PSU Magazine Fall 2004

students and community Doctoral student Lifeng Dong works at the nano-level on a microscope enhanced through the campaign. Westview High School in Beaverton. The ethnic differences never stood in her way. In fact, she says it's important for white children to see that people of other backgrounds are successful, too. She made it clear to her students from the first day that all of them had the right to speak their mind in class without fear of being verbally attacked by another student or by Love herself. The approach worked, and she quickly established a reputation as a superior classroom manager and one of the most popular teachers at the school. "\,Vhen the students started embrac– ing me, 1 knew this was my destiny," she says. "By just being who l am and showing that if l can do it you can do it, l feel 1 can make a difference." Through the microscope Nanosciencc, the study of objects thousands of times smaller than the diameter of a hair, is looked upon by academics and business as one of the next great scientific frontiers. The potential applications are enormous, including making computer transistors smaller than a speck of dust. Physics professor Jun Jiao and researchers from other fields through– out the University formed the Center for Nanoscience al PSU in 2001. With the help of private industry, PSU pur– chased a state-of-the-an electron microscope. The M.j. Murdock Chari– table Trust gave another $475,000 through the campaign, enabling the University to make significant enhancements to the microscope and to purchase a second one. Portland State is now the only educational insti– tution in the Pacific Northwest with this kind of instrumentation . L ifeng Dong, a talented master's degree graduate from China, saw what was being done at PSU, and decided this is where he wanted to further his education. He demonstrates how Port– land State, through the kinds of improvements made possible by the campaign, is attracting top-level stu– dents not just from Oregon, but from throughout the world. "There aren't many labs like this, even at places like Harvard or Stan– ford, that have the combination of equipment and the cooperation of dif– ferent departments like PSU," he says. "There are so many opportunities to interact with students and faculty from all different fields. " He earned a second master's in physics in 2002 and is now working on his Ph.D. Dong's work using PSU's new microscopes investigates the use of car– bon nanotubes for electronic devices that will potentially improve the reso– lution of flat panel displays and elec– tron microscopes. He's also working on a project with Intel to share informa– tion about how nanotubes can be used in microscopic computing devices. Coming to PSU required a leap of faith and personal sacrifice for Dong. He left behind his wife and twin boys The Campaign for Portland State University to establish a foothold in Portland. His wife, Liwei Ning, followed him to PSU a year later and is a Ph.D. student in the Electrical and Computer Engineer– ing Department. She plans lo work in the semiconductor industry. Their twin boys, now five years old, rejoined their parents in 2003 after a long battle by the family to obtain visas. Dong wants to remain in academics when he completes his doctorate , and finds PSU to be the perfect place to build his career. He received eight awards in the last two years, including several for his outreach activities. He has served as a mentor for some of the state's top-ranked high school science students, helping some of them win top prizes at science fairs sponsored by lmel, Siemens, and Westinghouse. "l know how to train students and work with them, and many times I learn as much from them as they do from me ," he says. The lives of these students and thou– sands of others are enhanced every day by the gifts the campaign has brought to the University. "Please join me in Building Our Future," says President Bernstine. "You will find no effort more compelling or rewarding. " □ Learn more about how the Building Our Future campaign is making a difference for students, faculty, and the community on our Web site www.pdx.edu/giving. FALL 200-+ PSU MAGAZINf' 15