COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Oct. 28, 2008 – Three graduate students and a postdoctoral researcher from the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering have won awards at the 12th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences (micro-TAS 2008), held this month in San Diego.
Jen-Huang Huang, Yu-Wen Huang, Serdar Ozturk and Jeongyoon Kim all received recognition for their research, which they presented at the conference.
“This is the top conference in the area of miniaturized devices for chemical and biochemical analysis,” said Associate Professor Victor Ugaz, who supervises the students. “These awards are very selective, and it is unusual for any single institution to bring home this many.”
Jen-Huang Huang and Kim received the “Young Researcher Poster Award” for their work in a joint collaboration with Assistant Professor Arul Jayaraman titled “Rapid Fabrication of 3D-Branched Microvascular Flow Networks.” Their poster was one of only four selected as award winners out of a total of 589 posters presented at the conference. The award, which included a $500 cash prize, was sponsored by the Society for Chemistry and Micro-Nano Systems.
Yu-Wen Huang received the “Art in Science Award” for an image selected from her work titled “A Versatile Platform for Rapid Label-Free Detection of Proteins and Small Molecules Using Microfabricated Electrode Arrays.” This newly established award draws attention to the aesthetic value in scientific illustrations while still conveying scientific merit. The award, co-sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Royal Society of Chemistry, consisted of a $2,500 cash prize. The image also will be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue of the journal “Lab on a Chip.”
Ozturk was named recipient of a student travel grant in the amount of $500 to present his work titled “Microfluidic Investigation of Mass Transport Enhancement in Nanoparticle Suspensions.” These travel grants were awarded through a competitive process to provide support for outstanding student presentations.
A hub for nano, bio, and medical research, the 12th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences attracted more than 800 scientists and professionals from around the world who are engaged in research on the use of integrated microsystems and nanotechnology for chemistry and life sciences.
