Ben Rogers

The effect of a telepointer on student performance and preference

While the telepointer has been widely accepted in the Computer Supported Collaborative Work community, little work has been done to quantify its effect on performance and perception. We present preliminary results quantifying the telepointers effect on knowledge retention and satisfaction in an online collaboration. In experiments, a remote expert communicated with small student groups to explain an online scanning probe microscope (SPM) interface. The expert used two-way audio-video plus a telepointer to describe the interface to half of the participants, and only two-way audio-video (no telepointer) with the other half. The data show that use of a telepointer improved task completion time tenfold and long-term knowledge test performance by 30-40% on specific concepts. The telepointer group was also more likely to rate the online SPM as a substitute for a local SPM and felt the expert was significantly less distant than did the non-telepointer group.

Microtechnology, nanotechnology, and the scanning-probe microscope: an innovative course

An innovative combined microtechnology/nanotechnology/scanning-probe microscope (SPM) course for undergraduate and graduate students has been developed at the University of Nevada, Reno, in conjunction with Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Two years of technical SPM research carried out at Stanford University was transferred to the classroom before the results of the research were completed and published. The course, which was mapped to the Kolb learning cycle, was well received by students and serves as an example of an effective, innovative, and highly pertinent small-systems course anchored by the SPM.

Microcantilever technology for law enforcement and anti-terrorism applications: chemical, biological, and explosive material detection

The remarkable sensitivity, compactness, low cost, low power-consumption, scalability, and versatility of microcantilever sensors make this technology among the most promising solutions for detection of chemical and biological agents, as well as explosives. The University of Nevada, Reno, and Nevada Nanotech Systems, Inc (NNTS) are currently developing a microcantilever-based detection system that will measure trace concentrations of explosives, toxic chemicals, and biological agents in air. A baseline sensor unit design that includes the sensor array, electronics, power supply and air handling has been created and preliminary demonstrations of the microcantilever platform have been conducted. The envisioned device would measure about two cubic inches, run on a small watch battery and cost a few hundred dollars. The device could be operated by untrained law enforcement personnel. Microcantilever-based devices could be used to “sniff out” illegal and/or hazardous chemical and biological agents in high traffic public areas, or be packaged as a compact, low-power system used to monitor cargo in shipping containers. Among the best detectors for such applications at present is the dog, an animal which is expensive, requires significant training and can only be made to work for limited time periods. The public is already accustomed to explosives and metal detection systems in airports and other public venues, making the integration of the proposed device into such security protocols straightforward.

Combined, solid-state molecular property and gamma spectrometers for CBRN&E detection

Nevada Nanotech Systems, Inc. (NevadaNano) has developed an automated, multi-sensor Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRN&E) detection system to perform a multiple-measurement, orthogonal analysis of trace chemical samples and identify radioactive isotopes. One application is threat detection in shipping containers, where samples can be collected over long periods of time (hours to days) in order to detect low levels of threat molecules and radiation. This system, called the C-Scout™, uses a Molecular Property Spectrometer™ (MPS™) - a low-cost, low-power, micro-electromechanical-systems (MEMS) chip capable of measuring numerous thermodynamic and electrostatic molecular properties of sampled vapors and particles - coupled with a compact, highresolution, solid-state gamma spectrometer for identifying radioactive materials, including isotopes used in dirty bombs and nuclear weapons. C-Scout™ transmits results using a radio frequency communication system. Here we provide an overview of the system design and operation and present threat detection results from laboratory and field tests.

Effective technology transfer to the undergraduate and graduate classroom as a result of a novel Ph.D. Program

This paper examines a case study that suggests using new research results as the central component of an original course developed by a Ph.D. candidate is an effective way to transfer technology to the undergraduate and graduate classroom. The technology transfer outlined here took place in the form of a course that was built around two years of state-of-the-art research, before the research was completed and published. This method represents a new way of training Ph.D. candidates who aspire to be professors and also results in the development of an innovative course. This work is premised on the need to educate science and engineering students in the latest technology, specifically in micro- and nanotechnologies, which have the added demands of multidisciplinary content and a shortage of qualified graduates for an expanding job market.

Combined, solid-state molecular property and gamma spectrometers for CBRNE detection

Nevada Nanotech Systems, Inc. (NevadaNano) has developed an automated, multi-sensor Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRN&E) detection system to perform a multiple-measurement, orthogonal analysis of trace chemical samples and identify radioactive isotopes. One application is threat detection in shipping containers, where samples can be collected over long periods of time (hours to days) in order to detect low levels of threat molecules and radiation. This system, called the C-Scout™, uses a Molecular Property Spectrometer™ (MPS™) - a low-cost, low-power, micro-electromechanical-systems (MEMS) chip capable of measuring numerous thermodynamic and electrostatic molecular properties of sampled vapors and particles - coupled with a compact, highresolution, solid-state gamma spectrometer for identifying radioactive materials, including isotopes used in dirty bombs and nuclear weapons. C-Scout™ transmits results using a radio frequency communication system. Here we provide an overview of the system design and operation and present threat detection results from laboratory and field tests.