What's New @ IEEE in Circuits

April 2007 Volume 9, Number 4

IN THIS ISSUE:
1. IEEE Introduces Three New Programs to Help With Higher Education
2. Papers Sought For Communication and Information Technologies Conference
3. Electronics Engineer Predicts Fantastic Plastic Future
4. Physicists Tailor Magnetic Pairings in Nanoscale Semiconductors
5. "Technology Directions for Future RF Applications" Plenary Featured At RFIC Symposium
6. Unique Models Help Teach Nanoscience to the Blind
7. NJIT Professor Obtains Patent to Uncover Trace Elements of Airborne Pollutants
8. IEEE Teams Up With Liberty Mutual to Bring U.S. Members Discounts on Insurance
9. New JILA Apparatus Measures Fast Nanoscale Motions
10. ORNL Helps Develop Next-Generation LEDS
11. IEEE Expert Now Courses Now Available to Members through IEEE Xplore
12. New Technology Connections Portal Provides Resources for Exploring Emerging Technologies

IEEE MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
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1. IEEE INTRODUCES THREE NEW PROGRAMS TO HELP WITH HIGHER EDUCATION
The IEEE Financial Advantage Program can help finance your child’s college education or consolidate college loans thanks to three new programs. Simple Tuition, a new online site, is the first place to stop if you’re shopping for a student or consolidation loan and provides a number of U.S. government and private loan options. The second program, College Parents of America, is an independent membership organization that dedicates itself to providing information for parents from the time they begin preparing their child for college through graduation.Educational Financial Services, the third program, provides IEEE members aid in finding the best College 529 Savings Plan for their family. While these programs are primarily for U.S. members, those from other countries who plan to study in the United States may also find the services useful. For access to these and 25 other programs available to members and their families, visit www.ieee.org/fap.

2. PAPERS SOUGHT FOR COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES CONFERENCE
The 7th International Symposium onCommunications and Information Technologies is currently seeking paper submissions. Authors are asked to submit papers on topics including Communications and Networking, VLSI and Circuits and Systems, Signal Processing, and Computer and Information Systems. The conference takes place from 17 to 19 October in Sydney, Australia. Paper submission deadline is 10 June. To submit, or for more information, visit: www.elec.uow.edu.au/ISCIT2007/cfp.htm

3. ELECTRONICS ENGINEER PREDICTS FANTASTIC PLASTIC FUTURE
Professor Aimin Song from the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) at the University of Manchester has been awarded a 2007 Brian Mercer Feasibility Award from the Royal Society. The £30,000 award will assist Professor Song in his efforts to push the processing speed of plastic components beyond what has previously been achieved. The technology opens up the possibility for very flexible, high-tech devices – such as information screens that you can roll up and put in your pocket – being developed. With support and funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Professor Song has pioneered a way to make single-layered planar plastic transistors and diodes using a fast and simple printing technique. For more information, visit: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-03/uom-eep032807.php

4. PHYSICISTS TAILOR MAGNETIC PAIRINGS IN NANOSCALE SEMICONDUCTORS
In the 8 March issue of Nature, researchers at Stanford, Harvard, and Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science reported that they have built a system called the two-channel Kondo state in a semiconductor nanostructure. By applying voltages to nanoscale electrodes, the scientists can tune how strongly the magnetic atom couples to one set of electrons, or channel, compared to the other set. For more information, visit: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-03/su-ptm031307.php

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5. "TECHNOLOGY DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RF APPLICATIONS" PLENARY FEATURED AT RFIC SYMPOSIUM
The 2007 IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFIC) Symposium features a two plenaries, titled “Technology Directions for Future RF Applications” and "Wireless Convergence - Your Phone is Not Just a Phone Anymore". The conference also includes several workshops, including a workshop titled "Analog and High-Speed Circuit Design Solutions for Nano RFCMOS" and "Architectural Design and System Verification for Wireless SoC - Nice to have or a Real Necessity?" The conference takes place from 3 to 5 June in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. To register to attend, or more information, visit: www.rfic2007.org/index.html

6. UNIQUE MODELS HELP TEACH NANOSCIENCE TO THE BLIND
In an effort to introduce nanoscience to the visually impaired, Mohammed Farhoud, a biochemistry student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Biology Education (CBE), and Director Dave Evans are building three-dimensional (3-D) models of nano-surfaces that are large enough to be explored with their hands. Their first attempt replicates "NanoBucky," a nanoscale version of the UW-Madison mascot, Bucky Badger made entirely from tiny carbon nanofiber "hairs." The original NanoBucky is so tiny that approximately 9,000 of him can fit on the head of the pin. Though Greenberg and Farhoud's plaster 3-D models are several inches long and tens of thousands of times larger, they aim to faithfully reproduce every last nanofiber of Bucky's being.

For more information, visit: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-03/uow-umh032207.php

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7. NJIT PROFESSOR OBTAINS PATENT TO UNCOVER TRACE ELEMENTS OF AIRBORNE POLLUTANTS
Somenath Mitra, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of New Jersey Institute of Technology’s (NJIT) Department of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, has developed and patented what could eventually become a simple keychain device to detect tiny, though potentially lethal, amounts of airborne carcinogens. Calling the invention a microconcentrator, Mitra said his NJIT research team has created a novel, cost-effective, and efficient method to concentrate pollutants.

For more information, visit: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-03/njio-npo032007.php

8. IEEE TEAMS UP WITH LIBERTY MUTUAL TO BRING U.S. MEMBERS DISCOUNTS ON INSURANCE
IEEE Financial Advantage is proud to announce that IEEE and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company have partnered to offer a program called Group Savings Plus, which provides discounts on auto and homeowners insurance to U.S. members.To learn more about this addition to the IEEE Financial Advantage Program or to get a no obligation quote, please call 1-800-531-4958.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought." ~ Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

9. NEW JILA APPARATUS MEASURES FAST NANOSCALE MOTIONS
A new nanoscale apparatus — a tiny gold beam whose 40 million vibrations per second are measured by hopping electrons — offers the potential for a 500-fold increase in the speed of scanning tunneling microscopes (STM), perhaps paving the way for scientists to watch atoms vibrate in high definition in real time. Developed at JILA, the new device measures the wiggling of the beam or, more precisely, the space between it and an electrically conducting point just a single atom wide, based on the speed of electrons “tunneling” across the gap. The work is the first use of an “atomic point contact,” the business end of an STM, to sense a nanomechanical device oscillating at its “resonant” frequency, where it naturally vibrates like a tuning fork. For more information, visit: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-03/nios-nja031607.php

10. ORNL HELPS DEVELOP NEXT-GENERATION LEDS
Researchers are developing electrodes composed of carbon nanotubes and magnetic nanowires to enhance the light emission from polymer-based OLEDs at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In early tests, carbon nanotubes improved the electroluminescence efficiency of polymer OLEDs by a factor of four and reduced the energy required to operate them. Magnetic nanowires and dots have been shown to help control the spin of electrons injected into the OLEDs to further improve the efficiency and reliability of the devices. A third aspect of the research focuses on creation and chemical processing of the nanotubes themselves. Researchers at ORNL use a technique called laser vaporization produces purer nanotubes with fewer defects than other fabrication techniques. For more information, visit: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-03/drnl-ohd031907.php

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11. IEEE EXPERT NOW COURSES NOW AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS THROUGH IEEE XPLORE
IEEE members can now purchase individual courses from the IEEE Expert Now collection directly through the IEEE Xplore digital library. IEEE Expert Now courses feature the best of IEEE’s educational content delivered in one-hour, online courses. The interactive, multimedia tutorials contain the latest information on emerging technologies and cutting-edge trends presented by the leading experts in IEEE fields of interest. Continuing Education Units for maintaining professional licensure and certifications are available upon successfully passing the assessment, at no additional charge. All courses are peer-reviewed to ensure quality. IEEE members can purchase each one-hour course for $69.95, with unlimited online access for 30 days from date of purchase. To review the course catalog, visit: ieeexplore.ieee.org/modules/modulebrowse.jsp

12. NEW TECHNOLOGY CONNECTIONS PORTAL PROVIDES RESOURCES FOR EXPLORING EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
The IEEE New Technology Connections Portal provides visitors with an overview of key emerging technologies supported by the New Technologies Directions committee, and a list of resources to obtain additional information. Each featured technology includes a general description, upcoming conferences, news articles, technical papers, related standards, professional organizations, and academic programs. Technologies currently featured in the portal include RFID, remote sensing, wind power, and WiFi, with more to be added. For more information, visit: www.ieee.org/web/emergingtech/home/index.html

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WHAT'S NEW @ IEEE IN CIRCUITS
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Managing Editor: Michelle Garner, m.garner@ieee.org

Contributing Editor: Diana Fuksin

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