Bennett B. Goldberg - US grants

Equipment will be purchased to develop a dedicated near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) for the study of semiconductor and biological systems with the assistance of the Academic Research Infrastructure Program. The major components are NSOM control electronics and software, a spectrometer, DC and high frequency probes, semiconductor parameter analyzer, long wavelength detectors, a charge-coupled-device (CCD) detector, an inverted microscope foundation and optics, and a themoelectric mount and controller. The NSOM laboratory will be used to study: 1) sub-wavelength spectrocopic imaging of optoelectronic devices; 2) semiconductor material characterization from high resolution photoluminescence and tuned excitation; 3) local heating determination under operating conditions for optoelectronic devices with shear force microscopy; 4) fluoresence imaging of biological systems, including chromophore tagged DNA array structures; 5) local excitation and adsorption profiling of Bacteriorhodopsin to determine structure and functionality in thin films; 6) basic studies of new types of spectroscopy possible with large momentum of the evanescent fields in the near-field regime. A near-field scanning optical microscope will be developed for the study of semiconductor and biological systems. The semiconductor work will concentrate on the study of optoelectronic systems such as solid state lasers, while the biological work will study chromophore tagged DNA structures and thin films of Bacteriorhodopsin.

Abstract EEC-9527480 This award provides funding to Boston University for support of a Combined Research-Curriculum Development Program entitled, "PRIDE: Photonics Research in Interdisciplinary Education." The CRCD program emphasizes the need to incorporate exciting research advances in important technology areas into the upper level undergraduate and graduate engineering curricula and stimulates faculty researchers to place renewed, equal value on quality education and curriculum development. This three year program will create three levels of photonics modules to enrich standard core, specialized elective, and design courses of the upper division undergraduate and early graduate curricula. The interdisciplinary faculty team along with industry collaborators, will develop integrative learning experiences using modern research in holistic problems, requiring analysis, innovation, synthesis, and integration. Modules will be based on and demonstrated by recent photonics research, including photonic materials and devices, optical data storage, optical communications, displays and photonics systems. *** ??

9701958 Goldberg This experimental research project focuses on conducting systems formed by the "edge states" that lie near the perimeter of quasi- two dimensional electron gases in the quantum Hall effect (QHE). Fundamentally new transport behavior is predicted for sample geometries that bring multiple edge states into communication. Two sample geometries will be employed in this project. These are a GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice pillar with edge states communicating on a 2D surface sheath; and a gated GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction with edge states communicating across a long, narrow "line gate" barrier. Existing theoretical predictions in these cases will be tested with measurements to be made using a high-field (19Tesla), low temperature (20mK) apparatus on samples fabricated from MBE-grown GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures. It is expected that the results will advance general understanding of electronic transport in quasi-1D- and in anisotropic 3D- materials. %%% This research program examines ways in which electrons interact with each other to create ordered or collective structures. In many materials systems magnetism is driven by electronic interactions and in many technologically important areas like mass storage devices and computer memory, magnetism plays a fundamental role. Our program is an experimental effort to develop and examine model systems of magnetism. Only by using very pure model systems can the electronic interaction effects be isolated and studied. Our preliminary results have shown that when you have all electrons magnetically aligned, then forcing one to flip its orientation cause all its neighbors and their neighbors to turn to partially flip, creating a kind of swirl or vortex. These swirls of electrons, called Skyrmions, determine the magnetic properties of the material. To study Skyrmions, our group has built collaborations with Lucent Technology, the Kepler University in Austria, the Institute of High Pressure Physics in Russia, and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Florida. The group encompasses students from high-school summer interns, to undergraduate and graduate students who will work together using novel techniques of light transmission to "see" these electron swirls and study their most fundamental properties. New microscopes are being developed, which will have eventual application in biology and DNA sequencing, extending beyond the materials science of this program. New materials systems combining silicon technology with optical properties will be used, which again will have application in future generations of optoelectronics. ***

New techniques to dramatically extend the sensitivity and resolution in imaging biological specimens using novel methods of optical excitation and manipulation of biological materials on solid surface will be developed. The controlled penetration depth of optical excitation in evanescent wave fluorescence will be combined with ordered arrays of biological molecules on solid surfaces, allowing high-resolution optical sectioning of analytes bound specifically to biomolecules. By so extending Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) with sensitive vertical sectioning, two significant hurdles will be overcome: First, by distinguishing between analytes bound specifically to the surface and those adhered non-specifically, enhancement in sensitivity by an order of magnitude and hence selectivity is expected in solid-phase assays. Second, the extension of evanescent fluorescence techniques with vertical sectioning to unprecedented resolution levels (in the order of 10 nm) will allow for the development of many novel and powerful diagnostic techniques. Utilizing modern optoelectronics and single-mode optical waveguides, the complexity and ultimate cost of the detection apparatus will be reduced, making possible the application of these techniques to a wide variety of bioanalytical assays.

Physics (13) The project is adapting and implementing a microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) for introductory-level physics courses. The objective is to provide a wide range of students access to and experience with hands-on activities incorporating conceptual and quantitative elements with real-time data collection. The implementation of existing tools such as Real-Time Physics will occur with the development of additional enhancements, particularly web-based resources such as pre-lab assignments and interactive learning evaluation tools.

The program exists as the second element in a planned three-stage enhancement for physics education at Boston University. The first stage is the development and application of Interactive Lecture Demonstrations in the classroom. This has been funded by the University and is nearly complete. The second stage is the MBL for the introductory courses. The third stage will be the development of a more advanced microcomputer-based lab in the intermediate and advanced physics classes, thereby integrating the MBL experience vertically through the curriculum.

The introductory MBL program consists of a set of 13 computers and workbench tools for the introductory physics classes, covering conceptual physics, mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and modem physics. The project is also enhancing existing educational tools with web-based resources providing greater breadth and depth to the individual experiments; on-line evaluations to provide rapid student response and a convenient basis for assessment, and using the new Interactive Lecture Demonstrations as a complementary student learning activity. Boston University is renovating a room in the central foyer of the Metcalf Science and Engineering building specifically for the implementation of this program and for maximum visibility to the greater student population.

This proposal was received in response to Nanoscale Science and Engineering initiative, NSF 01-157, category NIRT. Recent advances have made it possible to assemble materials and components atom by atom, or molecule by molecule allowing for controlled fabrication of nanostructures with dimensions of from 3 to 100 nm. Compared to the behavior of isolated molecules or bulk materials, the behavior of nanostructures exhibit important physical properties not necessarily predictable from observations of either individual constituents or large ensembles. Predominant at the nanoscale are size confinement and quantum mechanical behavior observed in optical and electronic properties, as well as distinct elastic and/or mechanical features. The possibility of utilizing nanoscale behavior to enhance material properties and device functions beyond those that we currently consider feasible is widely anticipated. These new materials and devices herald a revolutionary age for science and technology, provided we can observe the detailed operation and discover and utilize the underlying principles.

The developments in nanotechnology present an outstanding challenge to characterization (measurement) technology by requiring nm-scale 3-D measurement capabilities. While the technology for synthesis has rapidly advanced, optical characterization of nanostructures is still in its infancy. We will build on existing expertise and infrastructure at Boston University and University of Rochester and develop a toolbox of novel nano-optical characterization techniques to discover and understand the novel properties of nanostructures. The Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team (NIRT) program in Advanced Characterization Techniques in Optics for Nanostructures (ACTION) will develop measurement methods to study and understand nanostructures. Solid immersion microscopy techniques combined with metal-tips will provide unprecedented resolution for spectroscopy of quantum dots and other semiconductor systems. The ultimate goal of the proposed program is to develop robust and efficient optical techniques at a spatial resolution on the order of 10 nm.

Beyond building the required tools to investigate novel properties of nanostructures, we will apply these tools to help answer fundamental questions facing nanoscale researchers today. In the area of quantum information processing, we will investigate the experimentally inaccessible regime of closely coupled quantum dots, the coherence of excited states, and quantum dots in tunable microcavities; in the area nanomechanical systems, we will explore the detailed mechanisms of energy dissipation and phase noise in resonant nanostructures; in the area of nanophotonics, we will directly determine the local modal volumes of defect states in photonics bandgap structures and investigate the nanoscale origins of mode leakage; and in the area of ultrasonics, we will measure the elastic properties of solids at the nanoscale, exploring the high frequency regime of nanoscale stresses for the first time.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Over the past year and a half, we have developed a new interferometric technique in fluorescent imaging called spectral self-interference fluorescent microscopy (SFM). The technique utilizes the spectral oscillations emitted by a fluorophore located a distance of several wavelengths above a reflecting surface. These spectral oscillations are due to the self-interference from the direct and reflected emitted light, analysis of which yields the vertical position of the fluorophore to within a few nanometers. This proposal is to demonstrate SFM as a nanometer resolution fluorescent microscopy technique in both artificial and biological model systems, apply its unique resolution capability to novel biological questions in vivo, and finally, extend the capabilities to arbitrary sectioning and eventual 3D, real-time nanoscale fluorescent imaging. The overall, long-term goal is to develop, demonstrate and apply in vivo subcellular microscopy at an ultimate resolution of 10 nanometers. The precise three-dimensional localization of proteins within prokaryotic cells is key to many cellular functions, including cell cycle, DNA replication, development, motility, and adhesion. As yet, the basic mechanisms that mediate three-dimensional targeting of proteins in prokaryotes remain largely unknown. Dr. MB Goldberg's laboratory has shown that the targeting of the Shigella actin assembly protein IcsA to the bacterial old pole occurs in the bacterial cytoplasm and involves two specific regions of the polypeptide. We will apply the SFM developed in this proposal to analyze with sub-cellular resolution in live bacteria specific interactions of IcsA with proteins involved in its secretion.

Nanometer Resolution Spectral Self-interference Fluorescence Microscopy

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Anna Swan and collaborators at Boston University to develop spectral self-interference fluorescent microscopy, a new technique capable of optically resolving in the sub-20 nm range. In comparison to confocal fluorescence microscopy, where depth resolution is achieved by focusing at different levels in the sample and the axial resolution is ~1 micron, spectral self-interference will achieve an improvement by a factor of 50 or better axial resolution. The grant provides funds for instrumentation development to create a platform to perform the spectral self-interference microscopy. It will consist of a microscope, spectrometer, laser, associated optics, control, data acquisition and data inversion, as well as specially designed and fabricated micromirrors and positioners to scan the standing wave and control the emission interference. The developed instrument will be a stand-alone, user-friendly system, and will be used to examine subcellular dynamics in a variety of biological systems.

Throughout the history of biological and medical sciences, advances in imaging have lead to revolutionary advances in understanding. The next great revolution in understanding the mechanisms of life will occur when it is possible to observe real-time molecular activity within living organisms. While nanoscale resolution is routinely achieved in a variety of microscopic techniques including scanned probe, electron and ion beam, and single molecule or bead microscopy, none of these techniques can provide three-dimensional intracellular molecular imaging within living organisms. Self-interference fluorescent microscopy can provide the resolution necessary, and this project will develop the instrumentation and analysis to make it a versatile and widely useful tool for sub-cellular functional biology.

Physics (13) This project implements new laboratory experiments and overhauls existing experiments in the intermediate and advanced undergraduate courses in the Boston University Physics Department. The main objective is to promote student understanding of quantum mechanics by emphasizing interactive engagement, aided by application of new equipment and technology. This project has a broad impact, affecting 250 students per year, improving their understanding of fundamental concepts in modern physics.

In the Modern Physics courses the project adds Magnetic Torque and single-photon experiments (see for example, Schneider and LaPuma, A Simple Experiment for Discussion of Quantum Interference and Which-Way Measurement, Am. J. Phys., 70 (3), 266-271, 2002) to build on student's experience and to provide a foundation for later work. The laboratories employ new equipment so students can carry out measurements more efficiently and investigate underlying principles in greater depth. The project also includes the construction of a revised lab manual requiring more intellectual effort from students. In the Advanced Laboratory course, three experiments are added that produce better results, less frustration than previous experiments, and significant insights into fundamental principles of physics. To evaluate the project, a new Quantum Concept Exam and questionnaires for students and faculty is developed. Publication of results will be in peer reviewed journals and via the University web site.

Project STAMP - Science Technology and Mathematics Partnerships - provides graduate fellows from the University of Boston, from the departments of Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine and Engineering, for educational activities with grade 6-12 students in the urban and suburban Boston, Chelsea, Newton and Quincy school districts. External partners include the Boston Museum of Science, the New England Aquarium, Melles Griot (an optics company) and the New England Board of Higher Education. Nine graduate students and four advanced undergraduates are supported per year. The themes are investigation, experimentation and problem solving. Innovative aspects include the use of a mobile laboratory as a capstone experience. The wide variety of school districts participating illustrate the broader impacts of this project as does the extensive use of the many resources available in the Boston area. This project is partially supported with funds from the Directorate for Mathematics and the Physical Sciences

Project title: Science, Technology and Mathematics Partnerships
Institution: Boston University
PI/Co-PI: Bennett Goldberg, Donald DeRosa, Peter Garik, Constance Phillips, Michael Ruane
Partner School Districts: Boston, Chelsea, Newton, Quincy
Funding: $ 1,419,131 total for 3 years
Number of fellows/year: 9 graduate, 4 undergraduate
Setting: Urban
Target audience: 6-12
NSF supported disciplines involved: Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering

This award will be used to acquire an atomic force microscope (AFM) with environmental control and dip-pen nanolithography capabilities to pursue research and education at the nano-to-micro length scale for complex biosystems. The instrumentation will be used for projects studying the basic science of cellular and subcellular mechanics and projects at the cutting edge of new nanoscale biomaterials and device design. This instrumentation will also be used to train the next generation of students in interdisciplinary nanobioscience by expanding their experimental capabilities, promoting an intellectual curiosity about the nanoscale, and motivating them to freely explore their own ideas to create and evaluate new nanostructures and devices.

The educational and broader societal impact of this AFM will be (1) to develop new subject-specific laboratories and demonstrations for advanced undergraduate and graduate students; (2) to introduce K-12 inner city students to unique experiences in micro- and nanoscale fabrication, through an existing GK-12 urban program Project STAMP: Science, Technology and Math Partnerships; (3) to work directly with Roxbury Community College and Bridgewater State College to provide unique access to these nanolithography tools with the goal of giving students memorable, hands-on laboratory experiences.

0601631
Unlu

This award supports international research experience for students in a project by a team of scientists from Boston University (BU) led by the PI, Dr. Selim Unlu, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in collaboration with Dr. Irsadi Aksun, Electrical Engineering Department, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey and Dr. Yusuf Leblebici, Electrical Engineering Department, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The research focus is on applications of optical resonance to biosensing and imaging. The general approach is based on utilizing resonance to dramatically increase the stored optical energy density and thus enhance the interaction with the biological specimens bound on solid surfaces. They will focus on three specific projects based on resonance enhancement in biosensing and imaging. Ring resonators have demonstrated Q~107 and higher in systems where the precise number of optical waves fit around in a 'whispering gallery' mode leading to development of highly sensitive compact platforms. Wavelength tuning spectroscopy of transmission in parallel Fabry-Perot cavities allows for sensitive label-free sensing of many thousands of independent features (or binding events) simultaneously. Spectral interference (or resonance) of fluorescent emission allow for sub-nm determination of position over a reflective surface. The goal to make ultra-sensitive and ultra-small devices in biological applications will build upon established interdisciplinary strengths at BU in photonics, biomedical engineering, physics, and computation. The BU research team has expertise in optical design, instrumentation and characterization as well as biotechnology. The projects will benefit from the expertise of the international partners in (1) detailed physical modeling (Prof. Aksun at Koc University, Istanbul), (2) device and wafer fabrication (Prof. Ozbay at Bilkent U. in Ankara and Prof. Ionescu at EPFL, Lausanne) and (3) custom analog/digital circuit design (Prof. Leblebici at EPFL, Lausanne) as well as a combination of laboratories and complimentary infrastructure. Five PhD students will be supported per year acquiring international experience during the course of the project where each student is expected to spend 3 months overseas. Success in the project will mean sustainable organizational structure both here and with the international partners to inspire a new generation of scientists to instill global research and education into their basic philosophical approach to scientific inquiry.
Intellectual merit: Proposed IRES program will combine expertise from Turkish and Swiss institutions together with scientists from Boston University to solve difficult problems in resonant optical structures for biological sensing and imaging. The PIs will develop the intellect of a large cadre of graduate students into a new breed of scientists whose core philosophy includes global scientific and technological interactions.
Broader impact: The broad impact of will be in its long-term focus on developing a sustainable model and infrastructure for international collaborations in research and education. The expected scientific output of our research in biosensors and biological imaging will have significant impact in a variety of scientific disciplines from basic research on DNA conformation to DNA and protein micro-arrays and to bio-toxin detection. Many of these scientific outcomes have significant societal implications. Finally, the program will have broader impact through focused attention on recruitment and retention of underrepresented minorities and women and in connecting students with a global perspective with outreach programs for women in engineering and teachers in underserved local schools through GK-12 projects.

This proposal describes a Track 2 GK-12 project that will combine the best aspects of two existing GK-12 projects: Project STAMP (Science, Technology and Math Partnerships) and the CPS (Center for Polymer Studies) into one project focused on Fellows working in urban school systems. The GK-12 Boston Urban Fellows Project will support 26 Fellows and Boston University will support 65 Fellows to work in Boston Public Schools, Chelsea Public Schools and Quincy Public School districts. Boston University is providing financial support to this project and is also committed to broadening the existing GK-12 courses to other graduate students at the institution. The project will also create a STEM instructional course for teachers. The project includes a comprehensive evaluation to identify lasting effect of the project on Fellows, teachers and K-12 students.

The project's goal is to reduce STEM attrition by 20%, leading to 75 additional graduates per year. The investigators are building regression models to determine the major predictors of success and the key indicators of attrition and then using the results to guide their program. They are developing a multi-tiered programmatic approach to the retention of students in the STEM disciplines by: (1) performing a complete data analysis of their student data, (2) developing and teaching first-year seminars on study tools and science exploration, (3) developing and running a summer bridge program to prepare entering students for success, (4) funding research experience for underserved STEM students during the summer between their first and second years, (5) extending STEM research opportunities to students at three local community colleges, viz. Roxbury Community College, Bunker Hill Community College, and Massachusetts Bay Community College, (6) building elements of a women in science and engineering program that supports the retention of undergraduate women, and (7) working with the Center for Teaching Excellence on faculty training and development workshops focused on curricular materials and on visitor seminar programs to address gender-bias and ineffective modes of instruction in STEM courses. Finally, these coordinated efforts are being monitored through a comprehensive evaluation effort conducted by an outside consultant who is using surveys, interviews, focus groups, and classroom observation. The broader impacts include special programs for underserved students, that is students from large urban public high schools, women, and at-risk students, all of whom have higher than average attrition rates.

0933670
Unlu

This NSF award by the Biosensing /CBET program supports work by Professor Ünlü at Boston University to study conformation and kinetics of DNA-protein complexes on a high-throughput platform.

DNA function and DNA repair depend on interactions with proteins - histones, transcriptional proteins and nucleases among them. The regulation of gene transcription involves the formation of specific protein - DNA complexes that bring distant regions of DNA together and can sharply bend or kink the DNA. These conformational changes are postulated to play an important role in the recognition of specific binding sites on DNA by proteins and thus detailed understanding of the conformation and dynamics of formation of specific complexes are of considerable biological significance. Yet current technology does not exist to access the length scales necessary to directly measure these biomolecular conformation. Current fluorescence methods do not provide the necessary resolution and while the electron microscopy has high resolution it destroys the sample.

This research program will develop and demonstrate a platform technology for the precise quantified measurement of conformation of DNA-protein complexes in their native environment. Our approach combines innovations from Boston University (BU) and Technical University of Munich (TUM), merging optical interference techniques with surface electric field driven, highly-ordered DNA arrays.

A method that precisely measures the shape of DNA-protein complexes in a high-throughput array format can address a range of important questions about the biophysics of the conformation and orientation of DNA-protein complexes. The success of this proposed program will provide a unique tool with significant cost reduction and increase in speed in structural measurements of DNA-protein complexes and allow for the study the basic principles of regulation and expression of genes.

The significant educational outcome of this program will be training at least two graduate students. The students involved in the research will have the opportunity to practice and perfect communication skills within a professional context through journal clubs, summer schools, research seminars, and participation in local, national, and international conferences. They will work closely with international collaborators from Germany and Singapore. Students also will have the experience and training of expositing to a lay audience, best exemplified by presenting in middle and high school classrooms, or working with teachers in summer research and immersive science classes, or with urban high school students in lab research to build motivation to pursue a STEM career.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cancer is a scourge on the face of humanity, responsible for over 550,000 deaths in 2008 in the US, one out of every four. New diagnoses this year will top 1.4 million, with projections only growing as the population ages. From a global health perspective, the vast majority of cancer deaths occur in low and middle income countries, and the incidence and death rate is rising in these countries, adding to our urgency to improve prevention and treatment. The promise of nanotechnology in cancer lies in the ability to engineer customizable nanoscale constructs that can be loaded with one or more payloads such as chemotherapeutics, targeting units, imaging and diagnostic agents. Nanotechnology holds great promise for cancer, with the potential to address many difficult problems now facing cancer prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. These include the application of nanotechnology to early detection/cancer prevention, through identification of rare circulating tumor cells. Proteomics in particular is emerging as a tool for detection of nuclear matrix proteins and new biomarkers for screening of early tumors stage. Nanowires and nanocantilever arrays are among the leading approaches under development for the early detection of precancerous and malignant lesions from biological fluids. Nanobiotechnologies have been applied to improve drug delivery and to overcome some of the problems of drug delivery in cancer. Enhancing the activity and specificity of radiation therapy by sensitization of tumor tissues to radiation through nanoparticle targeting of tumor tissue is an approach currently in clinical testing. Nanoparticles are also being used for gene therapy for cancer. Targeting of the tumor environment, rather than the tumor itself, could be facilitated by nanoparticle-mediated gene delivery to tumor neovasculature. With potential advances in therapy garnered through nanotechnology, significant improvements in tumor imaging will be required for their effective application. New technology allowing sensitive detection of residual disease, and molecular characterization of these minimal residual cancer cells in patients with solid tumors, will be critical in determining the length of a course of treatment, saving the patient potential toxicity and expense. In the proposed training center proposal, we endeavor to do just that, directly couple faculty and students from physical and biological sciences on our Charles River Campus with the medical researchers and clinicians on our Medical Campus. Our program creates mechanisms for connections between the campuses with co-mentoring, cross-fertilized research projects, and interdisciplinary courses and workshops, easily overcoming the simple physical barrier of a mile of asphalt, and leading participants on the way to surmount the more challenging scientific cultural and disciplinary barriers.

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Biomedical assays built around affinity sensing have achieved great success in immunoassays, gene-profiling, transcription factor studies and drug discovery. Yet affinity assays have an Achilles'heel [unreadable]positive signal relies entirely on the design, engineering, and prior verification of the probe-target interaction. This restricts affinity assays to a subset of biosensing where the target is known a priori, with the goal to measure the amount of target in the sample for detection, diagnosis, or therapy. Discovery, especially biomarker discovery, is not possible with affinity arrays, so the technological advancements of high throughput, label-free, and high sensitivity have not been widely applied to discovery. We are working seed project to develop the technology to couple the quantified, high-throughput label-free microarray platform of Spectral Reflectance Biosensing (SRB) developed at BU to mass spectrometry to demonstrate quantified, high-throughput biomarker discovery. During the development of the technique, we expect to design and optimize protocols for direct verification of the SRB system for existing applications and to develop new applications as the technology is evaluated and optimized. Initial MALDI-TOF MS analyses seem promising. Internal university funding has been obtained to support the initial stages of the work.

Boston University's Noyce Urban Science Scholarships (BoNUSS) program is providing 29 new scholarships to academically talented science majors. The departments within the College of Arts and Science, the School of Education and several local high-needs school districts (including Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Quincy Revere and Somerville) are partnering to provide scholarships for 24 recent graduates with science degrees to return to BU and undertake the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT). In addition, 5 new undergraduate scholars are being funded to complete their licensure program in one year and teach in surrounding high-needs districts. The program follows the previously established model at BU shown to be successful with students majoring in mathematics. Pre-service teachers are exposed to a curriculum enriched with information and guest lecturers that address challenges faced by in-service teachers serving in urban settings. In addition, following their practicum year, project personnel are offering continuing support for the new teachers including access to a Master Teacher who offers monthly seminars intended to address issues of classroom management, and conducts regular online sessions to provide support, advice, mentoring and help with curricular challenges encountered by new teachers. The evaluation of the Noyce BoNUSS program also is identifying strategies that lead to the creation of an effective science preparation program to attract, prepare and retain high-quality secondary STEM teachers.

Non-technical
Optical (or light) microscopy is arguably one of the most successful techniques for the non-invasive examination of the microscopic world ever created. Robert Hooke coined the term "cells" to describe the substructure of cork he first observed through a microscope in the 17th century. Over the past century a variety of sophisticated methods have been developed that today provide the ability to observe migrating cells, examine the distribution of subcellular structures, map the expression of genes, or form "chemical images" coded according to the molecular structure of the sample. Despite its immense success, optical microscopy is fundamentally limited in its ability to resolve features less than a few hundred nanometers. Specifically, the diffraction limit causes light from points in an object to spread out as it propagates through a lens, thereby blurring images as they are magnified. Near-field microscopy overcomes these limitations by placing an optical probe a few tens of nanometers away from the object and sampling the emitted or scattered light before it experiences diffraction. Boston University researchers are building a versatile near-field microscope providing local and regional users with access to optical resolution on the order of 10 nanometers. The instrument is enabling a range of important research thrusts including (i) studies of protein folding behavior that can shed light on conditions such as Alzheimer's; (ii) the development of new materials for laser sources; (iii) methods for engineering the properties of single atomic thick layers like graphene for next-generation electronics and; (iv) methods for controlling the flow of light on nanometer length scales, important for new optical sensors and communications technologies. The BU project is also engaging women and underrepresented minority undergraduate students in cutting-edge research. Since the ability to "see" objects at the nanoscale can be a powerful motivator for a young mind, the team is working with BU's Upward Bound Math Science 7-week residency college prep program for urban high school students. Every Wednesday in the summer, students perform nanotechnology hands-on experiments and use the new microscope to observe the nano-world.

Technical Description
Optical microscopy is arguably one of the most successful techniques for non-invasive examination of the microscopic world ever created, but is fundamentally limited to length scales of 100 nm or more by the diffraction limit. Near-field microscopy overcomes this by placing a source or probe into the near optical field of a sample to couple the non-propagating or evanescent modes into far-field propagating modes for collection. While there are 5 or 6 companies that sell near-field microscopes, all are limited in capability. Boston University researchers are building a versatile holographic nanoscale optics instrument integrated into an atomic force microscope, combining near-field spectroscopies of elastic scattering, Raman and fluorescence over a wide wavelength range. The instrument operates in both transmission and back-scattering geometries, and includes interferometry for phase-resolved near-field imaging to map 3D field response, providing the flexibility and dexterity that are critical to advance complex research problems. The instrument enables researchers at BU and regional universities to investigate nanoscale optical phenomena in plasmonics, biophysics, and graphene and other two-dimensional (2D) crystal membrane physics. Plasmonic studies are exploring hot spots, local density of states and in particular, phase singularities predicted to occur at the interface between metal and dielectric components. In strain engineered 2D crystals of graphene, MoS2 and hBN, researchers at BU are exploring atomic-scale friction and the exciting possibility of mapping strain-induced pseudo-magnetic fields. In studies of Germanium semiconductor nanomembranes, local optical response can confirm and help engineer nano-devices with direct bandgaps. And in biophysics, long-wavelength tip-enhanced near-field microscopy can provide unprecedented images of intrinsic vibrational modes capable of sub-cellular classification and local presence of important proteins.

Nontechnical abstract: Graphene, a single atomic layer of carbon atoms, has a wealth of very extreme properties, e.g. being impermeable to gases even at only one atomic layer thickness, being extremely elastic, and having extremely high heat and electrical conductivity. The research group at Boston University is exploring how applying strain to graphene manipulates these properties for novel and interesting applications from mechanical resonators, and electronic and optical devices, to thermal management devices. In order to use strain engineering for these purposes, it is necessary to know how much friction is there to anchor the strained graphene. The researchers use miniature chambers covered by graphene to measure friction and how to control it by patterning the substrate. Graphene covered microchambers are strain tuned by applying a variable external pressure that deflects the suspended graphene membrane creating strain in both the suspended and supported regions. The strain response is measured using optical spectroscopy. Certain exotic strain distributions are predicted to affect the electrons in graphene in such a way that they get trapped and no longer can conduct electricity. The BU team is working on developing chamber shapes and friction patterning to achieve this state which can be turned on and off by varying the external pressure. The team is also studying how pressure can vary the heat conductivity in graphene.

Technical Abstract Graphene is a good candidate for strain engineered devices since it can withstand a 20% extension without breaking. Hence huge strains can be induced and engineered for novel and interesting applications. Strain engineering affects many types of devices, from mechanical resonators to electronic and optical devices. Strain engineering also opens up new areas of exotic physics and applications, perhaps most spectacularly from creating magnetic pseudo fields with quantization of electrons and holes into Landau levels at room temperature. Therefore it is important to have a solid understanding of graphene-substrate interaction and friction under variable strain.
The research team at Boston University has developed a method of applying variable strain by placing graphene to seal microchambers with variable external pressure. The graphene membrane deforms over the chamber and slides due to finite friction. With micro-Raman measurements the team is able to map out the strain profile and determine the friction coefficient which is pressure dependent. Knowledge of the friction dependence on substrate treatment allows strain patterning. Variable friction is achieved by patterning the surface treatment and hence local coefficient of friction. The varying friction is tailored to create strain distributions that will create high local pseudo magnetic field. The researchers are combining the strain-created high local pseudo magnetic fields with plasmonic patterning to overlap the plasmonic hotspots with the high pseudo field regions. The pseudo field response is then read out via Raman spectroscopy using phonon and Landau Level exciton interactions. Another application is graphene as high thermal conductivity conduits. Suspended graphene has been shown to have extremely high heat conductivity. Theory predicts that the out-of-plane phonons that carry the heat are much less efficient than the in-plane acoustic modes. Strain is predicted to remove the scattering of the in-plane modes into the out-of-plane modes as well as reducing the density of states so strain could drastically increase the already high thermal conductivity. The researchers are using their tunable strain on suspended graphene to experimentally measure the effect of strain on the thermal conductivity of graphene.

The primary objective of this RET in Engineering and Computer Science Site: Integrated Nanomanufacturing hosted by the Boston University Photonics Center (BUPC) is to immerse teachers in a six-week summer program that focuses on interdisciplinary research experiences to explore the design, fabrication, and application of nanometer-scale components in optical, electronic, mechanical and biomedical systems addressing important technological problems. Mentored research projects will challenge participants to engage in engineering problem solving, and the knowledge gained will help participants develop sustainable curricula and activities in STEM education. RET teachers will return to their classrooms with an improved and relevant skill set to foster their student's interest in engineering disciplines and to succeed with the ambitious educational goals of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This proposed RET Site is focused on underserved schools in the greater Boston area with the goal of recruiting participants from a diverse group with 80% from resource-limited schools with high percentages of underrepresented minority students. To achieve this goal the RET Site will work directly with Massachusetts STEM pipeline networks to target schools and individual teachers with STEM interest but limited resources to implement these activities.

Integrated nanomanufacturing research is an inherently interdisciplinary intellectual area that is evolving rapidly at the intersecting frontiers of microelectronics, optical science, materials engineering, and biomedicine. Three thematic research areas will serve as the foundation for this RET Site: nanophotonics, nanostructures, and nanomedicine. While engaged in mentored discovery, engineering of new devices and fabrication at the nanoscale level to explore optical systems, participants will develop critical skills, awareness and confidence necessary to advance in academics and research in the future. The summer experience will involves training sessions, hands-on cleanroom activities, scientific research in partner laboratories, seminars on classroom integration, and faculty pedagogy discussions. Participants will also be introduced to the idea of Societal Engineers, a new core concept at Boston University to develop engineers who can connect their training to integrate content and applications reflecting how science and engineering is practiced in the real world.


Acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Division of Engineering Education and Centers at the National Science Foundation.

This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to Boston University will train scientists and engineers in the emerging interdisciplinary field of neurophotonics - the use of light-based tools to study brain function at the cellular scale. Understanding how neural activities and circuits drive human computation, behavior, and psychology is motivated by a critical societal need to address brain diseases that involve disruptions or deterioration of neural circuitry - including Alzheimer's, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. Recent scientific discoveries and powerful new tools in brain research have inspired broad student interest in career paths focused on understanding brain structure and function, as well as new industrial and academic career opportunities. Neurophotonics is among the most rapidly evolving research frontiers in brain science because it allows researchers to monitor and influence neuron activity and neural circuits at their most fundamental level. A prominent neurophotonic technique is optogenetics, through which communication signals from neurons are precisely monitored, activated, or inhibited using light. This project will support training for eighty (80) PhD students, including twenty (20) funded trainees, across the disciplines of neuroscience, biomedical engineering and photonics.

Trainees will become versed in the biology of neural function and the development of optical instruments, photo-excitable materials, and imaging techniques to sense and affect neural circuits. NRT trainees will graduate having attended a hands-on neurophotonics technology boot camp, participated in multiple laboratory research rotations, completed a four-course core curriculum, conducted challenging doctoral research in a neurophotonics laboratory, and written a neurophotonics-themed dissertation co-mentored by NRT faculty. The traineeship project will emphasize immersive experiential learning activities and peer-to-peer learning, two educational approaches that have been shown to reinforce learning while simultaneously improving outcomes for STEM trainees, especially underrepresented minorities. Interwoven with educational activities will be a professional preparation program that supports trainee career goals, develops communication skills, and builds professional networks. Trainee learning objectives will focus on identifying important research problems in neurophotonics, applying light-based methods to measure and control neural circuits, working on team-oriented projects, and communicating effectively.

The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The Traineeship Track is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary research areas, through the comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.

Title: Tip-enhanced near-field microscopy using optical fiber vortices

Non-technical description: Optical microscopy is arguably one of the most successful techniques for non-invasive examination of the microscopic world ever created. In the last decade nanoscience, phenomena at length scales orders of magnitude smaller than the microscale, has played an increasingly larger role in the development of widespread technology such as nanoscale semiconductor devices, nanoparticle based therapies in medicine, and sensors that can measure minute forces and signals from biological as well as inanimate physical systems. Likewise, nanotechnology has also furthered our understanding of fundamental scientific phenomena at the nanoscale, such as the electronic structure of two-dimensional materials that promise to usher in the next generation of high-speed wearable electronic devices, images of intrinsic vibrational modes capable of sub-cellular classification and local presence of important proteins in biophysical systems. Probing, and in particular, optical probing at the nanoscale is thus of paramount importance to help lead the next revolution in science and technology much like the optical microscope did in the microscopic world. Our proposed optical fiber vortex light source will provide two to three orders of magnitude signal enhancement and background reduction in devices that can optically resolve nanoscale phenomena.

Technical description: The goal of this proposed program is to develop a tip-enhanced near-field microscopy system that retains all the advantages of current scattering type near-field scanning optical microscopes, including the ability to probe the amplitude and phase response of materials in the nanometer scale using well-established elastic or inelastic scattering techniques, but with an increased throughput by several orders of magnitude (simulations suggest the possibility of 75% efficiencies, as opposed to 0.1-0.2% in current implementations). This will reduce background problems that have limited the application of current implementations of tip-enhanced microscopy systems. The primary intellectual significance of achieving program goals will be the realization of a nanoscale microscopy system that can probe signals orders of magnitude weaker than currently possible, aided by the dramatic reductions in background that an optical fiber-based nanoscale tip would enable. In the proposed effort we will use fiber tapering, electrochemical etching techniques, and precision metal deposition techniques to adiabatically convert the stable radially polarized optical modes in the fiber into plasmonic modes at the fiber tip, as required for tip-enhanced microscopy. The adiabatic mode transformation, as opposed to external illumination as is currently employed, will be the key differentiator between current tip-enhanced microscopy systems and the proposed device, as this is expected to yield the two-to-three orders of magnitude increase in signal throughput and corresponding decrease in background.

Our four institutions will collaborate to improve the quality and inclusiveness of postdoctoral training, working with partner organizations such as the National Research Mentor Network (NRMN) and the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA), and leveraging the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) Network. Program evaluation will apply direct assessments and focus groups toward evaluating a workshop model that emphasizes the generation of work products and motivating behavioral change for postdocs, plus track participation statistics and completion rates, and collect formative pre-, mid- and post-workshop learning assessments. The Impact of this program will be to expand the perspective of competencies to be mastered as part of postdoc training, and to establish broadly available resources to maximize access to learning of these competencies for a variety of biomedical careers. Specific Aim 1: Develop a postdoc orientation program that will ensure all postdocs begin their training equipped with skills critical for their long-term success. Once postdocs have completed entry-level online professional development activities and identified their career goals, our online platform will support long-term strategic planning through the development of a new postdoc career advancement plan (PCAP) tool. The PCAP will help postdocs and their research mentors transition postdoctoral career planning from a shorter-term Individual Development Plan into a longer-term strategy that defines concrete milestones for research productivity, skill development, and career outcomes mapped to their desired career trajectory. Specific Aim 2: Create a Postdoc Academy MOOC series delivered online and in blended formats. We will develop 15 stand-alone digital workshop modules that will be constructed into two MOOCs, called the Postdoc Academy. The Postdoc Academy will be offered fully online for postdocs wishing to access professional development at their own pace, as well as in a blended format (online combined with in-person) to build local communities and to serve those postdocs desiring higher levels of engagement from professional development. Specific Aim 3: Partner with the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) and other national organizations, scientific societies, and research networks to ensure the Postdoc Academy is accessible to a diverse postdoc population. We will make our Pathways program accessible to a wider population of postdocs nationwide through partnering with the Professional Development Core within NRMN as well as other national initiatives and outreach activities. Specific Aim 4: Disseminate the Postdoc Academy and build the capacity of postdoc professional development programs and resources at other institutions. We will create detailed facilitator instructional guides and resources to open access to the Postdoc Academy MCLC blended learning model, help build local support networks for postdocs at institutions outside of our partnership, and so achieve large-scale impact. We will disseminate through a train-the-trainer workshop for faculty and administrators.