Internationally recognized for her scientific contributions in applied physics and material science, New College Professor of Physics Mariana Sendova has been conducting research and developing a teaching program this academic year in the area of nanoscience, or nanotechnology, under a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.
The grant, entitled “Nanoparticles, Laser-Assisted Modification, Characterization and Properties,” is for three years with a possible two-year extension. It was awarded in May 2009 and is the largest research grant in New College’s history.
“It is very unusual for a small liberal arts college like New College to be awarded a physical science research grant of such proportions,” commented Sendova. “I think that the Army recognized the value of the research we’re doing here. Also, they encourage collaborative projects that provide an opportunity to educate undergraduate students, which is at the heart of what we do at New College.” Sendova noted that her students may be able to go to the U.S. army lab during the summer to work.
Sendova has been conducting preliminary research and publishing articles on nanoparticles for several years. A faculty member since August 2000, she started the College’s first experimental physics research laboratory and has been successful in attracting outside funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Collaboration in Basic Science and Engineering (COBASE) and the Department of Education.
Nanoscience is the study of the properties of matter structures not larger than 100 nanometers in one of their dimensions, and involves developing devices within that size. According to Sendova, nanoscience is the meeting point of physics, chemistry and biology.
“Learning how to investigate the properties of such small objects, and more importantly, how to manipulate such small objects and tailor their properties in order to design devices with novel characteristics, is at the heart of nanoscience,” she says. “It’s a very cutting edge area in which the Army has a great deal of interest.” Sendova notes that such devices will be useful in the computer or robotic industry, in the medical field for diagnostics and targeted drug delivery, in raising the efficiency and speed of optical communication systems, and in the quest for new energy sources. “The nanoscience frontier will uncover new applications we have never thought about,” she adds.
One nanometer (nm) is one billionth, or 10−9, of a meter. The spacing between the carbon atoms in a molecule, are in the range 0.12-0.15 nm, a DNA double-helix has a diameter around 2 nm. “To put that scale in another context, the comparative size of a nanometer to a meter is the same as that of a marble to the size of the earth,” explains Sendova. “Or another way of putting it: a nanometer is the amount a man’s beard grows in the time it takes him to raise the razor to his face.”
In the spring of 2009, Sendova became the first female full professor of physics at New College since its inception in 1960. She has active ongoing collaborations with The French National Research Center, Orsay, France; Max-Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics, Halle, Germany; The Central Laboratory of Solar Energy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria; University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France; and The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Sendova has successfully solved interesting scientific problems in different areas of applied physics, material science, nanotechnology, spectroscopy and biophysics. She has two patents and more than 40 publications in renowned and diverse peer reviewed journals such as Journal of Applied Physics, Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Journal of Biochemistry, Journal of Molecular Catalysis, Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology, Japanese Journal of Applied Physics and Archaeometry. One of Mariana Sendova’s favorite sayings is, “I shall either find a way or make one.”
As a teacher, Sendova strongly encourages her students to work on real-life research projects in her laboratory. Many of her students have received national awards and actively participate in her international collaborative projects. Sendova’s students regularly present their findings at international science research conferences. After graduating from New College, most of them are accepted as Ph. D students in high ranking universities such as Columbia, Cornell, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin and Penn State.
“For an honors college that prides itself on independent research and interdisciplinary collaborations, New College physics professor Mariana Sendova is a prime example of a faculty member who uses science methods to complement the humanities in a highly creative way,” said Provost Char Callahan. “Her cutting-edge research endeavors with the Ringling Museum of Art are the essence of the liberal arts and have set the standard of excellence that all Novo Collegians should strive to achieve.”
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