John Jay College professor Nicholas D. K. Petraco talks statistical analysis and forensics at the Americas Seminar at Worcester Polytechnic Institute yesterday. (JOHN FERRARONE)
WORCESTER — It helps solve crimes, reduce infections and create the wings of a manmade insect.
The science of surface metrology studies the texture of surfaces, delving into the topography of a surface as small as a quarter millimeter in size. In a way, it is the modern version of a topographical map.
“We look at surfaces that nobody else sees,” said Christopher A. Brown, WPI mechanical engineering professor and director of the college’s 21-year-old surface metrology laboratory.
One of the goals of this week’s surface metrology in the Americas Seminar at Worcester Polytechnic Institute is to scratch deeper than the surface of the high-tech science. More than 100 scientists and company representatives are attending, according to Mr. Brown, co-chairman of the seminar. The seminar will feature talks today on topics such as “Visual and Emotional Surfaces: Surface Engineering for Product Development” and “The Migration of Critical Industrial Measurements to 3D Microscopy.”
Mr. Brown and Torbjorn S. Bergstrom, WPIÂ’s operations manager of manufacturing laboratories, said surface metrology is important because objects interact with each other at their surfaces and knowing the exact nature of those interactions can lead to breakthroughs that will benefit people in how they live.
For example, professor Nicholas D. K. Petraco, of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, gave a detailed, formula and equation-filled talk yesterday afternoon on how surface metrology can be used to solve a crime.
WPI has developed a hypothesis developed and researched at its surface metrology laboratory that asserts a surface can be made that would be able to keep bacteria from adhering to it, something that could cut down on infections caused by, for instance, catheter use. Mr. Brown said the proposal seeking funding that would pay for further work on the hypothesis is being submitted next week to the National Science Foundation.
The lab has also worked with NASA at two of the governmental agencyÂ’s Virginia facilities on research the space agency used to provide the right amount of friction on runways the space shuttle and other vehicles could land on to stop without prematurely wearing out the vehicleÂ’s tires.
The WPI lab features a confocal laser microscope like the one on display at the conference yesterday that is capable of magnifying an object 17,280 times, according to Olympus America sales representative Doug Kennedy.
When a quarter, for example, is placed on the $155,000 microscopeÂ’s observation platform, the ridges and valleys that make up the coin are shown on an attached screen capable of showing three-dimensional images that make it look like monetary version of a mountain chain. When a penny is placed under the scope for observation, a person can see the shape of Abraham Lincoln sitting in the Lincoln Memorial.
Mr. Kennedy said he sold five of the microscopes last year, including one to Harvard University, where it is being used by a professor using surface metrology to develop the wings of a manmade insect. He declined to speculate what the manmade insect could be used for. In addition, he said a microscope had also been sold to a Bay State defense contractor he declined to identify.
Among the people in attendance yesterday was Philip Klausmeyer, scientist and painting conservator at the Worcester Art Museum.
Mr. Klausmeyer said the art museum is exploring applications for preserving works of art that could result from surface metrology science. He said shards from ancient Greek vases at the museum have been sent to the WPI lab in an effort to get a better understanding of the techniques used in making the decorative lines on the vases.
A press release on the conference also says surface metrology can be used to study the way paint adheres to a car, or how a certain type of coating makes pills easier to swallow.
“This seminar provides a unique opportunity for anyone working with surfaces to learn from international experts in all facets of surface metrology,” Mr. Brown said in a prepared statement. “It is probably the best educational event ever organized for practitioners in this field.”
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment