Dr. Al Segall, Professor in Engineering Science and Mechanics, is scheduled to attend the 2010 American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Pressure Vessel and Piping (PVP) conference in Seattle, Washington on July 18 – 22, 2010. The ASME PVP/K-PVP 2010 conference promises to be the outstanding international technical forum for participants to further their knowledge-base by being exposed to diverse topics, and exchange opinions and ideas both from industry and academia in different topics related to Pressure Vessel and Piping technologies for the Power and Process Industries.

Akhlesh Lakhtakia, Charles Godfrey Binder Professor in Engineering Science and Mechanics, has authored a new book Nanotechnology, A Crash Course. The past few decades have seen an explosive increase in our ability to create nanostructures and nanosystems with a great degree of control, using a diversity of techniques. This ability has been accompanied by a similar enhancement in our ability to characterize structures and systems at the nanoscale. This book provides a broad overview of those nanostructures and nanosystems (together termed "Nanotechnology"). It covers structural characteristics and properties of nanostructures, nanofabrication techniques, methods for characterizing nanostructures, and applications for nanomaterials. The book also provides a thought-provoking assessment of the possible implications of nanotechnology in society, and likely future trends. This text is accessible to a wide readership and will meet the immediate needs of college graduates, doctoral students, professors, and researchers alike, who are looking for a quick, yet inclusive, grasp of this cutting-edge technology.

Melik Demirel, Associate Professor in Engineering Science and Mechanics, is to present an invited talk entitled “Soft Nanofilms for Biomedical Applications,” at the American Vacuum Society meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The society meeting is held on October 20, 2010.

Reginald Hamilton, Assistant Professor in Engineering Science and Mechanics, attended a shape memory alloy conference in Istanbul, Turkey. Dr. Hamilton presented a talk on “Multiple Length Scale Analysis of the Dual Hysteresis Observed in NiMnGa SMAs.”