Cell Adhesion in Nanotribology with Aracely Rocha

In this episode, we talk to Aracely Rocha, who has been doing research in the field of nanotribology for biological applications. Her focus has been on how materials at various scales interact with biomolecules. She has tried to quantify this interaction through adhesion. In a paper, Aracely and her co-authors posit that "measuring cell adhesion has become critical for design and development of materials and devices for biological applications." Her work could impact a number of biological applications, including improving the life of artificial joints, or the efficiency of drug delivery. To listen, click the play button in the slider bar above, download the episode, read or translate the transcript here for more on this exciting work. Below, you can see a snapshot of her work.

In addition to her work in the field, Aracely is involved in many different ways as a student member of STLE. Most recently, Aracely participated and received the Gold Level award in the Student Poster Competition at the 2011 Annual Meeting, for her work "Protein Adhesion to TiN and CrN Coatings." To see a full list of the award winners, click here. Aracely has also been a Program Session Chair at a previous STLE Annual Meeting and is now involved with her University's newly formed student chapter. Getting involved has its rewards. Become a student member today!

Tribochemistry and Nanoscale Surface Interactions in Nanotribology with David Huitink

In this episode, we discuss the interesting and growing field of nanotribology from a PhD student's perspective. David Huitink attends Texas A&M and is active in STLE. Most recently, he founded the Texas A&M University Chapter of STLE and served as its President in 2010. Listen as David discusses his work: using nanoscale contact to study friction and tribochemical reactions. This involves studying the chemical and interfacial reactions taking place at the nanoscale as a result of friction and contact forces.

To experience the interview, click the play button in the slider bar above, download the episode here, and read or translate the text version of the interview here.

Visit our website for more information about nanotribology. For more on David, you can read his winning Student Poster Abstract that was submitted at the 2010 STLE Annual Meeting and later published in TLT. You can also visit the Liang research group website by clicking here.

New offering: AEM/STLE Webinar

This month, AEM and STLE are working together to provide a webinar to both of our audiences. As a bonus, this webinar is offered for FREE as a preview for future events, so take advantage while you can!

Event Details
Title: Compressibility of Liquids
Date/Time: Thursday, June 30, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Presenters:

Dr. Ashlie Martini, Purdue University

Dr. Scott Bair, Georgia Tech

Length: 90 minute presentation, with 15 minute Q&A built in
Hosted by AEM, using GoToMeeting
Topics covered:

1. What is compressibility and why do we need to be able to characterize it for tribological applications?


2. The equations of state used to describe compressibility


3. Experimental techniques for measuring compressibility


4. Pros and cons of the traditional approach


5. Introduction of molecular dynamics simulation of liquid compressibility


6. Comparison of model-predicted and experimentally measured compressibility


7. Differences between bulk and thin film compressibility


8. Pros and cons of the new approach, and future directions

Register HERE - and enjoy!