Maksim Dolmat, a graduate student in the chemistry department, operates the atomic force microscope to perform measurements needed by clients. The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Alabama at Birmingham a major research instrumentation grant of $314,912 to acquire an atomic force microscope for interdisciplinary materials research and education.
“The microscope plays a vital role in student education in the fields of chemistry, materials science, biomedical science and biomedical engineering,” said Eugenia Kharlampieva, Ph.D., professor in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences. “Educational opportunities are available for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows on the campus and expand via outreach to local middle and high school students.”
Kharlampieva is the co-director for the UAB Center for Nanoscale Materials and Biointegration which provided financial support of $41,298 to assist in the acquisition of this advanced materials characterization instrumentation.
An atomic force microscope combines the capabilities for high-resolution and high-speed imaging with quantitative nano-electrical and nanomechanical mapping. The resulting imaging empowers research for the development of new materials in tissue regenerative therapies, controlled drug delivery, molecular sensing and related biotechnologies.
Veronika A Kozlovskaya, Ph.D., Eugenia Kharlampieva, Ph.D., and Maksim Dolmat are the team members contributing to the work with the atomic force microscope.“A high-caliber research environment is also vital to the regional economy in central Alabama through raising community awareness toward biomedical and soft-materials technologies,” said Richard A. Dluhy, Ph.D., chair of the UAB Department of Chemistry.
Multidisciplinary educational efforts from the UAB Departments of Chemistry, Medicine and Biomedical Engineering will benefit from the new microscope. The project, titled “MRI: Acquisition of an Atomic Force Microscope for Materials Research and Education,” is shared by Yong Zhou, Ph.D. and Rafael Grytz, Ph.D., from the UAB School of Medicine and Ho-Wook Jun, Ph.D., from the UAB School of Engineering.
Dr. Kharlampieva is also the recipient of the College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Scholar Endowed Support Fund to support her continued research efforts.