PSu Magazine Winter 2002

microstructure of metals in order to create ultra-high strength alloys. fraction of that," he says. That is why Daasch, among others, joined with Jiao to obtain the electron micro cope, which will be housed in Science Building l. He says the acqui– sition makes PSU even more attrac– tive to the region's semiconductor industry and could likely spin off a number of revenue generating con– tracts with those companies. In fact, FEI sold the microscope to the Uni– versity at a reduced price because of the company's interest in developing the Center for Nanoscience as a long– term resource, according to Feyerherm. More than 12 other local high-tech companies have also expressed an interest in and support for the center. erhap more important for Daasch is simply having a tool that can broaden his and other scien– tists' understanding of nature. "Being able to manufacture circuits on this tiny scale is at least a decade 10 PSU MAGAZINE WINTER 2002 away, but that's where we want to be as an academic institution. We're very much in the basic research stage. There are just a handful of papers about thi in our profession," says Daasch, who describe solving compu– tational problems on the nano-scale as both a physical and abstract art– something like finding out the origins of the universe. own the hall from Daasch is another engineer who e work is done on the molecular level. Bill Wood, professor of mechanical engi– neering, is researching the structure of ultra-high trength alloys. By knowing their properties, he can predict the conditions under which these alloys and their welds might fail. Then, sci– entists can adjust the metal's microstructure to make it tronger. The technology was pioneered by the aerospace industry and is used for a variety of applications, such as the building of skyscrapers, bridges-"any– thing," Wood says, "that you can't afford to have fail." He is currently working with the Federal Highway Administration on welding processes for making bridge girders. "Often what controls an alloy or material is determined on the nano– scale: 100 to 200 angtstroms," he says. Wood has experience buying elec– tron microscopes, having acquired five of them for other institution for which he's worked, including Oregon Graduate Institute. As such, he was well positioned to join Daasch and Jiao in this recent buy for PSU. So was Sherry Cady, assistant profes or of geology, who acquired two donated electron microscopes after she arrived at PSU in 1998. Cady ha an interna– tional reputation for her work in studying the fossil record of microbes and is a founder of the new Center for Life in Extreme Environments at PSU, which involves an interdisciplinary .