LDCN receives funding under DARPA program

LDCN has received funding under the DARPA program Atoms to Product (A2P). The goal of the program is to develop the technologies and processes required to assemble nanometer-scale pieces, whose dimensions are near the size of atoms, into systems, components, or materials that are at least millimeter-scale in size.

The A2P program is led by Zyvex Labs, a Dallas-based company, and involves close collaborations with Rice University, The University of Texas at Austin, Systine Inc., and ICSPI.

Reza Moheimani named Editor-in-Chief of Mechatronics journal

Professor Reza Moheimani has been named the Editor-of-Chief of IFAC journal Mechatronics, and will commence this new role in January 2016.

Mechatronics aims to provide rapid publication of topical papers featuring practical developments that combine precision mechanical engineering, electronic control, and systems thinking. The journal seeks to provide an emphasis on applied research, and attracts a readership from across the industrial and research spectrum.

Mechatronics at ScienceDirect
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LDCN acquires new system for 3D vibration analysis

LDCN has acquired a Polytec MSA-100-3D Micro System Analyzer, the second such system to be installed in a US university. This laser Doppler vibrometer-based system enables 3D vibration analysis of mechanical microsystems, providing picometer resolution for motion in both the in-plane and out-of-plane directions with a frequency bandwidth of up to 25MHz.

Reza Moheimani appointed to distinguished chair at UT Dallas

Professor Reza Moheimani has been appointed to the James Von Ehr Distinguished Chair in Science and Technology at UT Dallas. This prestigious position was previously held by Dr. Alan G. MacDiarmid, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2000).

LDCN joins The University of Texas at Dallas

The Laboratory for Dynamics and Control of Nanosystems has moved to join The University of Texas at Dallas. UT Dallas is a highly innovative institution located in the heart of North Texas, USA, and is undergoing rapid growth as part of its vision to achieve Tier One national research university status.

LDCN will be operating as a part of the Department of Mechanical Engineering within the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science, and joins a strong group of world-class researchers. This move will provide LDCN with exciting new research opportunities within the field of nanotechnology, supported by a new research laboratory featuring state-of-the art equipment.

Zürich Instruments Awards Student Travel Grant

Michael Ruppert from the University of Newcastle, Australia, receives a student travel grant from Zürich Instruments AG (Switzerland), for the work on atomic-force microscopy, where an HF2LI Lock-in Amplifier was used to verify the model of the tip-sample interaction: “Direct Tip-Sample Force Estimation for High-Speed Dynamic Mode Atomic Force Microscopy”, IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology, vol 13:6.

The Zürich Instruments student travel grant was awarded in 2015 for the first time to acknowledge the importance of meeting other scientists around the world. Michael will use the grant to visit the NC-AFM annual conference 2016.

Dr. Yuen Yong receives awards for research excellence

Dr. Yuen Yong has been announced as a winner of two prestigious awards from the University of Newcastle, the Pro Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research Performance, and the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence. These awards recognise Dr. Yong’s outstanding research contributions, and she is now a candidate for the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Researcher of the Year.

Read the full story here.

Mohammad Maroufi, Steven Moore and Michael Ruppert among the winners of faculty Postgraduate Research Poster Prize

Congratulations to Mohammad, Steven and Michael, who were judged to be prize recipients in the 2014 Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment Postgraduate Research Poster Prize competition. They were among 49 students who showcased their research via the presentation of a poster, with the judges selecting their work to be among the winning entries.

Mohammad Maroufi: High-Stroke SOI-MEMS Nanopositioner: Control Design for Non-Raster Scan AFM

Steven Moore: MEMS Simultaneous Actuation and Sensing Technique

Michael Ruppert: Novel Reciprocal Self-Sensing Techniques for Tapping-Mode Atomic Force Microscopy

Reza Moheimani invited to present plenary talk at AUCC 2014 conference

Professor Reza Moheimani has been invited to present a plenary lecture at the 2014 Australian Conference on Control. The conference will be held at the campus of the Australian National University, Canberra, on 17-18 November.

Reza Moheimani awarded 2014 IFAC Nichols Medal

Congratulations to Professor Reza Moheimani, who has been awarded the IFAC Nichols Medal for 2014. The Nichols Medal is a highly prestigious award, awarded triennially by the IFAC council to recognize outstanding contributions of an individual to design methods, software tools and instrumentation, or to significant projects resulting in major applications and advancement of control education.
Professor Moheimani has been selected as the 2014 receipient “for fundamental contributions in systems science and control theory of direct relevance to engineering practice in high precision mechatronic systems”, and will be presented with the medal at the 19th IFAC World Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2014.