiwei Lu, assistant professor of Materials Science and
Engineering, and Mircea Stan and Lloyd Harriott, professors in the
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
read more: www.????
Material
matters
11
fall 2011
material matters
alumni updates:
Developing Leaders of Innovation
Contact us!
Clockwise, from 9:00, Mircea Stan, Jiwei Liu,
Stu Wolf, and Lloyd Harriott.
Find out more about our
department and how you
can be a part of it. Please
send us any events or story
ideas of your own that we
can help publicize.
434-924-7237
materialsscience@ virginia.edu
Many returning alumni choose to enjoy a Bodo’s stop while they are
passing through; Kevin Cooper (PhD ’01 - pictured top left), Louie
Scribner, and Paul Natishan (PhD ’79 – center facing away) are no
exception. Before founding Scribner Associates, Louie Scribner spent 20
years heading up the U.VA. CESE labs. Kevin is now Principal Scientist
with Scribner Associates, and Paul is with NRL.
Last month, Kaushik
Chatterjee (MSE ‘03) began
working as an Assistant
Professor of Materials
Engineering at the Indian
Institute of Science in
Bangalore (India’s premier
research institution) where he is
starting a research and teaching
program in biomaterials and
tissue engineering. At U.VA.
Kaushik began his graduate
studies with Jim Howe and Bill
Johnson and then continued
at Penn State for his PhD.
Awarded a fellowship from the
National Research Council
of the US National Academy
of Sciences, Kaushik did his
post-doctoral research at NIST
and NIH.
Material
matters
10
fall 2011
Brian Hinderliter (PhD ‘01) stopped
in to see Bill Johnson. He returned last
August to Virginia and joined Virginia
Commonwealth University as an Associate
Professor in the Mechanical and Nuclear
Engineering Department; he is one of the
founding members of the new Nuclear
Engineering Track at VCU. After graduating
under Professor Bill Johnson, Brian held
an appointment at North Dakota State
University as a Research Scientist in
the Coatings and Polymeric Materials
Department.
the virginia nanoelectronics center
On May 25th, the University of Virginia, in partnership with the College of William & Mary and Old Dominion University, launched the
Virginia Nanoelectronics Center, or ViNC, to advance research aimed
at developing next-generation electronics.
The center’s initial project is the development of information processing based on vanadium dioxide in place of traditional technologies.
This approach offers the benefit of smaller size and faster processing at
much lower power.
“This new center is positioning Virginia at the heart of the develop-
ment of a new nanoscale technology,” said Stuart Wolf, director of nanoSTAR and ViNC. “This center could establish the commonwealth
as the ‘Oxide Hills’ rather than a new ‘Silicon Valley.’”
Wolf, a professor with joint appointments in the Department of
Materials Science and Engineering and in the College of Arts &
Sciences’ Department of Physics, will work closely with co-principal
investigators Jiwei Lu, assistant professor of Materials Science and
Engineering, and Mircea Stan and Lloyd Harriott, professors in the
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
read more: www.????
Material
matters
11
fall 2011
Non-Profit Organization
US Postage
PAID
Charlottesville, VA
Permit No. 164
M AT E R I A L
MATTERS
University of Virginia
Department of Materials Science & Engineering
School of Engineering and Applied Science
P.O. Box 400740
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4740
434-924-7237
www.virginia.edu/ms
[email protected]
Does your company need a
summer intern?
As our undergraduate numbers continue to grow, so does the pool of excellent
young engineering science and materials science students looking for summer
internships. If you are interested in publicizing a summer internship, contact
Susan Hull ([email protected]), MSE undergraduate coordinator.
U.Va. School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Materials S
of
cience &
Engineering
become part
of our story...
MSE Web: www.virginia.edu/ms/
MSE LinkedIn: www.mse.virginia.edu/linkedin
MSE Twitter: www.twitter.com/CS_UVA
MSE Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/67807246@N07/page4/
MSE Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Materials-Science-Engineering-University-of-Virginia/218010338242401
50
Sign up for e_News at www.seas.virginia.edu to receive monthly news updates from the dean and news from the MSE department.
�ears!
Materials Science & Engineering at U.Va.
Will Be 50 Years Old Next Year
We need your photos and stories to document the history. Please contact Eric at [email protected] or Susan at [email protected]