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California Institute for
Telecommunications
and Information
Technology
Volume 1 | Issue 3 | Summer 2006
What Lies
Beneath
University of California, Irvine
interface-2-face Building on Progress
Calit2 has come a long
way in a short time. I’ve
been involved since the
beginning, both as vice
chancellor of research
and graduate studies,
and – from 2002 to 2004
– as the Irvine interim
director. I take special
pride in the institute’s many accomplishments.
In its short history, I have seen Calit2 evolve from
concept to reality. It has grown from a skeleton
staff to a robust entity, and it has moved from
temporary quarters into its high-tech new home.
In the early years, I helped identify UCI faculty
who wanted to participate in the bold, new
collaborative effort. Today, large corporations
like Carl Zeiss SMT are realizing the benefits of
Calit2 partnerships. Zeiss saw the institute’s
adaptable research space, multidisciplinary
environment and local industry participation as
ideal components for its Center of Excellence,
Interface which opened in the building this spring.
Summer 2006
Many other diverse projects and labs reside in the
Calit2@UCI
Albert Yee
new building. From ResCUE (Responding to Crises
Director and Unexpected Events) and the Center of GRAVITY
Lorrie Minkel (Graphics Visualization and Imaging Technology) to
Assistant Director
Operations the EcoRaft and the Computational Biology Research
Shellie Nazarenus
Lab, collaborative research is flourishing. And UCI
Assistant Director student researchers are gaining important experience
Marketing and Outreach
that will benefit them in their post-graduate careers.
Stuart Ross
Assistant Director Calit2’s innovative future looks equally bright.
Research Development
The institute is pursuing an integrative, complex
Interface Staff
Shellie Nazarenus – Executive Editor
research agenda that will lead to new products
Anna Lynn Spitzer – Managing Editor and systems. Calit2’s pioneering, collaborative
Rob Sexton – S2 Design S
Stuart Ross – Contributing Writer approach is enabling research teams to ignite
Fran Tardiff – Contributing Writer
Debbie Nielsen – Corporate Relations IT solutions that will improve our daily lives.
University of California, Irvine
4100 Calit2 Building
Irvine, CA 92697-2800 William Parker
(949) 824-6900 Vice Chancellor for Research
www.calit2.net Dean of Graduate Studies
calit2@uci.edu Professor, Physics
Imaging
the Future
Photo: Paul Kennedy
| innovate | integrate | ignite | Page
M
inuscule is the next Big thing.
Nanotechnology – the science of engineering functional
systems at the molecular scale – was wishful thinking just 10
years ago. Today, it is poised to make a profound impact on society.
by Anna Lynn Spitzer Experts say it will change the face of For scientists to build tiny
health care, electronics, packaging, nanosystems, they must be able to
pharmaceuticals, environmental slice, dice and examine the minute
protection, homeland security and pieces comprising them. That’s
much more; in fact, in the near the job of the three new scanning
future, nanotechnology is expected electron microscopes in the Carl Zeiss
Carl Zeiss Center of to affect 30-plus industries to the Center of Excellence, which opened
Excellence Brings tune of more than $61 trillion. in the Calit2 Building this year.
One-Millionth of a Millimeter While 70 percent of the lab’s
Advanced Microscopy Nanotechnology is the science of research involves nanotechnology, the
to Calit2 and small. A nanometer is one-billionth Zeiss lab also will be used by biologists,
of a meter, which is equal to one- physicists, engineers, geologists,
Southern California millionth of a millimeter. How small chemists, and even archeologists and
is that? A human hair is roughly anthropologists. Any faculty member
70,000 nanometers in diameter. (continued, page 4 )
Page | Interface | Summer 2006
This page: Doctoral candidate Lynher Ramirez
views samples on the Ultra 55 under the
tutelage of project scientist John Porter.
Page 1: Dan Mumm (top) helps doctoral
candidate Grace Qin on the EsB CrossBeam®
Photo: Paul Kennedy
workstation, while Ramirez (center) and
postdoctoral researcher Wayne Zhou work
on the Ultra 55 and EVO, respectively.
The ABCs of SEMs
Conventional microscopes use a series A standard SEM pumps air out Combined with an array of unique
of glass lenses to bend light waves and of the specimen chamber, creating a detectors, it is ideal for very high-
create a magnified image. Scanning vacuum, to prevent the electrons from resolution characterization of both
electron microscopes use electrons colliding with air molecules. If scientists insulating and conducting materials.
instead of light waves, allowing more were examining a living specimen or a The third instrument, the 1540
detailed images at higher magnifications. wet specimen in a solution, creating a EsB CrossBeam® workstation, is
In scanning electron microscopes, vacuum would dehydrate and destroy it. a combination scanning electron
a beam of high-energy electrons travels The Zeiss EVO®, with its microscope and focused ion beam. The
through a series of magnetic lenses that environmental chamber pressure beam uses gallium ions, which are much
focus them into a fine beam. A set of capability, allows specimens to be larger than electrons, to knock particles
scanning coils moves the focused beam examined with reduced pressure, but off the specimen’s surface. The ion
back and forth across the specimen. with enough air and water to prolong beam is easy to focus and packs a lot of
As the electron beam hits each spot the life of a cell or wet specimen. energy. This feature allows scientists to
on the sample, secondary electrons are This allows specimens to be imaged engrave trenches in or “mill” the hardest
knocked loose from the surface and in their native environments. materials, with nano-scale precision. It
counted. The final image is constructed The Ultra 55, conversely, is also used for fabricating nanometer-
from the number of electrons emitted requires a high vacuum, so it’s not sized systems or precisely preparing
from each spot on the sample. suitable for wet specimens. It has specimen surfaces for imaging. These
The three microscopes in the higher resolution, however, than processes are closely monitored with
Zeiss lab differ in several ways from the EVO® – to 0.8 nanometers. “live” electron-beam high-resolution
standard scanning electron microscopes It also uses lower voltage without imaging.
and each serves a specific purpose. decreasing final image resolution.
| innovate | integrate | ignite | Page
on campus – and affiliated researchers 55 CDS ultra-high-resolution field-
– can be trained to use the microscopes. emission scanning electron microscope;
“It’s truly fostering multidisciplinary and the 1540 EsB CrossBeam®
research on campus,” says Albert Yee, workstation, a combination of ultra-
Calit2 Irvine division director. “There are high resolution field-emission electron
other electron microscopes on campus, beam technology and focused ion beam
but they can’t do the job as well.” (FIB) technology. All three instruments,
Advantageous Alliance which have a combined value of $2.5
The center is a partnership between million, are considered leading-edge
Calit2@UCI and Carl Zeiss SMT, a global technology in their respective fields.
“We wanted an semiconductor and nanotechnology shared Benefit
environment that makes instrument manufacturer. The The equipment will be shared by
strategic alliance is providing a Calit2’s researchers, its industry
a strong and genuine
Southern California regional center for partners and Carl Zeiss SMT’s
statement of innovation, nanotechnology and biotechnology application development team.
technology and excellence. research, as well as advanced materials The SEM microscopes will be
Calit2 exactly matches development and innovation. a boon to all three. The high-level
this requirement.” Zeiss supplied the three state-of- microscopy will be particularly useful to
the-art electron microscopes, including: Orange County and Los Angeles-based
the EVO® multi- purpose scanning aerospace, biomedical, semiconductor
electron microscope with variable and energy systems industries, which
chamber pressure capability; the Ultra will have the opportunity to use these
Reaching for the Stars
One of many researchers benefiting Conventional rocket propulsion uses thrust required for deep space missions.
from the cutting-edge equipment in ejected combustion products comprised She designs and builds the complex
the Zeiss Center of Excellence is Jessica of lightweight elements like hydrogen field emission tips – which enable the
Ayers. Ayers, a biomedical engineering and oxygen to produce thrust. Ayers’ fuel to migrate to the emitting portion
graduate student, is working with fellow ionic propulsion system will use much during operation – using MEMS (micro-
BME graduate student John Lin to build smaller quantities of heavier elements electro-mechanical-systems) techniques.
a microscopic field-effect propulsion that are ejected at extremely high The scanning electron microscope
system for deep space missions. velocities to produce the long-term in the Zeiss lab at Calit2 allows
Ayers to image the fabricated tips.
In the next stage of her research,
she’ll use it to analyze the necessary
surface coatings to ensure coverage
integrity and thickness. She will also
use the EVO to view the wetting
characteristics of the molten indium
(fuel compound) on the coated tip.
“One of the major challenges of my
project is a very precisely shaped tip,
so confirming that is my first priority,”
says Ayers. “The SEM in the Zeiss lab
is user-friendly, with more automation
Photo: Paul Kennedy
and graphical user interface windows
Ayers, a Ph.D. candidate, uses the Ultra 55 to design
and build field emission tips for deep-space missions. than the other scanning electron
microscopes on campus.”
Page | Interface | Summer 2006
Open House Celebrates
instruments on a recharge basis.
Zeiss will use the lab to demonstrate
Center’s Debut
the instruments’ capabilities and
application ranges for its customers.
And UCI faculty and students will
use it to conduct their research.
“There are other electron
microscopes on campus, but
they can’t do the job as well.”
According to Peter Clark, president
and general manager of Carl Zeiss SMT
Inc., Calit2 was a perfect choice for
the Center of Excellence. “We wanted
an environment that makes a strong
and genuine statement of innovation,
Micrograph contest
technology and excellence. Calit2 winner Thomas
exactly matches this requirement. Pine, Stenkamp,
second-place winner
It was also clear that UCI has a Grace Qin and
strong desire to grow and a vision to Adam Schofield,
who placed third.
position itself as one of the leading
universities in North America.”
Productive Partnership
Calit2 marked the opening of the Carl Zeiss Center of Excellence
Current and potential users are
with a two-day open house, April 27-28. The event included tours
enthused with the technology and its
of the new microscopy lab, specimen sampling and display of the
capabilities, says Joe Hovendon, Zeiss
student micrograph entries. Contest winners were announced
district sales manager. He’s brought in
in welcoming remarks by Calit2 Irvine Division Director Albert
aerospace, semiconductor, forensics,
Yee. UCI Assistant Professor Dan Mumm and Dirk Stenkamp,
materials research and nanotechnology
managing director of Process Control Solutions at Carl Zeiss SMT
companies for demonstrations, with
AG, Germany, gave brief presentations about the partnership.
positive results. “They’re all excited
about having the facility here in
The micrograph entries are pictured on page 10-11.
Southern California, and they’re
all looking forward to using it.”
Industry partners will use the
equipment as the lab becomes fully
staffed. “The biggest hurdle right now
is getting everyone here fully trained
Zeiss Center of Excellence Recharge Rates
and qualified to use the microscopes,”
says Hovendon. “The demand for Hours of Use Rates per Hour
this technology is very high.” Equipment/Supply Peak: 6 a.m.- :9 p.m. UCI Industry
or Service Off-Peak: Midnight-:9 a.m. Users Users
Dan Mumm, assistant professor of
EVO Peak $45 $120
chemical engineering and materials
EVO Off-Peak $22.50 $120
science, and project scientist John
Ultra 55 Peak $45 $120
Porter are training student users.
Ultra 55 Off-Peak $22.50 $120
At present, 37 UCI students, whose
fields range from materials science Crossbeam Peak $75 $120
to chemistry, biology and MEMs, are Crossbeam Off-Peak $37.50 $120
training on the equipment. Instruction Technical Training N/A $30
Rates subject to change without notice
(continued, page 6)
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High-Tech Tools
includes a one-hour group orientation
and one-on-one training with Mumm
or Porter, as well as successful
completion of a comprehensive test.
SBT Donation Facilitates Specimen Preparation
“This partnership will keep us Researchers using Calit2’s Carl Zeiss Center of Excellence recently got some
on the forefront of research state-of-the-art assistance.
activity and infrastructure.” Six specimen-preparation tools were donated to the lab by South Bay
Technology, Inc., a Southern California materials-preparation manufacturing
Calit2 is in the final stages of company. The equipment
evaluating applicants for a permanent will be used to prepare SEM
lab manager to oversee training and cross sections, deposit high-
day-to-day operations. The center will resolution films onto samples,
eventually operate 16-24 hours each day. and clean samples and/or
A Bright Future for Research microscope parts. It is valued
The Zeiss Center has the potential at more than $125,000.
to change the Southern California “These instruments
research landscape in important ways. represent the latest in materials
“Southern California is a hotbed of processing equipment and
biotech activity,” says Mumm, who was will provide the users with a
The IBS/e Ion Beam Sputter Deposition
integral in getting the Zeiss partnership broad range of technologies,” and Etching System helps researchers
established. “In addition to the cluster says South Bay Technology prepare specimens for SEM imaging.
of small industrial organizations located President David Henriks. “The idea here is not to limit the researchers to
here, we have a large aerospace and tools that may have been acquired years ago for a different purpose.”
defense industry that continually The donated equipment
requires access to high-resolution “Our goal with the Calit2 includes a lapping and polishing
microscopy. Furthermore, the lab system, a lapping fixture, a
offers easy access, being five minutes
partnership is to always tripod polisher, a low-speed
from the Orange County airport.”
have the proper equipment diamond-wheel saw, an ion-beam
Zeiss’s president agrees. “Our available for the job.” sputter-deposition and etching
long-term success will be based on system, and a plasma cleaner.
our ability to be present and intimate “If you’re trying to drive a nail into a piece of wood and all you
with the growing nanotechnology have is a screwdriver, you won’t be very effective,” says Henriks.
communities in the U.S.,” says “We have the tools to allow researchers to be effective in processing
Clark. “Southern California is a their samples for analysis. Our goal with the Calit2 partnership is
fast-growing and exciting arena for to always have the proper equipment available for the job.”
nanotechnology, thanks especially to In addition to assisting Calit2 researchers with their specimen
its strong local defense companies.” preparation, the SBT/Calit2@UCI partnership provides other
The microscopy center offers opportunities. The company’s headquarters and manufacturing facility
another benefit to UCI and Calit2. As are located in San Clemente, and the lab’s proximity allows SBT to
one of only a couple in the country that respond quickly to new materials preparation challenges as well as
exists in partnership with an instrument demonstrate the efficiency of their equipment to new customers.
manufacturer, “when Carl Zeiss develops “Zeiss manufactures outstanding instruments and their performance
a product innovation, they’ll exchange is limited only by the quality of the specimen being imaged. South Bay
the existing instruments for those Technology provides a means to improve sample quality, which then allows
incorporating the latest technologies,” customers to exploit the technology in the Zeiss tools,” says Henriks.
Mumm says. “This partnership will He adds: “We’re very excited about the possibilities this partnership
keep us on the forefront of research presents. It is a win-win-win situation for South Bay Technology, UCI
activity and infrastructure.” and Zeiss. I am looking forward to a mutually beneficial partnership
and I foresee more rapid development of materials processing
tools that could change the face of materials research.”
Page 6 | Interface | Summer 2006
FUNDING NOTES by Stuart Ross
Government funding agencies and the National Institutes of Health. The and university at the project level,
University of California itself encourage grants are awarded in three phases typically through short-term personnel
research interactions with industry. – proof of concept, development, and assignments. For example, GOALI
Because Calit2’s charter emphasizes commercialization, with successively supports faculty visits to industry
close working relationships with greater levels of funding. Typically the for a few months at a time, industry
industry, it is important to be aware Phase I funding is limited to $75,000, visits to the university for teaching or
of these possible sources of support. but Phase II can provide up to $750,000. research, support for a postdoctoral
Some of the more important funding In these programs, the small business fellow working in industry, or support
sources that match industrial funding must be the prime contractor to the for industry mentorship of graduate
of university research include: government and the university can be students, to name some examples.
a subcontractor; the university’s share GOALI is also an NSF program;
Discovery Grants
www.ucdiscoverygrant.org
of the funding is set by the guidelines. deadlines vary by topic area.
The University of California offers Research topics and deadlines vary from
Partnerships for Innovation
grants in the fields of digital media, one federal agency to the next, but www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf06550/nsf06550.htm
networking, biotechnology, electronics the overall procedures and guidelines This program for medium-scale efforts
manufacturing and IT for the life are common to all the programs. may also involve governmental partners
sciences. A pilot program also provides The Industry-University Cooperative or international partners, in addition
funding related to nanotechnology, Research Centers Program to the university lead organization and
health and wellness, and energy and the www.nsf.gov/eng/iucrc the industrial partner. Through research
environment. One of the advantages of This National Science Foundation and/or education, the projects should
the Discovery Grant program is the wide program promotes longer-term, more promote sustained innovation in the
range of funding levels – from $50,000 formal arrangements with industry, chosen field. Funding up to $600,000
to well over $1 million, depending on focused on a general research topic. is available over three years; letters
the project needs and quality. The Typically a center has a formal of intent are due in late June 2006
industrial firm must have a research base membership list of companies, with and full proposals are due in August.
in California and must match the UC differing levels of membership fees,
funding; there are specific guidelines for a formal evaluation procedure, All of these programs share some
the funding provided by industry. The arrangements for sharing intellectual predictable concerns, such as intellectual
application process is completed online. property among the members, and an property, liability and indemnification,
The next deadline is in October 2006. agreement signed by all the members. conflict of interest, and indirect costs.
Awards are usually made for five Although there are variations in the
Small Business Innovative
years; the level of funding provided particulars, all of the programs require
Research (SBIR) and Small
by NSF is scaled according to the that the company and the university
Business Technology Transfer
(STTR) programs size of the center and the amount of complete a written agreement on such
www.sba.gov/sbir/indexsbir-sttr.html funding received in membership fees. issues before funding can begin.
As the names imply, these programs The host university (or universities)
seek to help small businesses must provide cost sharing as well.
advance their research, typically Grant Opportunities for
through cooperation with university Academic Liaison with Industry
researchers. The programs are offered www.nsf.gov/pubs/1998/nsf98142/nsf98142.htm
by several federal agencies, including Usually called “GOALI,” this program
the Department of Defense, the emphasizes close ties between industry
National Science Foundation and the
| innovate | integrate | ignite | Page
Submerged/
Ascension
Submersion: Dancers Marc
Sicignano, Rachel Lopez and
Jae Cho interpret underwater
life in “A Fish Impression.”
Photo: Gregory Gallardo
M
ost research buildings have one purpose. They house research.
Deidre Cavazzi and Kara Miller had other ideas.
They decided the Calit2 Building should star in their master’s
thesis dance performance.
Cavazzi and Miller are UC Irvine MFA in – and starring – the Calit2 Building.
by Anna Lynn Spitzer candidates, charged with conceiving The dances were choreographed
and producing a performance piece to to emphasize the structure’s atrium
satisfy degree requirements. Both are and flowing spaces, as well as its New
interested in exploring dance beyond Media Arts lab. Dancers incorporated the
the boundaries of the traditional stage building’s staircase, windows, concrete
and both are fascinated by technology.
On the recommendation of “I was absolutely fascinated
Graduate Students’ dance professor Lisa Naugle, the by the expansiveness
two decided to collaborate.
of the space.”
Collaboration Stars Thus began a partnership that
resulted in a unique two-night multi- floor and four separate stories into their
Calit2 Building media dance performance and video work. The New Media Arts lab served
installation held in February and staged as a sort of theater-in-the-round – in
Page | Interface | Summer 2006
Photo: Bentley Cavazzi
reverse – as audience members moved performance to honor her late mother.
themselves around the room in wheeled Cavazzi envisioned flying high;
chairs for improved vantage points. Miller was feeling inundated.
Submerged/Ascension consisted “I was absolutely fascinated by
Ascension: Lanterns contribute to the ambience.
of five dances that exemplified the expansiveness of the space and
ascension – choreographed and, in those windows,” says Cavazzi, who adds filmed in Mexico and Sri Lanka as part
one case, videotaped, by Cavazzi, that she was struck by the ascendant of her performance. She views the ocean
and performed in the building’s quality of the atrium’s architecture. as a metaphor for connecting diverse
soaring atrium and surrounding areas cultures through dance. “Because
– and five dance/audio-visual pieces some of what I presented involved
representing submersion, that were
“I was submerged in the people from different countries, it
choreographed, directed and/or filmed
experience of technology...” was really the ocean that connected
by Miller and presented in the second all of those pieces,” she explains.
floor black-box theater-style lab. “I felt submerged,” says Miller, Cavazzi is deeply connected to the
Merging themes who was already considering the ocean ocean as well. She is a certified marine
Cavazzi and Miller approached she had come to love as a backdrop naturalist who wrote the curriculum for
the project differently. for her dances. “I was submerged in the Dana Point Ocean Institute when it
Miller was interested in the experience of technology and the opened its ocean education center. She
juxtaposing the ocean and dance idea that this gigantic ocean is a place still works at the institute part-time.
as a way to increase cross-cultural where dance and technology could Miller, who directed a New York
understanding. Cavazzi wanted her meet and grow together. At the time, City dance company for seven years,
I couldn’t begin to ‘ascend’ because is currently interning at DreamWorks
Ascension: Dancers there was so much to comprehend.” SKG, and hopes to use her experience
unfurl gauzy banners
from the atrium’s Once the two started working to produce and direct independent
upper levels together, they discovered their dance films. “Video dance is a tool of
respective approaches actually cross-cultural understanding,” she says.
complemented each other. “Dance can cross borders and transcend
“When we began to work, language, and film reaches more
we realized that our themes people than dance in a theater can.”
overlapped so much. Deidre has triumph
submersion in her work and I have Cavazzi, Miller and their mentor, Naugle,
ascension in mine,” Miller states. were all delighted with the outcome.
cooperation and connection “This was the first project
Cavazzi’s theme of ascension – brought I’ve set within an interior space
to life by dancers dressed in white, and it all really exceeded my
ethereal music, filmy strips of fabric expectations,” says Cavazzi.
descending from upper floors, and the “It was just really incredible,” Miller
use of lanterns and soft lighting – was agrees.
inspired by her mother, who passed away Says Naugle, a member of both
last summer. “My mom was extremely students’ thesis committees: “Deidre and
instrumental in supporting me and Kara did an exceptional job of conveying
encouraging me to dance,” she says. “It their themes and presenting intriguing,
was really important to me as a dancer moving performances. They clearly
and an artist to share my love and my demonstrated that dance does not have
feelings for my mom through my work.” to be confined to a theater stage.”
Miller, who has traveled extensively,
Photo: Bentley Cavazzi
presented dance video installations
| innovate | integrate | ignite | Page 9
What Lies
Beneath
Calit2 sponsored a student
micrograph competition in
conjunction with the opening
of the Carl Zeiss Center of
Excellence. Micrographs
– photographs captured with
the center’s scanning electron
microscopes – were judged
on image quality and the
science behind the research.
Thermal Facets on the Free Surface of Annealed Judges included: Dave
Yttrium-Doped Strontium Titanate (SYT) Ceramic Pellet
Thomas Pine • Faculty sponsor: Daniel Mumm Howard, Jazz Semiconductor;
Ali Yousefiani, Boeing; Mike
Lowery, AMO, Inc.; and Phil
Collins, UCI assistant professor
of physics and astronomy.
First-place winner Thomas
Pine, whose micrograph
“Thermal Facets on the Free
Surface of Annealed Yttrium-
Doped Strontium Titanate (SYT)
Ceramic Pellet” appears on
the cover and at top left, is a
graduate student in mechanical
and aerospace engineering.
He explains that the
conductivity of strontium
Crystal Tree of Perovskites titanate, a superconductive
Ya Grace Qin • Faculty sponsor: Daniel Mumm
ceramic material, can be
enhanced by introducing
(doping) the element yttrium.
This doping can increase its
potential for use as an anode
component with higher purity
and better electrochemical
properties in high-temperature
solid oxide fuel cells.
Grace Qin’s second-place
“Crystal Tree of Perovskites”
and Adam Schofield’s third-place
“Seventy Microns Beneath the
Surface” also appear at left.
At right are the contest’s
Seventy Microns Beneath the Surface
Adam Schofield • Faculty sponsor: Andrei Shkel eight semi-finalists.
Page 10 | Interface | Summer 2006
LSM Deposit on AAO Template MEMS FEEP Thruster Tips
Anh Duong • Faculty sponsor: Daniel Mumm Jessica Ayers • Faculty sponsor: William Tang
A Web of Decomposition: Zircon’s Loss is Mullite’s Gain Zinc Oxide Nanowire Capped with Spherical Tin Catalyst
R. Peter Dillon • Faculty sponsor: Martha Mecartney Zhiyong Fan • Faculty sponsor: Jia G. Lu
Do You See the Matrix? Polysilsesquioxane Nanoparticles
Yen Peng Kong • Faculty sponsor: Albert Yee Mariya Khiterer • Faculty sponsor: Kenneth Shea
(Mn, Cr)3O4 Spinel Phase Formed on Solid Oxide
473nm-Grating Silicon Mold Cross-Section for Nanoimprinting
Fuel Cell Interconnect (Crofer APU22) Surface Wei Zhou • Faculty sponsor: Albert Yee
Sungbo Shim • Faculty sponsor: Daniel Mumm
| innovate | integrate | ignite | Page 11
Calling
Photo: Paul Kennedy
all Commuters
by Anna Lynn Spitzer Postdoctoral researchers James Marca and Craig Rindt are developing
travel behavior models for the travel assistant. The device will
predict its owner’s destination and recommend alternatives.
It’s 8 a.m. Monday. Does your cell by cell phones’ global positioning
phone know where you are going? systems, the platform will extrapolate The Personal Travel Assistant
It will soon. UC Irvine’s Institute of relevant data from the user’s daily will be highlighted at the
Transportation Studies, in conjunction travels. A complex series of algorithms next Igniting Technology
with UC San Diego researchers, is and statistical modeling will shape presentation on June 8.
developing a platform that will transform the data into a probabilistic model To register: www.calit2.net/
cell phones into Personal Travel Assistants. of the driver’s daily travel habits. events/ignitingtechnology
Not only will your phone advise you Will Recker, professor of civil
about freeway conditions, it will “know” and environmental engineering, and wDevelopers are designing the
your destination and when necessary, supply postdoctoral researchers James Marca new system to work with existing
you with a revised route and/or timetable. and Craig Rindt are overseeing the travel technology. “Cell phone technology
By incorporating human social behavior modeling research in Irvine, with GPS and fancy graphics is
dynamics and behavior modeling, the PTAs while the San Diego contingent, led already available, so it makes sense
will predict your travel plans and suggest by Ingolf Krueger, assistant professor to utilize that,” Marca explains.
alternatives in the event of traffic tie-ups. of computer science and engineering, The behavior modeling is
Using live information supplied is designing the PTA’s software. computationally intensive. It will require
three or four days to crunch several
months of travel data into a probabilistic
model. The behavior model will run on a
dedicated server that will be connected
wirelessly to drivers’ cell phones.
A continuous data stream
Part Two constantly allows the system to
build and update models when the
driver is not traveling. “If you drive
somewhere new one day, the system
Thursday, June 8, 2006 will learn it by the next,” Rindt says.
5:30 pm – light buffet, lab tours The initial user interface is a
6:30 pm – moderated presentation
cell phone, but future platforms
Calit2 Building, University of California, Irvine can include automotive navigation
Igniting Technology is sponsored by Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP in partnership
with the UC Irvine division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and systems, PDAs or even wristwatches.
Information Technology.
Developers expect the prototype
to be complete by this summer.
Page 12 | Interface | Summer 2006
Expert’s Guide
VoiP Phones
Garrett Hildebrand, network planner, and frequent long-distance calls. The packets to can tell the difference between an
John Schaefer, communications analyst, of digitized voice data can be forwarded IP phone and other types of network
work in UCI’s Network and Academic over the Internet or other IP networks at devices. The IP phones are put into
Computing Services department, where no cost. As the call nears its destination, their own private VLAN (Virtual Local
they provide information technology it is connected into the network, Area Network) that other devices
leadership, expertise, infrastructure and reducing or eliminating toll fees. – such as computers – cannot “see.”
service to support the university.
How does one switch to VoIP service? Are there any other disadvantages
What are VoIP phones? From home, you can download to the consumer?
A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) software from Skype, SipPhone or Your IP phone is only as reliable as
phone is a device that acts like a other VoIP developers, and start the network(s) it connects to. If you
telephone but passes digitized voice making calls immediately over your experience ISP outages with your
traffic across local-area or campus DSL or cable modem connection. computer, so will your phone.
networks, or the Internet, using Internet These companies have various monthly One of the biggest disadvantages
Protocols. IP telephones encapsulate rates that include certain features is power. Your regular phone service
digitized voice data into data packets, like voicemail, caller ID and others. line is always powered, even in a major
which are then routed to a server. Alternately, you can pick up an IP power outage. The same is true with
phone adapter at an electronics store the campus telephone system. There are
What equipment is required? and plug it into your network. You battery and generator backup systems
You will need a data network that add your standard phone, sign up for that keep the phone services running
supports the Internet Protocol and their service and you are ready to go. during a power outage of any kind.
provides connectivity to other IP The phone adapter is about $60. With home VoIP, you will lose your
phones. Because other IP phones phone service if your computer, VoIP
are typically on the Internet, you Because the VoIP uses the Internet, converter, DSL box and/or cable modem
need an Internet connection, like are long-distance and international are not connected to an uninterruptible
DSL or a cable-modem line at home, calls free, after you pay your ISP? power supply (UPS) system. Even then,
or the campus network. If you’re This is true if you are using VoIP at it will only work for as long as the UPS
calling standard phones, you’ll also home or you have subscribed to a VoIP can maintain power via batteries.
need a gateway to that system. provider independent of the campus
telephone service. Not all international What are some other companies
Are there differences in VoIP phones? calls are free, but they can be if you that offer these VoIP services?
There are three types of VoIP phones. are calling someone who uses the There are a myriad of companies that
One is the type used at Calit2: it is same VoIP service provider. There isn’t offer VoIP services: Vonage, SunRocket,
self-contained, and only requires a one VoIP provider that covers every VoiceElipse, SipPhone, Speakeasy,
capability to find the VoIP server so it continent; those countries that are Covad, Google and more. They are
can access its pre-programmed features. not covered are still less expensive not all the same. Each one offers
It also requires a network connection than regular telephone services. different international calling countries
with power over Ethernet (PoE). and prices. There is even a company
The second type is a “soft phone.” Are companies like Skype safe for known as Onvine which markets a
Skype software, which runs on your computer users? What are the risks? VoIP phone and videoconferencing
computer, is an example; it uses There are more than 500 million service known as “Tomato Vine.”
speaker and microphone jacks to Skype users. The computer is safe
support a headset that handles calls. as long as you keep current with Is Calit still the only building on
Lastly, the VoIP phone can be a the latest anti-virus and operating campus using this technology?
standard phone set that is plugged software and/or have a firewall. Not anymore. Natural Sciences II is
into a VoIP adapter. That system VoIP is vulnerable to the same using Cisco IP phones. Information and
converts the analog signal to digital, issues that affect the data network, Computer Sciences announced that it
encapsulates it in TCP/IP packets, like viruses and spam. It is much easier plans to use them in its newest building,
and interfaces it to the network. to “tap” into the network and capture Bren Hall (ICS3). About half of NACS
For Skype and other similar services, data than it is to tap into your phone is using IP phones at this time. The
there is a monthly service fee for line. This will become less of an issue determining factor is the network, which
using the servers and gateways. as encryption and other security needs an upgrade in certain areas.
measures continue to develop.
What are the benefits to The UCI IP phones, such as the More:
phone customers? Cisco IP phones deployed at Calit2, www.nacs.uci.edu/telephone/voip.html
VoIP benefits anyone who makes are secure. The network they connect
| innovate | integrate | ignite | Page
EcoRaft
Seeds of Restoration
Carpenter, an evolutionary biologist,
and Tomlinson, who has art and
computing backgrounds, each
brought unique skills to the project.
Photo: Paul Kennedy
M
ore than 80 percent of lush Costa Rican rainforests have
been chain-sawed and bulldozed for pasture and farmland.
Exposed to rain, the rich topsoil eroded, vast areas lie
abandoned and useless to farmers – yet they’re far from useless
to Calit2 affiliates Bill Tomlinson and F. Lynn Carpenter.
They’ve employed the tropical desktop computers are virtual islands.
environment in their EcoRaft project to A mobile tablet PC is the “raft” on
model a lesson in restoration ecology. which plant and animal species “float.”
Incorporating new technology developed With raft in hand, the child picks up
at Calit2, the engaging, interactive a hummingbird, a coral tree seed or
game focuses on kids 8 to 12 years old. other plant from a healthy, diverse
“While having fun playing environment and carries it to an island
the game, they’re learning basic where habitat has been destroyed. A
rules of an ecosystem; namely, that program, written in Java and C++, works
by Fran Tardiff destroying a habitat is easy. Restoring with infrared sensors to enable the
it, while an uphill battle, is still animated object to “jump” from healthy
possible,” says Tomlinson, assistant island to raft to barren land. Youngsters
professor of informatics and drama. working together can repopulate
collaboration Breeds education the devastated island and help it
His collaboration with Carpenter, blossom into a thriving rainforest.
professor of ecology and evolutionary The unique, multi-device game
biology, has created a way of lets kids break the plane of the
transferring computer-generated computer screen to interact with the
plants and animals from one virtual environment and other people in ways
habitat to another. In EcoRaft, three both exciting and loaded with potential.
Page | Interface | Summer 2006
About 2,500 people have seen EcoRaft tropical forests and soils led to her role Carpenter, who believes EcoRaft
so far. Responses have ranged from as ecological consultant for EcoRaft. can be a positive way of cultivating
“Wow, that’s cool,” by kids who tried She has lived with the vibrant hues hope and cooperation, of getting
it in the Calit2 lab and at Santa Ana, and sounds of the tropical forest. She young people to skip the paralysis
Calif.’s Discovery Science Center, to knows how hummingbirds fly, and which stage and go directly to activism.
nods of approval from grownups at the plants must grow first to support other A Project Blossoms
Siggraph 2005 exhibit in Los Angeles. species, all nuances of the interactive The researchers’ common hope of
The next step is to install permanent EcoRaft game that make it come alive. repairing damaged environments
exhibits at the Discovery Science Restoration ecology grew out of through education is one reason EcoRaft
Center and similar sites around the the need to repair the heavy metal sprouted at UCI. Calit2 is another. “They
country. Tomlinson sees EcoRaft as a slag heaps left after mining. Now it’s provided the lab space. And by its nature
powerful educational tool, part of a the study of how a destroyed habitat Calit2 encourages cross-disciplinary
comprehensive lesson plan teachers returns to biodiversity and how human collaboration; it gave me a reason to
can build around a museum field trip. intervention can help by jumpstarting call Lynn to see if we could combine
It also could be used to teach the succession process. Restoration is our interests,” says Tomlinson. For
about other ecosystems on a more most necessary where human activity similar reasons, EcoRaft has attracted
sophisticated level. Tomlinson and his – farming, fishing, mining, road building funding from a host of sources: an
team of graduate and undergraduate – has changed the whole ecological $80,000 Calit2 Nicholas Foundation
students are working on an function of an area, Carpenter explains. Prize for Cross-Disciplinary Research, the
infrastructure that accommodates Costa Rica is only one trouble spot. Emulex Corp., the Donald Bren School
new content for this kind of platform. “The Amazon has the largest tract of of Information and Computer Sciences,
And a downloadable version of uncut rainforest, but it’s going fast. and Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
the game will soon be available Great Britain has only 1 percent of its With a reminder that “it all starts
for play on home computers. forests left, and the U.S. is down to with the kids,” Tomlinson opens an
Repairing the Damage about 10 percent of its original forests. online video of youngsters enjoying
“Most people don’t know about Many people are in denial. Others who the game. “Children are a pathway to
restoration. Yet they have the feeling realize the enormity of the problem new ideas within a
that something’s not quite right with go from discouraged to depressed to family. Parents want
the natural world,” says Carpenter, paralyzed. They think it’s hopeless, so to be seen as valuing
an expert in hummingbirds. Her they continue their destructive and acting on the
research in Costa Rica restoring consuming behavior,” adds principles of their
children.” So as EcoRaft
flourishes around
the country, it will
disperse the seeds for a
budding generation of
restoration ecologists.
Video available at:
www.ics.uci.
edu/~wmt/movies/
EcoRaftUCI.mov
Players use a tablet PC to
“repopulate” a barren landscape
with plants and animals from
a healthy environment. | innovate | integrate | ignite | Page
Photo: Paul Kennedy
Young entrepreneurs learn from experts
In January, Calit2 partnered with the UCI Center for
Entrepreneurship and Innovation to offer a semi-monthly
series of workshops for students. The Student to Start-Up
Entrepreneurial Skills Workshop Series is designed to give
young business minds the skills necessary to navigate
the complexity of the business-formation process. It is
geared to those interested in starting closely held/family-
owned businesses as well as those more interested in
technology-based investment-grade ventures. Each class
is taught by a team comprised of a member from the
Senior Core of Retired Executives (SCORE) and recent
UCI graduates with successful experience in the subject area. The
program is supported by Web-based distance learning materials for
students who want to pursue the subject in more detail. The series
will continue next academic year in the Calit2 Irvine Building.
governor’s Office Pays a Visit
Representatives from the Office of the Governor visited UCI’s Calit2
Building in early February. David Crane, special advisor on jobs
and economic growth, and Mindy Fletcher, deputy chief of staff
for external affairs, spent the day touring the facility and learning
more about the impact the institute is having on California’s
technology research sector. The meeting, which was facilitated by
Duane Roth, Calit2 advisory board member and CEO of CONNECT,
included project demonstrations. Crane and Fletcher were also
briefed on research investments made by private and public funding
sources, including corporate partnerships and federal grants.
gaming goes MAssiVe
More than 100 invited academic and industry participants joined
in a dialogue about the future design, and technical and cultural
challenges presented by massively multiplayer games. Presented
by UCI’s Game Culture and Technology Lab, Institute for Software
Research (ISR) and Calit2, the MASSIVE research summit in
April included case studies and models for collaboration. Jack
Emmert, creative director of Cryptic Studios, gave the keynote
address. Massively multiplayer online games are those in which
thousands, or in some cases, millions of people, inhabit a virtual
world via the Internet. MMOGs are the fastest-growing sector
of the PC game market and are placing new demands on the
Internet. The two-day summit included an evening reception
with gaming demonstrations and industry recruitment tables.
Page 6 | Interface | Summer 2006
[Bits and Bytes]
getting the Big Picture
From soup The high-definition plasma display screens
to nuts, installed in the Irvine Calit2 Building’s atrium
consumers might be superb for viewing the big game, but
scan
instead, they will be used to broadcast a variety
smartly
of Calit2 presentations, performances and research
Shoppers
demonstrations. Two 61-inch screens and a cluster
deciding what
of four 42-inch screens were installed in the four-
to buy at the
story atrium. The six screens can simultaneously
supermarket now
broadcast different images, or, in the case of the
have a new tool
four-screen cluster, can air a larger view of a single
to learn more
image. The plasma screens connect to the Internet
about products
and to labs operating in the building. They also
ranging from cans of peas to bars of
will be used for webcasting lectures, playing DVDs
soap. GreenScanner, developed by UCI
and transmitting new media arts performances. In addition, they
Calit2 researcher Bill Tomlinson, is a
can be integrated into specific research projects: for instance,
public database of product information
to post announcements in a simulated ResCUE disaster drill.
and opinions that can be accessed
from home or by using mobile devices
with Internet capabilities, such as
cell phones and PDAs. Consumers can
freely access GreenScanner by visiting
www.greenscanner.net to find out which Water experts talk technology
company makes the product and other A group of water research scientists came together
items produced by that manufacturer. in March to discuss technological challenges
It also provides the framework for and opportunities in hydrology and near-coastal
consumers to evaluate and share their oceanography. The attendees included not only experts from the UCI and
own information about products. UCSD divisions, but also an expanded group of potential collaborators
Tomlinson’s vision is that GreenScanner from coast to coast. The two-day workshop incorporated focus group
will become a forum for shoppers to discussions on environmental sensors, data information systems and
read comments on whether products scientific visualization, and environmental modeling. Participants
are environmentally friendly, as well prioritized research opportunities with plans to have Calit2 formally
as how they taste, whether they work support project areas that will advance technologies and applications
well and if they are a good value. in hydrometeorology, the environment and water resources.
computational Biology ignites Panel series
In April, G. Wesley Hatfield and Rick
Lathrop shared their CODA Genomics
Inc. success story with Orange County
entrepreneurs and investors at the first
“Igniting Technology” panel presentation. that uses the power of computation to build synthetic genes
Co-sponsored by Calit2 and intellectual for pharmaceutical and biomedical research. Other panelists
property law firm Knobbe Martens included Bob Molinari, CODA Genomics’ CEO; and V. J. “Raj”
Olson & Bear LLP, Igniting Technology Rajadhyaksha, senior director for business development
is a four-part series that examines at Paramount Biosciences LLC, who until recently was the
UCI research and showcases the ways associate director of UCI’s Office of Technology Alliances.
it can have broader applications in The next Igniting Technology presentation, scheduled for
the business community. The event June 8, features transportation experts who are prototyping
included an overview of the research a device for personalized travel assistance (see page 12 ).
| innovate | integrate | ignite | Page
The California
Institute for
Telecommunications
and Information
Technology is
a two-campus
multidisciplinary
research institute. Chris Davison’s Evac-Pack looks
In collaboration like a futuristic backpacking
kit. Instead, it will save
with UCSD, Calit@
lives in the urban jungle.
UCI integrates The Calit2 Responsphere
team designed and
academic research
constructed the apparatus
with industry to aid first-responders in
experience to crisis situations; it allows
constant communication with
seek innovative IT an emergency operations
approaches that center during search-and-
rescue procedures. In
will benefit society
buildings equipped with
and ignite economic multi-modal sensors and
Wi-Fi, it can also tell rescuers
development.
which rooms are occupied.
More than 0 Read more about Evac-
UCI faculty, 0 Pack’s high-tech lifesaving
capabilities in the next
students and 00 issue of Interface.
industry partners
are actively
engaged in Calit
research areas
that include the
environment,
transportation,
emergency
management, health
Photo: Paul Kennedy
care, education and
California Institute for NONPROFIT ORG.
entertainment. The Telecommunications and U.S. POSTAGE
Information Technology PAID
four-story Calit University of California, Irvine Santa Ana, CA
4100 Calit2 Building Permit No. 1106
Irvine, CA 92697-2800
building on the UCI
campus includes
state-of-the-art
labs, meeting
rooms and open
research spaces.
