Boise State College of Engineering Receives Funding for New Instrument Nicknamed 'Million Dollar Baby'

A grant for a new scientific instrument, nicknamed the “Million Dollar Baby,” has been awarded to Boise State University by the National Science Foundation and will benefit research in materials science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, physics, biology, chemistry and geosciences.

The NSF recently notified Boise State that it had approved a $691,910 award for an analytical transmission electron microscope. The award was matched by a $125,000 grant from the Micron Technology Foundation and $180,000 from Boise State, for a total funding level of $996,910 for instrumentation and support services.

In addition to supporting a wide range of research, the instrument will also provide new training and educational opportunities for Boise State undergraduate and graduate students.

“This award represents a truly interdisciplinary focus and a new avenue for scholarly work,” said Janet Hampikian, associate dean of the Boise State College of Engineering, who procured the grant along with colleagues in a number of science and engineering fields.

“State-of-the art materials characterization made available through access to a transmission electron microscope is critical for research development in a wide range of technology areas including biomedical, microelectronics and nanotechnology,” said Hampikian. “This new instrument is a tremendous asset for Boise State and will enhance our efforts to prepare students for future jobs in the region’s growing high-technology sector.”

A transmission electron microscope produces images by detecting electrons that are transmitted through a sample by a powerful electron beam. It is used to study the structure of materials such as metals, ceramics, magnetic materials, polymers, and biological and chemical substances at nearly atomic resolution.

At Boise State, the instrument will be used for studies of magnetic materials that could lead to the development of sensor devices to improve combustion in engines and reduce pollution, or to developing positioning devices for microsurgery.

The new instrument will also be used by Boise State researchers who are developing portable sensors, studying the structure of cartilage, developing ways to improve data storage technology and the reliability of memory chips, and conducting research in other areas.

A variety of techniques are available through the transmission electron microsope yielding information about composition, structure and defects, and requiring a theoretical background and training, said Peter Muller, a professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department who conducts research involving magnetic materials. Mullner and his colleagues will co-teach a class for Boise State undergraduates and graduate students in transmission electron microscopy techniques.

Mullner was among the four Boise State co-investigators who submitted the TEM grant proposal. Others included Hampikian, physics professor Alex Punnoose and biology professor Julia Oxford. Boise State scientists and engineers whose research programs and efforts supported the proposal included chemistry professors Dale Russell and Tomoko Fujiwara, biology professor Marcelo Serpe, physics professor Byung Kim, engineering professor Bill Knowlton, who has joint appointments in materials science and engineering and electrical and computer engineering, Sean Donovan, research professor of materials science and engineering, and Amy Moll, chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

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