The SIGNAL Blog

IBM Research

June 10, 2008

By H. Mosher

A longtime leader in computer and electronics research, IBM is committed to furthering nanotechnology research. The goal of the company's work is to develop new atomic and molecular-scale structures and devices to enhance information technologies. The IBM home page offers links highlighting a number of projects such as bionanotechnology, materials characterization and tools, nanoelectronics, nanomaterials and self-assembly, nanomechanics, and quantum coherent systems. Two examples of the firm's research are self-organizing nanocrystals that can be formed into thin-films and organic thin-film transistors that can be used in applications such as electronic paper, print circuitry and displays.

http://domino.research.ibm.com/comm/research.nsf/pages/r.nanotech.html

Direct Hit Quotes for June

June 9, 2008

By H. Mosher

From June's SIGNAL Today, some interesting quotes from the June issue of SIGNAL Magazine.

"Going through one wall is not that bad, but a building is basically an RF hall of mirrors. You've got signals bouncing all over the place." - Dr. Edward J. Baranoski, Visibuilding program manager,
in Sensor Technology Opens New Horizons

"The Web is worse than the wild, wild West in terms of what's out there. At the rate things are going, we may lose the ability to have a networked world unless we develop tools for much better security."- Dave Bishop, chief technology officer and chief operating officer of LGS Innovations, in Innovators Imagine Communications Far Down the Road

"We truly see different types of attacks when we're doing our research. Sometimes we're really impressed with the sophistication that just indicates the talent on the other side."- Yuval Ben-Itzak, chief technology officer, Finjan Incorporated, in Web 2 the Danger Zone

Also from SIGNAL Today this month, our featured image of the month:

Joint tactics training exercise

U.S. Marine Maj. John Naylor, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Joe Dibenepetto and U.S. Marine Master Sgt. Mark Cain work on sending data links of radar information to U.S. aircraft at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.

National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)

June 9, 2008

By Henry Kenyon

The NNI was launched in 2001 to coordinate the U.S. federal government's nanotechnology research and development. Its mission is to provide a guiding vision for the long term opportunities and benefits of nanotechnology and to serve as a center for communication, cooperation and collaboration between all the participating government agencies. The NNI's home page provides information about federal advisory groups such as the National Science and Technology Council and its Nanoscale Science Engineering and Technology subcommittee. Visitors can download the NNI's fiscal year 2009 budget documents and a variety of papers, brochures and reports from the initiative's home page. The site also provides a list of NNI research centers such as the Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Visit the site at www.nano.gov.

CharityWorks Partners With Fisher House

June 6, 2008

By Rita Boland

CharityWorks, an organization in the Washington, D.C., area that fundraises for nonprofits, has partnered with Fisher House to raise money for the construction of the new Fisher House at the Washington, D.C., Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The house will have 16,000 square feet and 21 guest suites. The goal is to raise $2 million by the end of September. The selection of Fisher House as this year's charity marks the first time a partner was unanimously selected by the advisory board and membership of CharityWorks. The main fundraising event will be the CharityWorks Dream Ball on September 27 at the National Building Museum. Other funds come from personal and corporate donations. CharityWorks keeps administrative costs to a minimum, and 100 percent of all online donations go to the partner nonprofit. Computer Sciences Corporation is the host sponsor this year, and the chief executive officer of ManTech International and his wife are leading the fundraising campaign. Both organizations have made major contributions, have launched employee giving campaigns and are reaching out to industry peers. Other Honor Guard donors (those who pledge more than $100,000) include BAE Systems, Bearing Point, L-3 Communications, Fisher Brothers, Freddie Mac and Freddie Mac Foundation. CharityWorks also is hosting an invitation-only Housewarming Party for the new Fisher House at the Fisher Houses at Bethesda Naval Station Hospital in an effort to gather items needed for inside the facility. In addition, CharityWorks will have Booth 631 at the AFCEA Joint Warfighting Conference to raise awareness of the campaign for Fisher House and to invite participants to learn more about how they can support the effort.

Professor Zhong L. Wang's Nano Research Group

June 3, 2008

By Henry Kenyon

Nanostructures have a range of applications in electronics and materials research, but before they can be mass-produced, the processes to grow them consistently and accurately must be understood. A part of the Georgia Institute of Technology's School of Materials Science, this research group focuses its work on the physical and chemical processes in nanomaterials growth, the unique properties of nanosystems, new measurement techniques and new applications for nanoscale objects. The group's home page features its research on a range of nanostructures such as nanogenerators, nanobows, nanopropellor arrays, nanowire bundles, nanosaws and nanorods. Information about these projects can be downloaded from the site.

www.nanoscience.gatech.edu/zlwang/

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

June 2, 2008

By Henry Kenyon

This academic institution is heavily involved in nanotechnology research and hosts the National Science Foundation's Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center on its campus. The Institute is especially active with carbon nanotubes-tiny tubelike structures that possess unique physical, thermal and electrical properties. Visitors can learn about integrating nanotubes into electronics, incorporating nanotubes into composite materials for enhanced strength and forming nanotubes into tiny springs, rods and beams for nanomachines.

Visit the site at
www.rpi.edu/research/nanotechnology/index.html.

Seizing the Future

June 2, 2008

By H. Mosher

This month, Lt. Gen. Harry Raduege Jr. examines transition plans-his favorite, in particular, which is the 500-day plan. He discusses his experience using such a plan at CENTCOM and at DISA, and the benefits of doing so over, say, an 18-month plan or the "typical" five-year strategic plan favored by so many organizations. That leaves us with this month's Incoming question: What transition models are working for your agency or organization? How might the 500-day plan work for you?

Nanoscale Science Research Group (NSRG)

June 2, 2008

By Henry Kenyon

Scientists need tools to study, measure and manipulate nanoscale objects. NSRG, a collection of research groups associated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is poised to develop these tools. The NSRG's work explores three areas: nanoscale sciences, biomedical research and tools research. Information is available on a number of the group's projects, such as work on carbon nanotube paddle oscillators-extremely small actuators for optical switching and sensing technologies. The group's biomedical work seeks to develop tiny tools capable of studying and manipulating individual viruses and bacteria. Researchers are also studying biomotors for use in nanostructures. Biomotors are naturally occurring structures in cells that are responsible for muscle contraction and cell division

www.cs.unc.edu/Research/nano

Michael Yon

May 22, 2008

By Henry Kenyon

Michael Yon is an independent journalist writing from Iraq and Afghanistan. Over several years, Yon has been embedded with a number of U.S. and coalition forces and produced riveting on-the-ground accounts of actions against insurgents. Supported entirely through contributions, the site features Yon's news dispatches and links to other news coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan, with the author's comments. The page also includes original articles written by soldiers serving in the region.

www.michaelyon-online.com

eMail Our Military

May 20, 2008

By Rita Boland

Members of the public eager to show troop support can do so through eMail Our Military (eMOM). The organization was created in response to the U.S. Defense Department's cancellation of the "Any Service Member" and "Operation Dear Abby" programs because of security concerns. By using e-mail instead of regular post, eMOM offers a secure method to continue the tradition of troop support with an even more personal touch. Military members sign up with the organization and are matched with civilian registrants. eMOM tries to match up correspondents based on age or interests, but because the goal of the program is to provide moral support to all troops who request it, sometimes those matches are not realized. Scout troop leaders can involve their scouts through a special account created for children. The youngsters can include their e-mail address in their signature block if they want to receive reply messages from deployed military members. Scout leaders should register their addresses because they act as guides for the program. All registrations-individual or group-require a one-time fee of $2. In addition to sending e-mails, eMOM offers other ways for civilians to take action for service members, including getting involved in military support projects, sending an e-message of support, purchasing eMOM's online products, promoting the program in a local area or simply telling a friend about the program. Information about these projects is available on the Web site. Just as eMOM is the next generation of soldier letter-writing programs, the organization is using a new breed of networking to spread the word about troop support.

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