12/12/02 : Paper Submitted on Polyelectrolyte Theory
· Delphine Dean submits paper to Langmuir, "A Molecular Level Theoretical Model for Electrostatic Interactions within Polyelectrolyte Brushes: Applications to Charged Glycosaminoglycans."

11/27/02 : World's Smallest Birthday Card
· The world's smallest (nano) birthday card for Christine Ortiz created via contact nanolithography on flame polished polycarbonate with writing force ~ 200 nN (Asylum Research, Inc.).

11/15/02 : Kristin Brodie in Pirates of Pensanze
· Kristin Brodie, DMSE senior undergraduate plays Kate, one of the Major General’s many daughters, in Pirates of Pensanze put on by the MIT Gilbert and Sullivan Players

11/01/02 : Celia Macias Wins Poster Presentation Prize at SHPE Conference
· Celia Macias, DMSE junior undergraduate UROP wins 1st prize award and $1000 at Eastern Technical Career Conference in the Technical Poster Competition hosted by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. Her supervisor and coauthor on the poster was Monica Rixman (DMSE grad) and the title was "Investigating the Molecular Origins of Biocompatiblity of Materials." The conference was held at the Sheraton Meadownlands Hotel and Conference Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

09/16/02 : Cartilage Research Featured In Physics Today
· Cartilage research from OPML (in collaboration with Prof. Alan Grodzinsky) featured in the "Search and Discovery" section of the Sept, 2002 issue of Physics Today.

09/16/02 : Two Students Conduct Research at Cambridge University (UK)
· Kuangshin Tai and Jennifer McKeehan visit and conduct research on bone and bone implant materials in the Materials Science Department in Cambridge University (UK), August 2002 in conjunction with joint Cambridge-MIT Institute (CMI) collaboration.

09/04/02 : Mariselma Ferreira Presents Talk at ISNAPOL 2002 Conference
· Mariselma Ferreira presents a talk at the ISNAPOL 2002 Conference (Fouth International Symposium on Natural Polymers and Composites) in São Pedro, State of São Paulo, Brazil entitled "Studies of Natural Rubber by Standard and Nanomechanical Techniques," on the work she conducted in the Ortiz Lab from 09/01/01-09/01/02. Her Ph.D. advisor and collaborator to the OPML, Prof. Luiz Henrique Capparelli Mattoso (Embrapa Agricultural Instrumentation, Brazilian Institute for Research in Agriculture, CNPDIA/EMBRAPA, São Carlos, SP, Brazil) was the primary organizer of the conference and Christine Ortiz also attended and presented a talk.

08/20/02 : Monica Rixman Wins ACS Poster Presentation Prize
· Monica Rixman wins $250 poster presentation prize at 224th American Chemical Society National Meeting August 18-22, 2002, Boston, Massachusetts, Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry.The title of her poster was "Molecular Origins of Biocompatibility : Interactions Between Human Serum Albumin and Low Grafting Density Surfaces of Polyethylene Oxide." The full paper was submitted 09/04/02 to the journal Macromolecules.

07/12/02 : Christine Ortiz will receive Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) at White House
White House Ceremony · Christine Ortiz, receives the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) at the NSF and White House July 11, 2002 and July 12, 2002. Her nominating agency was the National Science Foundation, Division of Materials Research (NSF-DMR).
· United States President George W. Bush attends and makes speech at the awards ceremony. Read the text here from the White House press release. See the President's speech on CSPAN (video) here.
· Read the NSF press release here and here .
· Read the MIT press release here.
· Read general information about the award from NSF here.
Photos from NSF Awards Ceremony & White House Ceremony

06/15/02 : AFM Image Gallery
· Check out the new AFM Image Gallery with various images of our research here!

06/10/02 : Recent Macromolecules Cartilage Paper in the News

· MIT News Press Release. 06/11/02.
· EurekAlert online press release service run by AAAS. 06/11/02.
· Biocompare.com. 06/11/02.
· Whitaker Foundation 06/12/02.
· Global Technoscan, New Technology, R&D News, Science and Technology Policy, Research Breakthroughs. June 19th - June 25th 2002 Vol III Issue 122.
· Arthritis Support.com 06/19/02.
· News Line for Physical Therapists and PTAs 06/19/02.
· Bizspacebiotechnology.
· WWW.bio.com 06/11/02.
· Science News, Vol. 162, No. 1, p. 13, 07/06/02.

05/20/02 : 7 Ortiz Group Members Will Present Research at the August 2002 American Chemical Society Meeting
· The following group members will present their research on August 18-22, 2002 at The 224th American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting (Boston, MA USA) : Dong Zhang, Monica Rixman, Joonil Seog, Delphine Dean, Reuben Domike, Laurel Ng, and Mariselma Ferreira. Christine Ortiz will give two invited talks in the Syposium on Novel Applications of Atomic Force Microscopy and the Symposium on Directed Self-Assembly : Molecular Engineering of Polymers (Boston, MA USA).

05/13/02 : Monica Rixman in C&EN News for Germany NESACS Prize · Monica Rixman wins 2nd Place Prize and 500 Euros at the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society (NESACS) YCC (The Younger Chemists Committee) / Jungchemikerforum event in Germany. She was chosen as one of 12 students to go on the trip and to present her research in a talk. She was a guest of the Jungchemikerforum (JCF) of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh). The visit went from to Cologne and Aachen and consisted of a student research conference, symposia on careers, education, and study abroad, visits to industrial sites, and the opportunity to engage in extensive networking with the German students. C&EN News Article here.

05/13/02 : Reuben Domike Starts New Project on Pharmaceutical Powders
· Reuben Domike, CHEME graduate student, starts a new project in our lab on intermolecular interactions and nanoindentation of pharmaceutical powders. Reuben's thesis advisor is Professor Charles Cooney in Chemical Engineering.

05/13/02 : George Gluck Wins J&J-BMES Biomedical Engineering Prize
· George Gluck, a senior biology undergraduate student, recently won the BMES Johnson and Johnson Excellence in Biomedical Engineering Prize for his research done in our lab! George won $1500.00 and an all expense paid trip to present his work at the BMES national conference where he will compete at the national level.


05/08/02 : Graduating Seniors George Gluck and Rafael E. Bras
· George Gluck, a biology undergraduate student, will graduate this June, continue work in our laboratory this summer, and then begin New York University Medical School in the Fall of 2002.
· Rafael E. Bras, a materials science and engineering undergraduate student, will graduate this June, work on an internship at General Electric in Niskayuna, NY this summer, and then attend the doctoral program at Northwestern University in the department of materials science and engineering this Fall 2002.

05/08/02 : New CMI Website Set Up
· Follow link here.

05/08/02 : Xueping Jiang Schedules Thesis Defense, MPC Seminar, Featured in C&EN News, Wins OMNOVA Award. · Xueping Jiang Schedules Thesis Defense on May 14th 4-6pm in RM 2-139. · She will also give the Materials Processing Center's "Materials Unlimited" seminar Wednesday, May 15, 4:15 to 5:15 pm in the Chipman Room, 8-314. She will be talking about her work in "Patterning and Controlled Microstructures of Ultrathin Layer-by-Layer Thin Films: From Polymers to Mesoscale Colloidal Assembly." The talk will be followed by a panel discussion and opportunity for audience Q&A with panelists Paula Hammond (ChemE), Michael Rubner (DMSE), Joseph Jacobson (Media Lab), and Dr. Carmichael Roberts (President, Surface Logix, Inc.) on the significance and applications of Jiang's work. A short abstract follows; a longer one may be found by following the link at http://web.mit.edu/mpc/www/. ·Xueping's paper [Langmuir, 18, 1131 (2002)] was featured in the May 6th Issue of C&EN News [May 6, 2002, Volume 80, Number 18, CENEAR 80 18 pp. 44-48 ISSN 0009-2347]. · Xueping also recently won the PPST OMNOVA Signature Award for Excellence in Polymer Research.

04/20/02 : Group Pot Luck Dinner Spring 2002 · The group potluck dinner was held Saturday, April 6th at 7pm at Christine Ortiz's place. See photo here.

04/10/02 : ACS Polymer Division Preprint On Laurel Ng's Project · Christine Ortiz will speak on August 18-22, The American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting, Division of Polymer Chemistry, Symposium on Directed Self-Assembly : Molecular Engineering of Polymers (Boston, MA USA) on Laurel Ng's research: "Structure, Conformation, And Self-Assembly Of Cartilage Polyelectrolyte Macromolecules Studied Via Atomic Force Microscopy," Read Preprint here : PDF.

03/21/02 : Xueping Jiang's Paper Appears in Langmuir
· "Exploring the Rules for Selective Deposition : Interactions Between Model Polyamines on Acid and Oligo(ethylene Oxide) Surfaces," Xue-Ping Jiang, Christine Ortiz, Paula Hammond (Langmuir, 18, 1131 2002).

03/20/02 : New Project Started on Tracheal Tube Design
· Kristin Brodie, DMSE junior undergraduate, starts new UROP project to design improved atraumatic tracheal tube. Kristin plans to work on this project full time Summer 2002, continue her senior year and possibly to graduate school.

03/19/02 : Christine Ortiz Chairs Session at APS March Meeting in Indianapolis
· C. Ortiz chairs session at The Annual March Meeting of the American Physical Society Indianapolis, IN USA, for the Division of Polymer Physics and Division of Biological Physics, Symposium on Cell-Polymer Interactions.

03/18/02 : 7 Students Give Posters at APS March Meeting in Indianapolis
· Rafael Bras, Delphine Dean, Mariselma Ferriera, George Gluck, Monica Rixman, Joonil Seog give poster presentations at the American Physical Society March Meeting in Indianapolis.

03/18/02 : First CMI Biomaterials Team Videoconference Held
· The first one-hour videoconference between the Biomaterials Team at MIT and at Cambridge University (UK) was held at 10 am in 8-404 to initiate the joint projects between the two teams. The MIT team leader is Lorna Gibson and the Cambridge team leader is Bill Bonfield. MIT team members include Yanni Yannas, Christine Ortiz, Linn Hobbs, Alan Grodzinsky, and Myron Spector. Cambridge team members include Athene Donald, Serena Best, Ruth Cameron, and Jonathon Reeve. Approximately 20 students and postdocs also participated in the videoconference who are going to be working collaboratively on the CMI projects. Subsequent videoconferences are scheduled as follows : Wednesday, April 17th 10am-11am (Room TBA), Wednesday May 8th 10am-11am (Room TBA), Thursday May 16th : visit of Bonfield and Rushton to MIT (Time and Room TBA).

03/18/02 : New DMSE Nanomechanical Technology Laboratory Opening
· The new DMSE Nanomechanical Technology Laboratory centralized facility in the infinite corridor has been opened! Attendees at the event which was held at 5pm included the DMSE visiting committee and President Charles Vest. DMSE department head, Subra Suresh, hosted the event. Included in the new Lab are two Nanoindentors, an AFM, an optical microscope, Instron mechanical testers, and plasma screens which will be continuously running the research being conducted there.

03/12/02 : 3M Videoconference Held with Ortiz Polymer Synthesis Subgroup
· A videoconference was held with 3M in Minnesota, Minneapolis with various scientists from 3M including Cristina Thomas on the project being funded by the 3M Innovation Grant. Attendees were Dr. Dong Zhang, Postdoctoral Researcher and Elissa Robbins (Senior DMSE UROP student).