NIST Technicalendar May 28 to June 1, 2007 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/.
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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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No Scheduled Events

3:00 PM - The Ballistic Fiber Research Project

No Scheduled Events

10:30 AM - Modeling Polymer Melt Flow Using the Particle Finite Element Method
10:30 AM - Fabrication and Characterization of Novel Probes and Devices for Data Storage Technology
10:45 AM - Impact of Surface Poisoning and Electrocatalysis on the Durability of Pt based Catalysts for Fuel cells
3:30 PM - Advanced Soldier Sensor Information Systems and Technology (ASSIST)

10:45 AM - Ultrathin membrane coatings - Amphiphilic graft copolymers for anti-fouling and encapsulation applications

5/28 -- MONDAY

No Scheduled Events

5/29 -- TUESDAY

3:00 PM - POLYMERS DIVISION SEMINAR: The Ballistic Fiber Research Project
The major goals of this project are to understand the failure mechanisms associated with the exposure of soft body armor to humidity, UV radiation, and mechanical deformations and to develop standard testing methodologies that quantify the properties of soft body armor over time to ensure the continued effectiveness of the protection. This presentation will chronicle the Polymers Division’s efforts to understand the active failure mechanisms associated with soft body armor during use and to develop reliable testing methodologies that monitor the properties of the ballistic fibers and relate any observed property changes to ballistic performance.
Gale Holmes , NIST.
224 Bldg, Rm. A312 CR. (NIST Contact: Jan Obrzut, 301-975-6845, jano@nist.gov)


5/30 -- WEDNESDAY

No Scheduled Events

5/31 -- THURSDAY

10:30 AM - FIRE RESEARCH DIVISION SEMINAR: Modeling Polymer Melt Flow Using the Particle Finite Element Method
Thermoplastic objects, including mattresses, upholstered furniture, and molded objects such as electronic housings and automobile parts, melt and flow as they burn. The flow of material affects heat and mass transport within the object and deposits fuel onto the surface below. If it ignites, the melt pool below the object extends the flaming zone and increases the overall rate of heat release. The drastic changes in shape of the burning region pose a severe challenge to traditional modeling methods. The Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM) combines freely flowing particles, efficient remeshing and free surface detection algorithms, and standard finite element techniques to solve problems involving large deformations of the free surface. The potential of PFEM to model thermoplastic melt flow is demonstrated with 2D flow from a heated upright slab onto a catch surface below, the successful addition of a simple gasification model, and a 3D example. Model results conserve mass and compare reasonably well with experiment.
Kathryn Butler , Physicist/BFRL/NIST.
Bldg. 224, Rm. B245. (NIST Contact: Jason Averill, 301-975-2585, jason.averill@nist.gov)

10:30 AM - CNST SEMINAR SERIES: Fabrication and Characterization of Novel Probes and Devices for Data Storage Technology
The $100-billion data-storage market is driven by, arguably, the fastest moving technology in high-tech industry, where the nano-scale is already commonplace in products. Instruments that aid in the fabrication and characterization of advanced devices are critical to sustaining the growth of storage technology, where not only are bits measured in nanometers, but data rates (> GHz) have driven timescales sub nanosecond. For magnetic recording technology in particular, there are many physical barriers that need to be overcome to further increase the density of bits on a disc (areal density) in the endless push for more memory. Smaller bits need higher anisotropy to be thermally stable, which requires a tinier source (the writer) to deliver larger magnetic fields (> 2 Tesla) in an even shorter timeframe. This is a daunting task, but a great opportunity for science and engineering. In this talk, I will discuss some of our work that explores the effects of shrinking bits and short timescales, focusing on two measurement tools, in particular, that aid our characterization and fabrication: a dualbeam FIB/SEM and a recently developed ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) probe1. 1. D.I. Mircea and T.W. Clinton, Appl. Phys. Lett. 90, 142504 (2007).
Thomas Clinton , Research Staff Member, Seagate Research, Pittsburgh, PA, thomas.w.clinton@seagate.com.
217 Bldg, Rm. H107. (NIST Contact: Daniel T. Pierce, 301-975-3711, daniel.pierce@nist.gov)

10:45 AM - NIST CENTER FOR NEUTRON RESEARCH SEMINAR: Impact of Surface Poisoning and Electrocatalysis on the Durability of Pt based Catalysts for Fuel cells
Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC) promises many advantages such as high efficiency, portability, low temperature operation and compact design in comparison to batteries and other types of fuel cells such as PEMFC, SOFC, PAFC etc. Unsupported PtRu alloy nanoparticles are currently considered as state-of-the-art DMFC anode electrocatalysts due to the ability of surface Ru to remove CO intermediates from the electrode surface even at lower potentials. However, they fall short of meeting durability expectations.[1] The focus of research traditionally has been to understand fundamental anode catalysts, alternative membranes, MEA structure and design of cell components to improve the performance of DMFC. Recently, the focus of research has shifted towards long term durability by identifying and understanding the reasons behind performance losses in DMFC MEAs composed of PtRu black catalyst at the anode. Such studies have resulted in identifying one of the main reasons for DMFC performance degradation. Namely, the leaching of Ru from the anode both at open circuit potentials and at applied load conditions and migrating to the cathode catalyst layer thereby causing severe performance losses.[2] Here, the consequences of anodic dissolution of Ru from state-of-the-art PtRu electrocatalysts and its profound effect on a DMFC cathode will be elucidated. Consequently, the right choice of cathode electrocatalyst for the electroreduction of oxygen is invaluable to the overall performance of a PEMFC or a DMFC. Oxygen reduction reaction at the cathode continues to be a challenge because of its complex kinetics and the need for better electrocatalysts. Improved performance is shown by many Pt based transition metal alloys due to their ability to inhibit the formation of a Pt-OH layer (a poison for ORR formed due to water activation on Pt). Changes in short range atomic order, particle size, Pt d-band vacancy, Pt skin effects and lateral effects are some reasons attributed for the enhancement offered by these alloys.[3-8] Recent work has focused on improved understanding of the structure and composition of the electrocatalyst using synchrotron X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS). This presentation will discuss the effect of water activation combined with the use of novel in situ XANES (X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure) region analysis to provide detailed information on site specific adsorption of oxygen on electrocatalyst surfaces.[9-12] Since these effects cause profound changes in the reactivity of a fuel cell, such studies ultimately help in understanding the fundamental reactions occurring in an operating fuel cell and designing electrocatalysts suitable for future applications. References [1] P. Piela, C. Eickes, E. Brosha and P. Zelenay. in Book of Abstracts, 204th Meeting of The Electrochemical Society. 2003. Orlando, FL. [2] P. Piela, C. Eickes, E. Brosha, F. Garzon and P. Zelenay, J. Electrochem. Soc., 151, A2053 (2004) [3] S. Mukerjee, In-Situ X-Ray Absorption of Carbon Supported Pt and Pt Alloy Electrocatalysts: Correlation of Electrocatalytic Activity with particle Size and Alloying, in Catalysis and Electrocatalysis at Nanoparticle surfaces, A. Weickowski, E. Savinova, and C. G. Vayenas, eds., Marcel Dekker, Inc. (2003). [4] R. Parsons and T. Vandernoot, J. Electroanal. Chem., 257, 9 (1988) [5] V. Jalan and E. J. Taylor, J. Electrochem. Soc., 130(11), 2299 (1983) [6] K. Kinoshita, J. Electrochem. Soc., 137, 845 (1990) [7] M. T. Paffett, J. G. Beery and S. Gottesfeld, J. Electrochem. Soc., 135(6), 1431 (1988) [8] V. S. Murthi, R. C. Urian and S. Mukerjee, J. Phys. Chem. B., 108(30), 11011 (2004) [9] M. Teliska, W. E. O'Grady and D. E. Ramaker, J. Phys. Chem. B, 108(7), 2333 (2004) [10] D. E. Ramaker and D. C. Koningsberger, Phys. Rev. Lett., 89 (13)(13), 139701 (2002) [11] M. Teliska, V. S. Murthi, S. Mukerjee and D. E. Ramaker, J. Electrochem. Soc., 152, A2159 (2005) [12] M. Teliska, V. S. Murthi, S. Mukerjee and D. E. Ramaker, J. Phys. Chem. B., (in press)
Vivek Murthi , Northeastern University.
Bldg. 235, E100 (Large Conf. room). (NIST Contact: Joseph Dura, 301-975-6251, joseph.dura@nist.gov)

3:30 PM - SURF SUMMER SEMINAR SERIES: Advanced Soldier Sensor Information Systems and Technology (ASSIST)
The DARPA-funded Advanced Soldier Sensor Information Systems and Technology (ASSIST) project is aimed at developing soldier-worn sensors to increase a soldier's battlefield awareness during humanitarian and combat missions, provide them with data collection tools to augment their mission reporting capabilities following their field operations, and supply additional information to intelligence officers to enhance planning for future missions. ASSIST is separated into two tasks; Task 1 focuses on the hardware and Task 2 focuses on the software. NIST's role in this program is to develop and implement evaluation procedures to characterize the performance of the software components developed under Task 2. This presentation provides an overview of the ASSIST program, a description of the technology being evaluated, and the evaluation procedures in which NIST employed. In particular, we will describe the details of the two evaluations that were performed over the past year and describe the plans for the evaluation that will take place in June 2007 at the Aberdeen Test Center. This upcoming evaluation will involve evaluating a face detection system and a soldier movement characterization system in a simulated Iraqi village.
Brian Weiss , Intelligent Systems Division, brian.weiss@nist.gov. Craig Schlenoff , Intelligent Systems Division, craig.schlenoff@nist.gov.
Administration Bldg, Red Auditorium. (NIST Contact: Anita Sweigert, 301-975-4201, anita.sweigert@nist.gov)
Special Assistance; Contact A. Sweigert a week in advance.


6/1 -- FRIDAY

10:45 AM - NIST CENTER FOR NEUTRON RESEARCH SEMINAR: Ultrathin membrane coatings - Amphiphilic graft copolymers for anti-fouling and encapsulation applications
Amphiphilic graft copolymers, composed of a poly(cyclooctene) backbone with poly (ethylene oxide) and phenyl azide grafts and pendant groups applied as coatings to commercially available membranes as well as to generate stable capsules having nanoparticles inside. The tunable nature of this graft copolymer, in terms of graft density and functionality, makes it appealing for enhancing the properties of existing polymer membranes, for example with regards to membrane fouling. UV-irradiation induced cross-linking can resist coating polymer delamination from the underlying membrane, which in turn provides a mechanism for preventing fouling of the membrane when exposed to oil-in-water emulsions. Similarly mixing or shaking organic solutions of the polymer/nanoparticles with water achieves interfacial segregation of polymers/nanoparticles on droplets, such as water droplets in oil. This typically results in the formation of droplets with a large distribution of sizes. Here we describe the application of track-etch membranes to control the size of these droplets. Control on size and distribution subsequently enhance the release nature of nanoparticles from capsules.
Revindra Revanur , U. Mass.
Bldg. 235, E100 (Large Conf. room). (NIST Contact: Josep Dura, 301-975-6251, joseph.dura@nist.gov)


ADVANCE NOTICE

6/8/07 10:30 AM - QUANTUM ELECTRICAL METROLOGY DIVISION SEMINAR: Optimal Characteristics of 10 nm High Performance Devices: a Quantum Transport Simulation Study of Si FinFET
Denis Mamaluy , Department of Electrical Engineering, Arizona State University.
Metrology Building, Room B365. (NIST Contact: Neil Zimmerman, 301-975-5887, neil.zimmerman@nist.gov)

6/8/07 1:00 PM - ITL COMPLEX SYSTEMS PROGRAM LECTURE SERIES: Teaching Cognitive Robotics with Tekkotsu
Teaching Cognitive Robotics with Tekkotsu Undergraduate robotics education resembles computer science education 50 years ago, when programming was taught in assembly language. Today's student roboticists use C or BASIC, but they're writing code to turn motors on and off. What they should be doing is using abstract perceptual and motor primitives to program robots that can see and manipulate the world. Tekkotsu is a robotics programming framework whose high level primitives are inspired by, and make reference to, ideas from cognitive science, such as visual routines, dual coding theory, and affordances. Originally developed for the Sony AIBO robot dog, it is now being extended to support a variety of wheeled and legged platforms. Tekkotsu is an open source project and is available for free at Tekkotsu.org. I will describe our experience teaching a Cognitive Robotics course at Carnegie Mellon using this software. With funding from NSF's Broadening Participation in Computing project, Carnegie Mellon and Spelman College are also using Tekkotsu to jump-start robotics education at several other historically black colleges.
Dave Touretzky , Research Professor, Dept. of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, Dave_Touretzky@cs.cmu.edu.
Administration Bldg, Lecture Rm. E. (NIST Contact: Sandy Ressler, 301-975-3549, sandy.ressler@nist.gov)

6/11/07 10:30 AM - NIST COLLOQUIUM SERIES : R&D To Deliver Practical Results: Extending Moore's Law
NOTE: Different Day Over forty years after its introduction, Moore’s Law continues to be the best predictor of future trends in silicon process scaling. Significant shifts in technology have occurred during this time to achieve increased performance and power efficiency. Advances in materials, processes, device structures, architectures, packages and systems will continue to enable the future. A research and development approach that leverages university and consortium research along with a strong, targeted, internal research organization will be discussed. The required investments necessitate a smooth transfer of ideas into development, and from development into high volume manufacturing. Use of integrated development and manufacturing capabilities enables co-optimizing the end product and manufacturing process. The model will be validated by considering Intel products and technical results.
William Holt , Senior Vice President and General Manager, Technology and Manufacturing Group, Intel Corporation.
Administration Building, Red Auditorium. (NIST Contact: Kum Ham, 301-975-4203, kham@nist.gov)
Special Assistance Available

6/12/07 3:00 PM - ITL SEMINAR SERIES: Cost-Effective Techniques for User-Session-Based Testing Of Web Applications
Software testing is a major bottleneck in the software development process. Testing is often not comprehensive due to limited time resources during product development, thus leading to huge losses for companies in the event of an unexpected failure. New programming domains require new techniques for effective systematic testing. One such programming domain that has gained prominence in the past few years is a set of languages and software architectures for developing and deploying web-based applications. As web applications evolve and their usage increases, their complexity also increases, thus creating a great demand for techniques and tools to ensure well-tested reliable applications. Low reliability can result in serious, detrimental effects for businesses, government, and consumers, as they have become increasingly dependent on the Internet for routine daily operations. In previous work, the speaker has designed, implemented, and empirically evaluated practical techniques to test web applications by leveraging and efficiently filtering field data. In this talk, she will present a test suite reduction approach that allows for scalable user-session-based testing of web applications and the different test requirements we used for reduction. She will also present the design of her automated web testing framework and the experimental studies conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the reduced suites. She will conclude the talk with new research directions that she is currently pursuing. Bio: Dr. Sreedevi Sampath is an Assistant Professor in the Information Systems Department at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Sreedevi earned her Ph.D. in 2006 in Computer and Information Sciences from the University of Delaware under the advisement of Dr. Lori Pollock. She received her M.S. in 2002 from the University of Delaware in Computer and Information Sciences and received her B.E. degree from Osmania University in Computer Science and Engineering in 2000. Her research interests are broadly in the areas of software testing, web applications and software maintenance. Her Ph.D. research has focused on developing cost-effective techniques for user-session-based testing of web applications. She is also interested in exploring uses of web application usage data, regression testing of web applications, test case generation for web applications, and testing for security in applications. Bio: Radia Perlman is a Sun Fellow at Sun Microsystems, working on network and security protocols.She invented many of the basic algorithms that make today's network infrastructure robust and scalable. She is author of "Interconnections: Bridges, Routers, Switches, and Internetworking Protocols", and coauthor of "Network Security: Private Communication in a Public World", both of which are widely used both as textbooks in universities and for engineers to learn the field. She holds over 80 patents, a PhD in computer science from MIT, and an honorary doctorate from KTH, the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. She recently was given a lifetime achievement award by Usenix, and named SVIPLA (Silicon Valley Intellectual Property Law Association) Inventor of the year.
Dr. Sreedevi Sampath , Information Systems Department, University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Administration Bldg, Lecture Rm. B. (NIST Contact: Larry Reeker, 301-975-5147, larry.reeker@nist.gov)

6/25/07 9:00 AM - METALLURGY DIVISION SEMINAR: IEEE Magnetism in Nanotechnology & Electronics Conference
The IEEE Magnetics Society Chapter of the Northern Virginia/Washington DC is organizing the IMAGINE Conference 2007 to provide an occasion for the magnetism researchers in this region and nearby to meet, interact, and exchange ideas. In addition, this is a good opportunity for postdoc/junior researchers and graduate students to present their research and gain exposure in the magnetism community.
IEEE IMAGINE , CONFERENCE.
Administration Bldg, Red Auditorium. (NIST Contact: Wing Tat Pong, 301-975-8876, ppong@nist.gov) http://ewh.ieee.org/r2/wash_nova/mags/ieeeimagine/

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MEETINGS ELSEWHERE


5/28 -- MONDAY

No Scheduled Events

5/29 -- TUESDAY

No Scheduled Events

5/30 -- WEDNESDAY

No Scheduled Events

5/31 -- THURSDAY

No Scheduled Events

6/1 -- FRIDAY

No Scheduled Events

ADVANCE NOTICE

No Scheduled Events

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TALKS BY NIST PERSONNEL

GILSINN, D. : APPROXIMATING THE FUNDAMENTAL SOLUTION FOR A DELAY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION BY PSEUDOSPECTRAL COLLOCATION.
SIAM Conference on Applications of Dynamical Systems, Snowbird, UT, 5/30.

PRABHU, V. : DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF THE SPATIAL EXTENT OF THE IN SITU DEVELOPED LATENT IMAGE BY NEUTRON REFLECTIVITY".
EIPBN Meeting, Denver, CO, 5/30.

SEMANCIK, S. : METHODS AND EMERGING CAPABILITIES FOR DETECTION OF CHEMICAL HAZARDS WITH TEMPERATURE PROGRAMMED MICROSENSOR ARRAYS.
Symposium on Emerging and Enabling Technologies for CBRN Detection, AED Conf. Center, Washington, DC, 5/30.

SOLES, C. : DIRECTED SURFACE ADSORPTION LITHOGRAPHY: LITHOGRAPHTINS.
EIPBN Meeting, Denver, CO, 6/1.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS
Individuals at NIST who wish to do, or wish to sponsor any research involving human subjects, including human cells or tissue, are required by Federal regulations to obtain approval before embarking on the research. This includes: Research conducted here at NIST by NIST employees or guest workers Collaborative research with others outside of NIST, including CRADAs and other agreements Research funded by NIST through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements The current procedures for approving projects involving human subjects can be found in the NIST Administrative Manual Subchapter 14.01, Protection of Human Subjects (www-i.nist.gov/admin/mo/adman/1401.htm). These procedures ensure that the proposed research is in compliance with the applicable DOC Regulations, 15 CFR 27 (www.doc.gov/oebam/gforms.htm, click on 15CFR27 to download). NIST's Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews and approves those research proposals that require review except in cases where an outside IRB has jurisdiction. The NIST IRB is described in Administrative Manual Subchapter 3.01, Appendix A (www-i.nist.gov/admin/mo/adman/301irb.htm). These regulations are broader than many people realize, and involve more than, for example, just invasive medical procedures. They can also cover volunteers participating in questionnaires and surveys and people testing computer software. All research involving human subjects and being conducted at an institution outside of NIST that has not been determined to be exempt from the Federal policy by the appropriate NIST OU Director needs to have an approval from that institution’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) or from an IRB that has a current Federal-wide Assurance (FWA) or a Multiple Project Assurance (MPA) from the Office for Human Research Protections, DHHS. In addition, the institution conducting the research involving human subjects must have a current FWA. The outside IRB’s approval will be subject to concurrence by NIST. The NIST IRB Chair reviews the documentation from the outside researchers and IRB and recommends approval or disapproval to the NIST Deputy Director, with the concurrence of the NIST Counsel. Research being conducted at NIST by NIST employees that has not been determined to be exempt by the appropriate NIST OU Director must be reviewed by the NIST IRB (formerly called The NIST Human Research Ethics Committee). The use of human subjects in the project may not begin until the Counsel for NIST has concurred with the IRB's recommendation to approve the project and the Deputy Director of NIST has approved it. Signatures required before the proposal is sent to the NIST IRB include that of the Group Leader and Division Chief (who approve the scientific merit of the research), and the Laboratory Director (who determines whether it is exempt). An OU Director's exemption determination must receive concurrence from the Counsel for NIST and then be forwarded to the NIST IRB Acting Chair, Dr. Lisa R. Karam for noting and filing. For more information, contact the NIST IRB Secretary, Brenda L. Thomasson, (301) 975-3190 or (301) 975-3084, email: blthomas@nist.gov or visit our website at: http://www-i.nist.gov/director/IRB/ (For best viewing of all pages associated with this website, your monitor should have a display setting of 800 by 600 and in Microsoft Internet Explorer). All correspondence should be mailed to Mail Stop 2200.
NIST Contact: Brenda L. Thomasson, 301-975-3190, blthomas@nist.gov

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: . ., ., .

2007 WORLD STANDARDS DAY PAPER COMPETITION
The U.S. standards community will celebrate World Standards Day on Thursday, October 18, 2007, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC. This year’s theme, “Standards and the Global Village” recognizes the global consensus-building capacity of standards developing organizations. Along with this event, the 2007 World Standards Day sponsors, including NIST, will hold the annual paper competition. Papers are invited that show, using specific examples, ways that standards developing organizations have encouraged and created global consensus for the economic and social benefit of the global village. Paper competition winners will be announced and given their awards at the U.S. celebration of World Standards Day. Cash prizes are awarded by the Standards Engineering Society (SES) and the World Standards Day Planning Committee. The first place winner will receive a plaque and $2,500. Second and third place winners will receive $1,000 and $500, respectively, along with a certificate. In addition, the winning papers will be published in SES’s journal, Standards Engineering. ELIGIBILITY: The competition is open to all U.S. individuals in the private sector or at government facilities. Papers may be co-authored. RULES: Entries must be original and not previously published. NIST papers must be processed through WERB or BERB. All paper contest submissions must be received with an official entry form by midnight August 31, 2007, by the SES Executive Director, 13340 SW 96th Avenue, Miami, Florida, 33176. Complete details and entry forms are available on the SES website www.ses-standards.org (follow the link for “2007 WSD Paper Competition.”) For additional information about the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day, or to register for the event, please visit www.wsd-us.org.
NIST Contact: Mary Donaldson, 301-975-6197, mary.donaldson@nist.gov

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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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