Naomi J. Halas Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Chemistry Department of Bioengineering Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) Rice University, Houston, TX, USA APS Graduate Education in Physics Meeting College Park, MD, January 2008 Nanophotonics IGERT Program: an interdisciplinary adventure in an emerging area

Nanophotonics What is nanophotonics? Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) The NSF IGERT Program The Rice Nanophotonics IGERT The CONJUNTO Project: IGERT outreach

Nanophotonics: an emerging technology Optics at the nanoscale ! PLASMONICS!

Plasmonics: a fundamentally multidisciplinary enterprise Plasmon-enhanced Spectroscopies for chemical & biodetection Raman Shift (cm -1 ) In vitro and in vivo Biomedical applications Fundamental science of metallic nano-optical components Optical interconnects in next- generation computer chips Light harvesting for energyconversion wavelength (nm) nanoshells

Laboratory for Nanophotonics Laboratory, not a Center (a network of researchers) Open-door consortium of research groups Initial core: “super-group meetings” plus journal club(s) and speakers Mission: to foster interdisciplinary interactions, to lead and to follow this emerging field Halas (experiment/theory) chemistry/ECE/BioE Nordlander (theory) physics/ECE Johnson (theory) chemistry Hafner (experiment) physics/chemistry Drezek (experiment/theory) BioE, ECE Diehl (experiment) BioE Link (experiment) chemistry/ECE Hartgerink (experiment) chemistry/BioE Massoud (theory/experiment) ECE/computer science Bayazitoglu (theory) Mechanical Engineering

NSF: Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training grants The Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program has been developed to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers who will pursue careers in research and education, with the interdisciplinary backgrounds, deep knowledge in chosen disciplines, and technical, professional, and personal skills to become, in their own careers, leaders and creative agents for change. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education, for students, faculty, and institutions, by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. It is also intended to facilitate diversity in student participation and preparation, and to contribute to a world-class, broadly inclusive, and globally engaged science and engineering workforce.

NSF: Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training grants Provides ~5-10 graduate student stipends per year at $30K for a two-year period Students also get travel money for conferences speaker series full-time coordinator Highly competitive: 3% success rate 5 year grant, renewable once U. S. Citizens only (IGERT Fellows vs. IGERT Associates) Assessment required!

NANOPHOTONICS Fundamentals and Applications in Emerging Technologies NSF IGERT at the Rice University Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP): Applied Physics Program-based Curriculum: Four core courses plus electives two thematic elective tracks: theorists, experimentalists Nanophotonics CAD Studio- goal of 100% COMSOL/computation literacy Physiology “for dummies” “Ethics” Students apply at end of first semester Co-Advisors required Short student-written proposal required for admission

NANOPHOTONICS Fundamentals and Applications in Emerging Technologies NSF IGERT at the Rice University Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP): Multidisciplinary Speaker Series Visiting Scholar Program Industrial Internships LANP Seminars International Collaborations CONJUNTO Scholars and Mentors Program:multi-year Outreach

Industrial and National Laboratory Internships: –IBM Research –Quantum Dot Corp –Becton-Dickinson Corp. –Nanospectra Biosciences, Inc. –Agilent –3M –BioTools, Inc. –Gaussian, Inc. –Texas Instruments –Honeywell, Inc. –NIST –Los Alamos National Laboratory –Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory –AFRL, NRL NANOPHOTONICS Fundamentals and Applications in Emerging Technologies NSF IGERT at the Rice University Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP):

The CONJUNTO * Project UT UTD UTB UTPA RICE *CONJUNTO: a merger; the confluence of two rivers into one; the multicultural music of South Texas ( Tejano music) with hybrid central European and Mexican influences. a multi-year undergraduateThe CONJUNTO Scholars&Mentors Program: a multi-year undergraduate program Summer Research experiences program Summer Research experiences targeting talented underrepresented minority undergraduates

The CONJUNTO Scholars & Mentors Program GOAL: To make a major national impact on the advancement of Hispanic Americans (and African Americans, AGEP) into PhD level positions in science and engineering To systematically “patch the leaky pipeline” by providing outstanding research experience, professional skills development, perspective via meeting attendance and trips, and networking for each individual through a multiyear and multi-institutional partnership commitment To provide training for mentors at the graduate student, postdoctoral and faculty levels in understanding the goals and challenges of this program and its participants

The CONJUNTO Scholars & Mentors Program APPROACH: A multiyear REU program in a constructive technical environment with graduate students and faculty participants as “CONJUNTO MENTORS”: Freshman summer: mentor as grad student or postdoc assistant; Sophomore summer: return to same research group for continuity, now with own project; Junior summer: participate in national network of NSF Centers, MRSECs, REU and Training Grant Programs with participating research group at that university. Senior year: apply to graduate school with recommendations from both faculty mentors; Pre-first year graduate school: start early at graduate institution in research group of interest Network communications continue to the completion of the PhD degree Professional job and interview opportunities, advice

Questions?