NEWS

Louisiana Tech University’s College of Engineering and Science has been awarded a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), while Dr. Long Que, an assistant professor of electrical engineering, has received a $400,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award.

The DOE grant will equip and support research in engineered systems to meet U.S. energy needs, using bio- , nano-, and geo-derived technologies, enabling Louisiana Tech to support several applied and fundamental research projects during 2009-10.

DOE funds will also be used to support faculty, students, operating expenses, and new equipment for related research. Projects to be funded will contribute to carbon capture, nuclear energy, renewable fuels, electrical energy storage, and energy harvesting.

“The proposed research projects will support the Department of Energy’s overarching mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States, and to promote scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission,” says Dr. Stan Napper, dean of Louisiana Tech’s College of Engineering and Science.

“In particular, the projects at Louisiana Tech will assist DOE in its strategic goals of providing energy security, scientific discovery and innovation, and environmental responsibility.”

Que’s NSF CAREER grant funds a project titled “Biomolecular Nanophotonic Fabry-Perot Interferometry (BioNanoFPI).” This project will result in devices with nanostructures integrated with micro and nano networks to provide real-time, point-of-care monitoring. These devices will require only very small volumes of sample fluids, offering a significant contribution for high throughput drug screening and pathogen detection for the pharmaceutical industry.

The CAREER award is NSF’s most prestigious, supporting junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.

Que joined Louisiana Tech University in 2007, after a career in industry, including two years as a project and task leader at the G.E. Global Research Center.

The CAREER award will help to fund research involving students in the fabrication, characterization and testing of these devices, using laboratory facilities at Louisiana Tech’s Institute for Micromanufacturing.

Louisiana Tech’s College of Engineering and Science is a nationally recognized leader in educational innovation whose goal is to become “the best college in the world at integrating engineering and science in education and research.” The Institute for Micromanufacturing (IfM) is an integrated nanomanufacturing and micromanufacturing center, dedicated to micro/nano scale technologies and systems research, education, and commercialization.

Written by Catherine Fraser