innovate arkansas

Dr. Alex Biris is working on "the next big thing" in the Arkansas Nanotechnology Center - along with scientists who are a part of an extended research network.

But while his next discovery may actually be very tiny, chances are it will open up a large new set of doors for science, innovation, and economic development in central Arkansas. That next big thing may involve innovations in medicine, energy, or space exploration. Homeland security could even benefit from the technology coming from a very special research lab on the UALR campus.

Biris, who earned his Ph.D. in the UALR Donaghey College of Information Science and Systems Engineering, leads research in the University's Nanotechnology Center. His work with structures as small as one-billionth of a meter in size has led to six patent applications and $1.9 million in grant funding from the federal government.

While the Arkansas Nanotechnology Center at UALR was instituted with support from local business leaders and state entities - among them Accelerate Arkansas and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission - private corporations also supply an ample number of ideas for future exploration.

"In the nine months that the Center has been in business, we have maintained high performance standards to keep up with the pace of worldwide nanoscale research," said Executive Director Tom Walker, who also serves as the University's vice provost for innovation and commercialization. "We have published 20 papers in refereed journals or presented at international conferences, created a significant number of patent applications, partnered with firms in and out of Arkansas, and formed one new firm in Little Rock. We expect that the Center will provide the technical foundation for two to three new firms a year."

The Nanotechnology Center is focused to meet economic development demands and create jobs to improve Arkansas' future.

"One difference between our Center and other facilities is that we are oriented towards developing new applications of nanotechnology to meet real world needs such as more efficient solar energy production and improved medical treatments." Walker added. "We hope this path will result in a significant economic impact and produce advances in our understanding of materials, structures, and events that are observed at nanoscale."

The Center is critical to the UALR Fast Forward strategic plan, which calls for commercialization of intellectual property and the development of a technologically skilled workforce prepared to meet Arkansas' future needs. In 2005, state legislators recognized the critical nature of nanotechnology research and approved a $5.9 million appropriation to establish the Arkansas Nanotechnology Center at UALR, and followed with a $5.4 appropriation for the 2007-2009 biennium.

The Little Rock center does not function as a separate, isolated entity. Researchers are "committed to strengthening the nanotechnology infrastructure in Arkansas," Biris said. They work with scientists from Fayetteville to Jonesboro to Magnolia - as well as researchers in Louisiana, Florida, and Massachusetts. In addition, scientists from Romania to France contribute to the exploration here.

"This science must be an international affair," said Biris, originally from Romania. "While there is competition with other countries to become the first to explore and discover, there is strength in numbers. Through our affiliated scientists program, we can invite other scientists to become co-owners in this Center and invest their knowledge in a state-of-the-art facility focused on education, research, and economic development."

The sky's the limit for possible nanotechnology applications. The field, Biris said, has the capacity to be a "disruptive and enabling technology impacting virtually every industry, all life sciences, and medical practices."

Scientists are focused on the "new" ability to build on a nano-scale. Researchers are consciously using nanoparticles to improvemanufacturing processes and products, and the latest instrumentation makes it possible to manipulate the most basic building blocks.

One exciting area of research for Biris is in the biomedical field. Working with medical researchers, the Nanotechnology Center has created a nanostructural material to serve as a framework for human tissue regeneration. Homeland security may also benefit from researchon nano-sensors to detect radiation, gases, and explosives.

The possibilities for employing nanoparticles appear endless, and those with the ability to manipulate substances at the atomic level will play key roles in defining our economic future. From using nanoparticles to identify disease-causing or cancer cells and then as drug-delivery mechanisms to employing them as filters for harmful environmental contaminants, scientists like Biris are on the front line of something small enough to make a big difference for Arkansas.

(This article was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2007 issue of UALR Magazine.)