NIST Technicalendar February 23 to February 27, 2009 The NIST Technicalendar is issued each Friday. All items MUST be submitted electronically from this web page by 12:00 NOON each Wednesday unless otherwise stated in the NIST Technicalendar. The address for online weekly editions of the NIST Technicalendar and NIST Administrative Calendar is: http://www.nist.gov/tcal/.

In this Issue: Meetings at NIST Meetings Elsewhere Announcements Talks by NIST Personnel NIST Web Site Announcements NIST Administrative Calendar (current)   NIST Vacancy Announcements (current)

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10:00 AM - Fire Research Activities at the Centre for Environmental Safety and Risk Engineering
10:45 AM - Capillary and Multiphase Mass Transfer Properties of Fuel Cell Electrode Materials
11:00 AM - Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory Colloquium
1:30 PM - UV resonance Raman Studies of the Gibbs Free Energy Landscape for Alpha Helix Peptide Folding

10:00 AM - The Orion Helium Ion Microscope
10:30 AM - Ion Acceleration for Free? Double Layer Formation in Expanding Helicon Plasmas
1:30 PM - Electric field-induced coherent control in a semiconductor

10:00 AM - Careers Away From The Bench
11:00 AM - Metrology for Gene Expression: Measurement Batch Effects, Probe Sensitivity, Gene List Reproducibility
3:00 PM - Pathogen Ecology: The Fate of Bacillus anthracis in the Environment

No Scheduled Events

No Scheduled Events

2/23 -- MONDAY

10:00 AM - FIRE RESEARCH DIVISION SEMINAR: Fire Research Activities at the Centre for Environmental Safety and Risk Engineering
Professor Thomas will discuss three recent developments in Australian fire safety: 1) Smoke alarm research was conducted at Victoria University on waking sleeping people (children, elderly, hearing impaired, and sober and alcohol affected young adults) using a range of sounds, including the current smoke alarm, a bed shaker, a pillow shaker, and strobe lights. Results show that the current audible smoke alarm and strobe lights were ineffective alarms. Recent testing has occurred on the variation in sound level from room to room using the current audible alarm and the proposed 520 Hz square wave alarm in five Australian homes. Testing of the response of smoke alarms in each room to smoke of various types is also planned. 2) The CESARE Coronial Fire Fatality Database is currently being development and analyzed. Detailed fire fatality data is rapidly being collected and some extremely interesting results from the analysis of the database have been obtained. 3) Professor Thomas and his wife were also involved in defending their house in the recent Victorian bushfires. He will discuss this experience and his risk management perspective on the leave early or stay and defend policy promoted by the fire authorities in Victoria.
Prof. Ian Thomas , Director: Centre for Environmental Safety and Risk Engineering, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.
Bldg 224, Rm B245. (NIST Contact: Rodney Bryant, 301-975-6487, rodney.bryant@nist.gov)

10:45 AM - NIST CENTER FOR NEUTRON RESEARCH SEMINAR: Capillary and Multiphase Mass Transfer Properties of Fuel Cell Electrode Materials
The formation of liquid water inside polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells is an ongoing technical challenge. Water is produced by the electrochemical reaction in proportion to the current density, so efforts to increase fuel cell power density must provide for effective removal of product water. Failure to do so results in excessive accumulation of liquid water in the porous electrode which severely hinders gas phase transport of reactants, leading to concentration polarization and even mass transfer limited currents. Understanding the behavior and impact of liquid water inside the fuel cell electrode has been hampered by a lack of experimental and modeling techniques appropriate for these unique porous materials. The fibrous gas diffusion layer materials, for instance, are very thin ( 80%), anisotropic, compressible and chemically heterogeneous. Numerous experimental approaches have been developed to measure properties such as the permeability tensor and water-air capillary pressure curves. The experimental findings have been used to develop a pore network percolation model of the fuel cell electrode in an effort to predict multiphase transport properties such as relative permeability and effective gas diffusivity. The pore network model has been extended to simulate fuel cell operation and estimate limiting current as a function of electrode water content. Many important findings have resulted from this investigation, such as the role of anisotropy on liquid water distribution, the importance of high aspect ratio of percolation properties, and the dominating effects of neutral wettability on capillary behavior.
Jeff Gostick , University of Waterloo, Canada.
235 Bldg, Rm. E100. (NIST Contact: Taner Yildirim, 301-975-6228, taner.yildirim@nist.gov)

11:00 AM - CHEMICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY OFFICE SEMINAR: Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory Colloquium
Knowledge of cellular structure and function has advanced in recent years because of progress in biochemistry, molecular biology and microscopy. Advances in fluorescence microscopy due to improved dyes, techniques and equipment has facilitated the viewing and measurement of intimate cellular details. A snippet of data from live and fixed cells in a number of applications using high content imaging and non-laser confocal equipment developed by the investigators will be highlighted. There are pressing needs for advances in fluorescence microscopy to improve the state-of-the-art in terms of both temporal and spatial 3D resolution. For greatest adaptation by the scientific community, these advances should be simple, fast and low in cost. With that in mind, we have recently described a simple and new approach to 2-photon microscopy and a new concept in laserless holography which could acquire all the information in a 3D field in one snapshot and without laser illumination! The new technique in 2-photon microscopy obviates the current need to scan the pulsed laser beam across the sample to excite 2-photon fluorescence on a pixel by pixel basis with the emission recorded by a photomultiplier tube. In our non-scanning approach, 2-photon fluorescence of a full microscope field is captured on the image array of a CCD camera after the whole field is simultaneously excited by a uniformly expanded pulsed laser beam. FINCH is our new laserless holographic technique which can be applied to any wave-based imaging technique and stands for Fresnel Incoherent Correlation Holography. It is much simpler than conventional holography since it is a single beam system where interference to create the hologram occurs from two self-interfering beams which originate from the object under observation. Initial results of macro reflected light and multicolor fluorescence imaging will be shown. The technique has been applied to fluorescence microscopy and is called FINCHSCOPE. The current status of the FINCHSCOPE will be presented. Full development of FINCH promises to simplify many wave-based 3D imaging techniques in addition to microscopy. Furthermore, since off-axis holography can increase resolution beyond the Raleigh optical limit, FINCH could also be a useful platform for super-resolution. Collaborators: Maria DeBernardi, Research Associate Professor of Chemistry & Engineering, Deputy Director, JHU Microscopy Center Joseph Rosen, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, ISRAEL Edwin Heilweil, Chemist, NIST Physics Laboratory, Optical Technology Division, Biophysics Group, Gaithersburg, MD
Dr. Gary Brooker , Director, Johns Hopkins University Microscopy Center, Rockville, MD.
Administration Bldg, Green Auditorium. (NIST Contact: Willie May, 301-975-8300, cstlinfo@nist.gov)

1:30 PM - JOINT BIOPHYSICS GROUP, OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY DIV/ CARB SEMINAR: UV resonance Raman Studies of the Gibbs Free Energy Landscape for Alpha Helix Peptide Folding
We used UV resonance Raman spectroscopy to study the peptide bond conformation by exciting within the peptide bond pi to pi* electronic transitions. We enhance peptide bond vibrations which detail the secondary structure and which allow us to calculate the Ramachandran Psi angle distributions. These results allow us to calculate the Gibbs free energy landscape along the Psi folding coordinate. Steady state and kinetic Raman measurements allow us to further probe the alpha helix (un)folding mechanism(s).
Sanford Asher , Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
Bldg 221, Room B145. (NIST Contact: Ted Heilweil, 301-975-2370, edwin.heilweil@nist.gov)


2/24 -- TUESDAY

10:00 AM - SURFACE AND MICROANALYSIS SCIENCE DIVISION SEMINAR: The Orion Helium Ion Microscope
Carl Zeiss SMT will host a seminar on the Orion Helium Ion Microscope on February 24th. The Orion offers a new perspective into nanoscale imaging due to a combination of high source brightness and unique sample interaction dynamics. These unique mechanisms allow new types of sample information to be gathered. Some fundamental advantages conferred by probing a surface with a helium ion beam are the high contrast due to the sensitive material dependence of the secondary electron (SE) yield, the surface sensitivity arising from the low energy of the SE's, and the ability to image low atomic weight materials, such as carbon, due to the greater interaction cross-section of ions compared to electrons with these materials. The low mass of helium implies that there is a new image acquisition mode available via the collection and analysis of backscattered ions. Recently a world record of 0.24nm surface resolution was achieved with this technology. A powerful new application is evolving with this technology which enables precise, direct nano patterning and milling of graphene, combined with ultra high resolution imaging, on a single platform. The Carl Zeiss Orion Helium Ion Microscope has demonstrated the unique ability to precisely mill and pattern graphene specifically for applications such as device fabrication, where line widths of 10pA) and a low current mode for imaging (~0.5pA). Stable imaging on insulating samples has been demonstrated that otherwise would have significant charging limitations in an SEM. In biological imaging, the contrast provided by the helium ion microscope has shown excellent surface detail and surface information on cellular and microbial samples. It is also possible with a light ion beam to induce modifications in samples with excellent control on the nano scale. This talk will open with an explanation of the basic concepts that describe the helium ion source and ion optics. We will then review the most recent applications developments that highlight imaging, analysis and modification capabilities. Comparisons to SEM imaging will provide further insight into the different image information found in the Orion™ Helium Ion Microscope. Some respected microscopists have been quoted as saying "The Helium Ion is the Electron of the 21st Century"
Larry Scipioni , Carl Zeiss SMT, Inc., Director of Applications Research.
Building 219, Room A0045. (NIST Contact: Keana Scott, 301-975-4579, keana.scott@nist.gov)

10:30 AM - ATOMIC PHYSICS DIVISION SEMINAR: Ion Acceleration for Free? Double Layer Formation in Expanding Helicon Plasmas
Earl Scime , Eberly Distinguished Professor of Physics and Chair, Department of Physics, West Virginia University.
221 Bldg, Rm. B145. (NIST Contact: John Gillaspy, 301-975-3236, john.gillaspy@nist.gov)

1:30 PM - ATOMIC PHYSICS DIVISION SEMINAR: Electric field-induced coherent control in a semiconductor
Quantum interference between one- and two-photon absorption pathways in a semiconductor can lead to injection of ballistic charge or spin currents. The direction of the current can be controlled by adjusting the polarization of the light and the relative phase between harmonically related optical frequencies. Measuring this current enables solid state detection of the carrier-envelope phase of ultrashort optical pulses. I will describe experiments showing that, in the presence of a DC electric field, the injection rate of the carrier population can also be controlled, a process that normally requires a noncentrosymmetric crystal structure. I will also describe a new theory of the nonlinear Franz-Keldysh effect, of which the phenomenon we have observed is one manifestation.
Jared Wahlstrand , JILA.
221 Bldg, Rm. B145. (NIST Contact: Glenn Solomon, 301-975-3225, glenn.solomon@nist.gov)


2/25 -- WEDNESDAY

10:00 AM - POLYMERS DIVISION,AAAS SCIENCE CAREERS SEMINAR: Careers Away From The Bench
Brianna Blaser , Outreach Project Director, AAAS Science Careers, Washington, DC.
Administration Bldg, Green Auditorium. (NIST Contact: Nicole Moore, 301-975-6747, nicole.moore@nist.gov)

11:00 AM - STATISTICAL ENGINEERING DIVISION SEMINAR: Metrology for Gene Expression: Measurement Batch Effects, Probe Sensitivity, Gene List Reproducibility
As for other measurements, metrology for gene expression involves issues such as sources of measurement variation, measurement calibration, and inference on comparisons. These issues are addressed here in a highly multiplexed case of gene expression measurement, the EMERALD dataset of CAMDA08, which contains replicate measurements on liver, kidney, and mixtures of these two RNAs in six animals (Rattus norvegicus), made with Affymetrix, Agilent, and Illumina platforms. We have obtained insight into the relative size of measurement batch effects and biological variation as represented by the animal-to-animal differences. These differences provide a practical benchmark because the animals were all subject to the same control-group treatment. Although calibration curves for individual probes are unknown, a platform-to-platform correspondence identifies probes that measure the same transcripts and allows us to examine the relative sensitivity of probes from different platforms. For biologists, gene expression microarrays provide an approach to identifying genes with particular properties such as change in expression with experimental treatment. The genes thus identified populate a gene list. Because we have measurements on six animals, we can obtain insight into such gene lists.
Walter Liggett , Statistical Engineering Division/NIST.
Building 222, Rm. A326. (NIST Contact: Charles Hagwood, 301-975-2846, hagwood@nist.gov)

3:00 PM - BIOCHEMICAL SCIENCE DIVISION SEMINAR: Pathogen Ecology: The Fate of Bacillus anthracis in the Environment
Much work has been devoted to the recovery and collection procedures of WMD organisms in atypical "environmental" settings; however, many of these organisms pose different recovery and collection difficulties when sampling is performed in the natural environment. The Air Force Research Laboratory has studied several WMD organisms over the years, and now has branched out into studying select WMD organisms in their natural settings--a term referred to as Pathogenic Ecology. Pathogenic ecology is the study of the set of conditions necessary for the sustainment of a pathogen in the natural environment. This definition assumes that microbes do not become pathogens in isolation but require the correct ecology to express or sustain pathogenicity. Anthrax is endemic around the world (except Antarctica) ,ever present in the natural environment as a quiescent spore between outbreaks, and occasionally, may multiply in certain soil types, and re-emerges in isolated outbreaks. Bacillus anthracis has not become the "perfect" lethal pathogen and created pandemics, in spite of its antiquity and its worldwide distribution. This presentation will cover the field findings, as well as the lessons learned in standing-up their pathogenic ecology program. Findings and lessons learned include: - Paradigm shifts of how organisms behave in laboratory settings versus naturally occurring field settings - The concept of "Pathogenic Ecology" which studies the relationship between the organisms and the environment in which they reside - The role of soil in determining how viable a WMD organism can survive in the environment - Difficulties in obtaining specific organisms, even in the presence of an epidemic - Potential zoonotic involvement and surveillance following a WMD release
Wesley Walker , Director, Operational Entomology, U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, San Antonio, TX.
227 Bldg, Rm. A202. (NIST Contact: Jayne Morrow, 301-975-6722, jayne.morrow@nist.gov)


2/26 -- THURSDAY

No Scheduled Events

2/27 -- FRIDAY

No Scheduled Events

ADVANCE NOTICE

3/2/09 10:30 AM - CNST ELECTRON PHYSICS GROUP SEMINAR: DYNAMICAL MEASUREMENTS WITH A NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE FORCE MICROSCOPE
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy (NMRFM) is a technique that combines the fine resolution of scanning probe microscopy with the spin sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to yield highly detailed spin information. NMRFM provides resolution that is several orders of magnitude finer than conventional NMR, thus enabling measurements of samples previously inaccessible by conventional NMR, such as thin films and nanostrucstures. In this talk I will discuss the principle behind NMRFM operation and the construction as well as experiments we have performed with our He-3 NMRFM. Room temperature measurements were taken on ammonium sulfate to yield micron scale 1-D images and a spin echo as well as the demonstration of spin nutation. I will also discuss future applications of this instrument toward relaxation measurements of single crystal magnesium diboride at low temperatures as well as other experiments that increase the sensitivity of this technique.
Hang-Jong Chia , Graduate Research Assistant, University of Texas at Austin.
Bldg. 217, Rm. H107. (NIST Contact: Robert McMichael, 301-975-5121, robert.mcmichael@nist.gov)

3/5/09 10:30 AM - ITL SEMINAR SERIES: Decision-Making and the Cognitive Architecture of Problem Solving
Abstract- Rational decision-making is often modeled as choosing the alternative that maximizes utility for the decision maker. Over the last few decades, much evidence has been produced to demonstrate that human decision-making is subject to irrationalities, such as intransitivity and framing biases. I seek an explanation for how these irrationalities arise, specifically, how they relate to the intrinsic nature of problem solving as setting up and searching in problem spaces, guided by knowledge. Even in simple decision-making problems where the alternatives are small in number and clearly specified, problem solving is required to evaluate the alternatives. One source of the explanation of the irrationalities is the characteristic strategies that are used to evaluate the alternatives. When decision-making problems are complex, additional opportunities arise for sub-optimal decisions. I also attempt to relate the traditional decision-making model of maximizing a single real-valued utility function to the common situation where decision-making is modeled as multi-criterial. I end with some ideas for how decision support system designers can use the analysis to reduce the opportunities for irrationalities. Bio: B. Chandrasekaran is Professor Emeritus Computer Science and Engineering and Director of the Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence Research in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Association for Computing Machinery and American Association for Artificial Intelligence. His major research activities are in diagrammatic reasoning, causal understanding, knowledge systems, decision support architectures and cognitive architectures. He and David Brown authored "Design Problem Solving," (Morgan Kaufmann), and he is co-editor of Diagrammatic Reasoning: Cognitive and Computational Perspectives (MIT Press). Chandrasekaran was Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Expert/Intelligent Systems from 1990 to 1994. He is currently a technical leader in an ARL-supported Government-Industry-University Collaborative Technology Alliance on Advanced Decision Architectures.
B. Chandrasekaran , Professor Emeritus of Computer Science & Engineering The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
Administration Bldg, Lecture Rm. B. (NIST Contact: Larry Reeker, 301-975-5147, larry.reeker@nist.gov)

3/6/09 10:30 AM - NIST COLLOQUIUM SERIES: Next Generation Neural Implants
Neurons, once severely damaged, do not repair or regenerate themselves, leaving permanent debilitating deficits for tens of millions of people worldwide. As there's no other solution within sight, implant technology is used to intact tissues and/or replace defective functions, e.g., pacemakers and electronic cochlear implants. However, current implants are far from ideal. They are still bulky, rigid, power hungry, and functionally limited. Some, like retinal implants, require more advanced features, like a large number of electrodes and extreme volume. This talk will review progress on next generation implants, which must be miniature, flexible, and highly functional for better muscular, retinal, cortical and spinal use.
Yu-Chong Tai , Professor, Engineering & Applied Science Division, California Institute of Technology.
Administration Building, Green Auditorium. (NIST Contact: Kum Ham, 301-975-4203, kham@nist.gov)
Special Assistance Available

3/9/09 10:30 AM - CNST NANOFABRICATION RESEARCH GROUP SEMINAR: Nanoscale characterization: moving from high-resolution 2D over 3D tomography to 4D time-resolved electron microscopy
In recent years there have been many developments in electron microscopy that have pushed the spatial resolution and sensitivity to the single atom level for imaging, diffraction and spectroscopy. These capabilities have significantly extended our understanding of materials properties, particularly in the realm of nanoscale materials. 2-dimensional high resolution TEM for example, has produced astonishing images of atomic arrangements in advanced materials, while the experimental tools for 3-dimensional tomographic reconstructions are most advanced in the life sciences. The burgeoning field of nanotechnology ensures that electron microscopy will be a scientific method at the forefront of materials science for the foreseeable future. However, throughout these rapid advancements in technology, and all the insights that have resulted from them, one area that has remained largely untapped has been the ability to measure the atomic scale properties of materials and biological specimen on very short timescales (10-9-10-15s). The experimental range that could conceivably be reached by a transmission electron microscope (TEM) operating using very short pulse durations and a high repetition rate, could be used for such important materials research areas as reaction dynamics related to catalysis and surface adsorption, atomic re-arrangements relevant to phase transformations and structural changes occurring upon heating, and domain switching in ferroelectrics. The experimental opportunities for the life sciences are different and will require special instrumental developments. The challenges encountered while advancing from 2-dimensional towards 4-dimensional electron microscopy are described here by showing a variety of specific examples from the materials and the life sciences. Furthermore, the present limitations and capabilities of the current state-of-the-art 4D-TEM (or Dynamic TEM: DTEM) and the outlook for future experimental capabilities will be discussed.
Alexander Ziegler , Ph.D, Max-Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics.
Bldg. 217, Rm. H107. (NIST Contact: James Liddle, 301-975-6050, james.liddle@nist.gov)

3/10/09 3:00 PM - CERAMICS DIVISION SEMINAR: MSEL Sustainability Seminar Series: Sustainability Benchmarks and Roadmaps
(MSEL Sustainability Seminar Series) As companies proceed down the path toward sustainability, questions arise on what types of initiatives can be considered to address "sustainability" and also on how they can measure their sustainability progress. In this presentation, the role of benchmarks, and the AIChE Sustainability Index (sm) for measuring sustainability progress will be reviewed. In addition, the industry developed CSTP (Center for Sustainable Technology Practices) Sustainability Guide will be used to illustrate some of the sustainability considerations that various corporate business functions can address. About the Speaker: Darlene Schuster presently serves as the Director of the Institute for Sustainability, an AIChE Technological Community, where she oversaw the development of the industry, membership and youth-focused entities formed to advance the science and state of sustainability. Previously she served in the non-profit technology/society sector as the Senior Director of Institute Alliances and Director of Government Relations for AIChE and as a Science Policy Fellow for the American Chemical Society, where she worked to educate congressional staff and Congress on technical policy issues. Dr. Schuster was awarded the 2004 Technical Achievement Award from the Central Pennsylvania Engineers Council in part for contributions to novel technology product development and commercialization by her company, DP Group, Inc. She currently serves as the project PI for the United Engineering Foundation project on Technologies for Carbon Management.
Darlene Schuster , Director, AIChE Institute for Sustainability, New York, NY, darls@aiche.org.
Administration Bldg, Employees Lounge. (NIST Contact: Winnie Wong-Ng, 301-975-5791, winnie.wong-ng@nist.gov)

4/1/09 9:00 AM - CENTER FOR NANOSCALE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR: DC Regional Meeting of the AVS Mid-Atlantic Chapter and Open House of the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology
NIST staff, AVS members, potential members, and students and postdocs who are working in nanoscience are invited to a joint regional meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the AVS and an Open House of the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST). The meeting will feature invited speakers on local nanoscience research, information on how to become a facilities user at CNST, a tour of the NIST Nanofabrication Facilities, and a poster session for students and postdocs working in nanoscience.
. . , ..
Building 215, Room C103. (NIST Contact: Terrence Jach, 301-975-2362, terrence.jach@nist.gov) www2.avs.org/chapters/midatlantic

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MEETINGS ELSEWHERE


2/23 -- MONDAY

9:00 AM - 2009 DC AREA FIB SEM USER GROUP MEETING
. . , ..
Bldg, Rm..
Friedman Room, Bldg 226, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington DC. (NIST Contact: Keana Scott, 301-975-4579, keana.scott@nist.gov)



2/24 -- TUESDAY

No Scheduled Events

2/25 -- WEDNESDAY

2:00 PM - THE FIRST SHA-3 CANDIDATE CONFERENCE---K.U.LEUVEN UNIVERSITEITSHAL, LEUVEN, BELGIUM
The First SHA-3 Candidate Conference will allow submitters of the First Round Candidates to present their algorithms, and also for NIST to discuss the way forward with the competition. NIST plans to discuss the process and criteria for narrowing down the first round candidates to a more manageable number for further studies by summer of 2009 and starts the Second Round of the Competition. NIST received 64 entries for the SHA-3 competition; after an internal review of the submissions, 51 were selected for meeting the minimum submission requirements, and accepted as the First Round Candidates.
K.U.Leuven Universiteitshal Leuven , Belgium.
Bldg, Rm..
K.U.Leuven Universiteitshal Leuven, Belgium. (NIST Contact: Sara Caswell, 301-975-4634, sara@nist.gov) http://www.nist.gov/hash-competition



2/26 -- THURSDAY

No Scheduled Events

2/27 -- FRIDAY

No Scheduled Events

ADVANCE NOTICE

3/4/09 8:30 AM - BIOINFORMATICS FORUM
Technology Services, Office of Technology Partnerships invites you to join organizations interested in partnering opportunities for a one day Bioinformatics Forum. Registration is free, but required. The Forum will offer those involved in bioinformatics an opportunity to see presentations in a range of fields including Diagnostics, Computational Analysis, Simulation and Modeling, Healthcare, and Homeland Security. Speakers will also discuss technology developments in bioinformatics, and resources available for research. The schedule includes plenary presentations, discussions, networking opportunities, and exhibits. This is a working forum designed to foster partnerships and collaborations between panel speakers and the audience. Mary Brady and Ross Michaels of NIST, ITL, are among the speakers at the forum. Sponsors: University of Maryland, Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, Maryland Technology Development Corporation, Federal Laboratory Consortium, National Institute of Standards and Technology Register: http://www.prestoregister.com/cgi-bin/order.pl?ref=EconomicDevelopment&fm=1 Registration information is also on the FLC Mid-Atlantic Region web site: www.flcmidatlantic.org
Mary Brady , NIST, ITL. Ross Michaels , NIST, ITL.
Bldg, Rm..
University of Maryland, Shady Grove Conference Center, 9630 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville MD. (NIST Contact: Terry Lynch, 301-975-2691, terry.lynch@nist.gov)

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TALKS BY NIST PERSONNEL

MOUNTAIN, R. : GETTING IT RIGHT. AN INTERNALLY CONSISTENT METHOD FOR THE MOLECULAR DYNAMICS SIMULATION OF SURFACE TENSION.
George Mason University, Fairfax Campus, Time 4:30pm, Bldg. Research 1, Room #301, VA, 2/23.

WANG, C. : NONPLANAR HIGH-K DIELECTRICS THICKNESS MEASUREMENT USING CD-SAXS.
SPIE Advanced Lithography Conference, San Jose, CA, 2/23.

WU, W. : CD-SAXS AND CD-SEM COMPARISON.
SPIE Advanced Lithography Meeting, San Jose, CA, 2/23.

PRABHU, V. : QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT OF THE MOLECULAR MASS DISTRIBUTION IN CALIX [4] RESORCINARENE MOLECULAR GLASS RESISTS BY MASS SPECTROMETRY.
SPIE Advance Lithography Conference, San Jose, CA, 2/24.

GERMER, T. : DEVELOPING AN UNCERTAINTY ANALYSIS FOR OPTICAL SCATTEROMETRY.
Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control for Microlithography XXIII, San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, CA, 2/24.

KANG, S. : CHARACTERIZATION OF PHOTOACID DIFFUSION LENGTH.
SPIE Advance Lithography Conference, San Jose, CA, 2/25.

LEE, H. : CHARACTERIZATION OF CROSSLINKING DENSITY OF UV-NANOIMPRINT RESIST CONFINED INSIDE MOLD.
SPIE Advanced Lithography Meeting, San Jose, CA, 2/26.

WU, W. : INTRINSIC RESOLUTION OF PHOTO RESISTS.
ITRS Workshop, Santa Clara, CA, 2/27.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

VISITOR REGISTRATION FOR NIST EVENTS
Because of heightened security at the NIST Gaithersburg site, members of the public who wish to attend meetings, seminars, lectures, etc. must first register in advance. For more information please call or e-mail the "NIST Contact" for the particular event you would like to attend.
NIST Contact: . ., ., .

NIST SEBA-GOLF LEAGUE MEETING
The NIST SEBA-Golf Association is holding its annual meeting on Wed 25 Feb, Shops Conference room Building 304 Room 126, 11:30. New members are welcome. 2008 awards will be presented, bylaws amendments discussed, and team signup will be initiated. For further information see the NISTGA web site or contact an officer (D. Lowe, H. Prask, H. Dilks) or Les Slaback (lslaback@rcn.com).
NIST Contact: , 301-975-

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NIST WEB SITE ANNOUNCEMENTS

No Web Site announcements this week.

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For more information, contact Ms. Sharon Hallman, Editor, Stop 2500, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg MD 20899-2500; Telephone: 301-975-TCAL (3570); Fax: 301-926-4431; or Email: tcal@nist.gov.

All lectures and meetings are open unless otherwise stated.

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