News Archive 2015

Microelectronics-Photonics Graduate Student Awarded Bridge Fellowship

Reference: University of Arkansas Newswire July 24, 2015

Morgan Roddy, a doctoral student in microelectronics-photonics, has been awarded an Arkansas Space Grant Consortium Bridge Fellowship.

The year-long fellowship provides Roddy $12,500 to support his research. It also allows him to visit the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Roddy's research examines in-space micropropulsion for small spacecraft. The space industry is starting to shift from using large satellites to microsatellites. The microspacecraft are much more compact than conventional satellites and have the luxury of 'hitching a ride' on launch vehicles that are carrying much larger payloads. This reduces launch costs from hundreds of millions of dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Another advantage of the smaller satellites is that a cluster of them could link together to carry out the same mission of a larger space vehicle. This is beneficial because if a component of the small spacecraft system is damaged, only one microsatellite would need to be replaced. When a large satellite is damaged, the entire system must be replaced.

"Smaller spacecraft allow for meaningful science to be conducted on a smaller budget," Roddy said. "The lower cost makes them more accessible to the masses. If we can develop a small efficient propulsion system, we can take interplanetary travel from something only a handful of organizations can afford to a practical endeavor that many universities can afford."

One of the biggest difficulties in the development of an agile microspacecraft is the creation of a small-scale propulsion system. The fiery chemical propulsion systems associated with a traditional spacecraft are not practical for a microsatellite. Roddy has made the development of a suitable propulsion system the focus of his research.

Recently, with the help of his Research Experience for Undergraduates mentee Seth Vaughan, the Doctoral Academy Fellow built a low temperature co-fired ceramic prototype thruster. The device would be used as part of a propulsion mechanism for a microspacecraft. The Bridge Fellowship will allow Roddy to develop a fuel cell to go with the thruster, which will result in a fully functioning, prototype-level propulsion system.

Roddy and his adviser Adam Huang, associate professor of mechanical engineering, have partnered in their research with Harding University, University of Arkansas at Little Rock and NASA's Ames Research Center. The pair plans to gather more data about their propulsion project when they visit the Marshall Space Flight Center later this year.

APEI, Frequent U of A Research Collaborator, Acquired by Cree

Reference: University of Arkansas Newswire July 15, 2015

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A research development firm that frequently collaborates with faculty at the University of Arkansas on new technologies has been sold to the top-selling LED light manufacturer in the United States.

Cree Inc. announced on July 9 that it had acquired Arkansas Power Electronics International Inc. (APEI), the largest company at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park. APEI will be renamed Cree Fayetteville Inc. and will continue to be based at the research park.

“This acquisition represents the culmination of years of dedicated research and development by APEI,” said Phillip Stafford, president of the University of Arkansas Technology Development Foundation. “It also serves notice that world-class technologies are being commercialized through public-private partnerships such as those developed by University of Arkansas researchers and APEI.”

APEI specializes in advanced, high-performance electronics for a variety of customers and applications, including the defense, aerospace and hybrid/electric vehicle markets. It specializes in silicon carbide semiconductors, multichip power modules, high-temperature packaging for electronic components and high-temperature circuits.

The majority of APEI’s approximately 50 employees are U of A graduates, including Alex Lostetter, president and CEO of APEI, who holds a doctorate in microelectronics-photonics from the university.

“Joining forces with the market leader in silicon-carbide power gives us an opportunity to commercialize our products faster,” Lostetter said. “This ideal combination of chip technology and packaging will give us first-mover advantage, helping us to set the industry standard for power modules.”

Collaborations between APEI and U of A researchers have been included in R&D Magazine’s annual list of the world’s top 100 technological product innovations.

In 2014, the magazine based its R&D 100 award on APEI’s high-performance, silicon carbide-based plug-in hybrid electric vehicle battery charger. The U.S. Department of Energy-funded research partnership includes several entities, including Cree and the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission, an academic research center based at the U of A.

In 2009, APEI received its first R&D 100 award for a high-temperature silicon carbide power module that was developed through a collaboration between APEI, U of A researchers and Rohm Co. Ltd. The module can greatly reduce the size and volume of power electronic systems.

“Adding this expert team of innovators and portfolio of patents will enable us to further disrupt and expand the market,” said Frank Plastina, executive vice president for Cree’s power and radio frequency division.

Bauman Awarded SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship

Reference: University of Arkansas Newswire July 06, 2015

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Stephen Bauman, a recent master’s graduate of the University of Arkansas, has been awarded a 2015 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.

Bauman earned the $3,000 scholarship for his potential contributions to the field of optics, photonics or related field. He will pursue a doctorate in microelectronics-photonics at the U of A. Bauman is the co‐founder and current vice president of the university’s SPIE student chapter, the Arkansas Laserbacks.

Bauman’s research, advised by Joseph Herzog, a visiting assistant professor of physics, involves the development of an improved nanoscale fabrication technique using established optical lithography techniques for potential plasmonic, nano‐optics, and other nanotech applications.

“The financial and career support that SPIE has provided me in my short graduate career has been extremely beneficial. I am grateful to be a part of such an outreach‐conscious organization,” Bauman said.

Bauman will present his research at the SPIE Optics and Photonics International Conference in August.

SPIE, founded in 1955 as the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers, is an international professional society that advances emerging light-based technologies through interdisciplinary information exchange, continuing education, publications, career development and advocacy.

Undergraduates Gain Experience Through Summer Research Programs

Reference: University of Arkansas Newswire June 10, 2015

Undergraduate students from across the nation are currently on the University of Arkansas campus participating in a variety of Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs. The programs are designed to give students hands-on experiences in research areas of their choice while introducing them to careers in scientific research.

The programs offered are focused in seven disciplines: chemistry, computer science and computer engineering, ecosystem services and agricultural sustainability, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, microelectronics-photonics and physics. Students in the programs are working with faculty members on research projects during their 10-week stay at the U of A.

In addition to conducting research, students take field trips to industrial sites and partake in various social and team-building activities. "Dinner and Dialogue" events aimed at preparing the students for graduate school have been planned as well. Discussions will center on topics such as research ethics and business etiquette. Students will also interact with a panel of current University of Arkansas graduate students who will talk about their experiences in graduate school.

More than 80 undergraduates from 26 states are on the U of A campus as part of the research programs.

The 10-week programs, which are funded by the National Science Foundation, began May 17 and will conclude July 24.

Picasolar Expands With Solar Cell Technology Developed at U of A

Reference: University of Arkansas Newswire May 20, 2015

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Picasolar Inc., a solar start-up company affiliated with the University of Arkansas, dedicated its new headquarters on Wednesday at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park.

The 2,300-square-foot space in the Enterprise Center at the technology park allows Picasolar to greatly shorten the time it takes to produce its patent-pending product. That product, called a hydrogen super emitter – improves solar cell efficiency and reduces the amount of silver needed in the manufacture of solar panels, making them more marketable and affordable.

The hydrogen super emitter could save the average solar panel manufacturer up to $120 million annually. The super emitter represents the single largest technology leap in solar power in 40 years, said Douglas Hutchings, Picasolar’s chief executive officer.

“This is a big step for our company,” Hutchings said. “With 1,000 square feet of new lab space, we will accelerate our proprietary process to make solar cells more efficient. The infrastructure and equipment we have assembled will streamline our transition from research and development to commercializing products.”

The University of Arkansas has supported and partnered with Picasolar through its development as a company.

Seth Shumate invented the super emitter as a student at the U of A, and Hutchings and Shumate have both worked closely with Hameed Naseem, a professor of electrical engineering, in the Photovoltaics Research Lab at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park.

The firm’s business plan was honed in the New Venture Development graduate course in the Sam M. Walton College of Business. Competing as a graduate business plan team, Picasolar won more than $300,000 at graduate business plan competitions in 2013, the same year it started operations at the research park.

“It is exciting to see Picasolar continue to grow and be successful,” said Jim Rankin, vice provost for research and economic development at the U of A. “There is a great deal of promising solar research occurring at the University of Arkansas and we look forward to seeing it transition from the lab to the market.”

In 2014, Picasolar raised $1.2 million in equity investments on top of receiving an $800,000 SunShot Initiative award through the U.S. Department of Energy. In April, Picasolar’s super emitter was recognized with a prestigious 2015 Edison Award. The Edison awards, inspired by Thomas Edison’s persistence and inventiveness, recognize innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the global economy.

Hutchings earned a doctorate in microelectronics-photonics at the University of Arkansas in 2010. Shumate earned his doctorate earlier this month from the microelectronics-photonics program, offered by the College of Engineering and J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

Team Develops New Method to Map Phosphorene, 2-Dimensional Materials

Reference: University of Arkansas Newswire May 08, 2015

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A team of University of Arkansas researchers has identified a way to more accurately model two-dimensional atomistic structures through geometry, allowing them to link the effect of shape on their properties.

The research team was led by Salvador Barraza-Lopez, a U of A assistant professor of physics; Edmund Harriss, clinical assistant professor of mathematics; Mehrshad Mehboudi, doctoral student in microelectronics and photonics; Kainen Utt, mathematics and physics undergraduate, and collaborators Humberto Terrones of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York and Alejandro Pacheco San Juan of Universidad del Norte in Colombia. The national journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, published their results last week.

Interest in phosphorene — an atom-thick layer of phosphorus — grew over the last year.

The researchers used discrete differential geometry to map phosphorene using the positions of individual atoms and studied how shape variations affect its properties.

“This is the first study of its kind using discrete differential geometry to study two-dimensional material,” Barraza-Lopez said.

The team used discrete differential geometry to map the atomistic shape of the material and to associate this shape with changes in its optical properties — the color at which it absorbs and emits light. Discrete differential geometry is used in computer animation, and as shown by the team, is well-poised for use within the context of two-dimensional materials.

“We can use this framework across other materials,” Harriss said. “One of the goals of the research is to provide fundamental tools to model these materials.”

“There is great excitement in exploring a wealth of two-dimensional atomic structures right now, especially when their shape is not ideal and planar” Barraza-Lopez said. “We remain certain that the research community will realize the potential of a discrete geometry in understanding shape/properties relations in those materials. There is a sense of joy in reexamining our basic understanding of geometry, using an intriguing two-dimensional material that is being extensively studied at the present moment for this purpose.”

Picasolar Wins Bronze Edison Award

Reference: University of Arkansas Newswire April 28, 2015

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Picasolar Inc., a solar start-up company affiliated with the University of Arkansas, was recognized on Thursday, April 23, with a 2015 Edison Award.

Picasolar won a bronze Edison Award for its patent-pending hydrogen super emitter at the Edison Awards Annual Gala, held in New York City.

“We are honored to win this prestigious award,” said Douglas Hutchings, Picasolar’s chief executive officer. “Our technology could save an average-sized solar panel manufacturer $120 million annually, making the panels, and solar energy, more affordable for consumers.”

The awards, inspired by Thomas Edison’s persistence and inventiveness, recognize innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the global economy. More than 3,000 senior business executives and academics from across the nation judged the nominees in categories ranging from automotive solutions to personal computing.

Picasolar’s hydrogen super emitter was a finalist in the hydrogen power category. Upp, a portable hydrogen fuel cell, won the gold and Hyundai Motor America’s Hyundai Tucson fuel cell took silver.

The super emitter, invented by Seth Shumate, a doctoral candidate in microelectronics-photonics at the U of A and chief technology officer for Picasolar, could improve the efficiency of solar cells by 15 percent. If successful, the emitter represents the single largest technology leap in solar power in 40 years, Hutchings said.

Both Picasolar and its sister company, Silicon Solar Solutions, are Genesis Technology Incubator clients at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park at the University of Arkansas. Hutchings founded Silicon Solar Solutions in 2008 while a graduate student at the university. He earned a doctorate in microelectronics-photonics in 2010.

Two other firms associated with the U of A have won Edison Awards.

In 2014, NanoMech, a company founded by Ajay Malshe, Distinguished Professor of mechanical engineering at the U of A, won a silver Edison Award in the processing materials category for TuffTek, its patented nanoengineered advanced coating technology incorporated into cutting tools and wear parts for machining materials used in automotive, aerospace, energy and other sectors, and critical wear parts for machines and vehicles.

In 2012, cycleWood Solutions Inc., a company founded by University of Arkansas graduates Nheim Cao and Kevin Oden, won a bronze Edison Award in the safety and sustainability category for its trademarked single-use Xylobag, a strong and tough compostable substitute for traditional plastic bags.

Environmental Dynamics Graduate Student Studies Carbon Storage at Civil War Battlefield

Reference: University of Arkansas Newswire April 24, 2015

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Dorine Bower, a doctoral student in the Environmental Dynamics program at the University of Arkansas is compiling data that will help officials at Pea Ridge National Military Park make decisions about the preservation of the Civil War battlefield.

Bower is studying the biological way that nature captures and utilizes carbon in our atmosphere through plants, specifically at four sites at the military park in Northwest Arkansas. She is examining the different biological components in the grasslands and forests in the 4,300-acre park, to see which of them store the most carbon.

“The biological storage of carbon helps to mitigate the deleterious effects of the increasing concentration levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere,” Bower said. “With the information from my research, we will be able to quantify where the most carbon can be found in the park – among the trees, grasses, coarse woody debris, fallen leaves, twigs or soil, even down to the nut. This will aid the decision-makers at the park as they manage the park and its natural resources.”

Steve Stephenson, a research professor of biological sciences and Bower’s dissertation adviser, said, “Until her research project, there was no quantitative data on the total amount of carbon stored in any of the different types of vegetation in Northwest Arkansas. One other important aspect of her project is that she is looking at how the vegetation and thus the amount of carbon being stored have changed since the 1940s.

“This is important because we simply need to have a better handle on how the earth ecosystem ‘works’ and what we need to do to keep it working or make it work better,” Stephenson said. “It isn't too different from the cars we drive, just on a much larger scale.”

Bower took a non-traditional route to her graduate studies. She grew up in Washington, D.C., and went away to Trinity Bible College in Dunedin, Florida – only to drop out after she fell in love with a classmate and got married.

“I said to myself, ‘If I ever got a chance to go back to school, I would be ready,’” she recalls. “When I finally got the chance to go back to school 20 years later with my daughter, I jumped at the chance.”

She enrolled at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. She graduated three months after her daughter graduated from law school.

She developed an interest in solar energy at Florida Atlantic. After she and her husband relocated to Northwest Arkansas, Bower enrolled in the microelectronics-photonics graduate program at the U of A. The program, better known by its nickname “microEP,” requires its students participate in cross-departmental research, take classes focused on applications from multiple engineering and science departments, and develop workplace productivity skills in a simulated industrial environment.

Bower earned a master’s degree in microelectronics-photonics in 2008 – she defended her master’s thesis on Earth Day that year – and entered the Environmental Dynamics graduate program in 2009. Environmental dynamics is the study of complex interactions between natural systems and human activity. The program stresses interdisciplinary analyses of geophysical, biological, geochemical and sociocultural interactions related to environmental change.

“The study of carbon storage has been a natural progression from my research with solar cells,” Bower said. “I am now studying the original solar cells – plants and how they process the carbon from our atmosphere. I’m really interested in renewable energy and the health of the planet.”

Picasolar Named Finalist for Edison Award

Reference: University of Arkansas Newswire February 13, 2015

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Picasolar Inc., a solar start-up company affiliated with the University of Arkansas, has been named a 2015 award finalist by the internationally renowned Edison Awards.

The distinguished awards, inspired by Thomas Edison’s persistence and inventiveness, recognize innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the global economy. Picasolar has been recognized as a finalist for its patent-pending hydrogen super emitter, said Douglas Hutchings, Picasolar’s chief executive officer.

Award winners will be announced April 23 at the Edison Awards Annual Gala, held in the historic Ballroom of The Capitale in New York City.

“We are honored to be named a finalist for this prestigious award,” Hutchings said. “Our technology could save an average-sized solar panel manufacturer $120 million annually, making the panels, and solar energy, more affordable for consumers.”

The emitter, invented by Seth Shumate, a graduate student at the University of Arkansas and chief technology officer for Picasolar, could improve the efficiency of solar cells by 15 percent. If successful, the emitter represents the single largest technology leap in solar power in 40 years, Hutchings said.

Picasolar’s hydrogen selective emitter is a finalist in the hydrogen power category, competing against Hyundai Motor America’s Hyundai Tucson fuel cell and Upp, by Intelligent Energy.

“It’s exciting to see companies like Picasolar continuing Thomas Edison’s legacy of challenging conventional thinking,” said Frank Bonafilia, Edison Awards’ executive director. “Edison Awards recognizes the game-changing products and services, and the teams that brought them to consumers.”

Picasolar won more than $300,000 in cash while competing for the University of Arkansas at graduate business plan competitions in 2013, including $250,000 for winning the MIT NSTAR Clean Energy Prize.

Hutchings earned a doctorate in microelectronics-photonics at the University of Arkansas in 2010. Shumate is a doctoral candidate in the microelectronics-photonics program, offered by the College of Engineering and J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

Edison Award nominees are judged by more than 3,000 senior business executives and academics from across the nation whose votes acknowledge the finalists’ success in meeting the award’s stringent criteria of quality.

Two other firms associated with the U of A have won Edison Awards.

National Science Foundation Awards Innovation Grant to WattGlass

Reference: University of Arkansas Newswire January 15, 2015

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – WattGlass, a company founded by a graduate of the University of Arkansas, has received a $150,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to further develop a nano-particle coating for glass, which makes the glass anti-reflective, self-cleaning and highly transparent.

“We’re particularly interested in solar panels because they collect dust, dirt and grime, which reduces output and increases the cost per watt,” said Corey Thompson, chief technology officer of WattGlass, adding that the coating has many other applications.

“Right now, we’re dipping microscope slides into the coating liquid, but the main goal with this grant is to show that we can do the same thing on a larger scale with standard commercial coating equipment,” Thompson said.

The NSF Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant will be used to scale up the product, making it a more viable technology. WattGlass is a Genesis Technology Incubator client at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park.

The project also aims to prove the product is durable when exposed to heat, dust, dirt and other desert elements. If both objectives are successful, the company will be able to apply for NSF Phase II funding of up to $750,000.

Thompson began this research more than three years ago when he started working on his doctorate in microelectronics-photonics at the University of Arkansas.

“We’ve been pursuing commercialization of this technology for almost a year with limited funds and limited resources,” he said. “The ability to make progress is significantly increased with this support from the National Science Foundation. It also gives me the opportunity to stay in Arkansas with my Ph.D., create my own Ph.D. position and hire another Ph.D. student part-time. I’m really proud of that.”

WattGlass was founded in March 2014 and received seed funding from the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority’s Technology Development Program and local venture capital investors.

The initial research for the product was conducted at the Nanomechanics and Tribology Laboratory and Vertically-Integrated Center for Transformative Energy Research – both at the U of A – and supported by the National Science Foundation and the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority.