News – STROBE

Bringing clarity to computational imaging

New tool removes motion artifacts when imaging dynamic samples. Imaging microscopic samples requires capturing multiple, sequential measurements, then using computational algorithms to reconstruct a single, high-resolution image. This process can work well when the sample is static, but if it’s moving — as is common with live, biological specimens — the final image may be blurry or distorted.

Now, Berkeley researchers have developed a method to improve temporal resolution for these dynamic samples. In a study published in Nature Methods, they demonstrated a new computational imaging tool, dubbed the neural space-time model (NSTM), that uses a small, lightweight neural network to reduce motion artifacts and solve for the motion trajectories.

Congratulations to Laura Waller for being Awarded the Max Planck-Humboldt Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Computational Microscopy

Laura Waller, professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at University of California Berkeley, has been awarded the Max Planck-Humboldt Medal for her outstanding achievements in computational microscopy.

Prof. Waller uses algorithms – some of which are based on machine learning – to improve microscopy, particularly of biological samples, as well as the imaging of astronomical objects. This pioneer of computational microscopy is combining computer science and simple instruments to achieve such things as making more details visible and creating three-dimensional images or videos. Among other things, Laura Waller has further developed the phase contrast microscope, which can also image transparent objects. She has formulated algorithms that determine quantitative information about the phase of light waves – in simple terms, this is the displacement of light waves relative to each other– from a few images with illumination from different angles. The resulting images not only better visualise the shape of cells, but also allow better cell tracking. In another invention, the DiffuserCam, Waller places an uneven plastic plate on a light sensor, which scatters the incoming light. Very detailed 3D images can then be reconstructed from a single sensor reading, with applications in microscopy and astronomical imaging. The technology also makes it possible to create high-speed videos with low-speed camera equipment.

Congratulations to Dr. Thomas Feggeler for Receiving the Magnetic Interfaces and Nanostructures Division Postdoctoral Award from the American Vacuum Society in 2023

The MIND Postdoctoral Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the areas of interest to MIND. Congratulations to Dr. Thomas Feggeler for receiving this award in 2023!

Through hands-on research, PEAQS program helps students discover their love, passion for research

The Partnership for Education and the Advancement of Quantum and nanoSciences recently received its second, six-year $4.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Fort Lewis College second-year student Sharelle Yazzie —a pre-med major— never thought she would be interested in research. A transfer student from Diné College, she was checking out different opportunities at FLC when she met Izzy Lamb, assistant professor of Chemistry at FLC, who told her about his work throughout the PEAQS program.

From circuit boards to micro thrusters, an FLC alumnus solders a remarkable path in engineering

Thanks to the PEAQS program, Max Krauss (Computer Engineering, ’24), got to sharpen his skills in research and peer research publication before heading to University of Utah for a doctoral program. From tinkering with electronics as a child to tackling advanced nanofabrication in graduate school, Max Krauss’ (Computer Engineering, ‘24) is a story of curiosity, innovation, and transformative learning.

Congratulations to Benjamin Hammel and Emma Nelson for receiving Poster Awards at the CU Boulder Innovation in Materials Symposium 2024

Congratulations to Benjamin Hammel for receiving the First Place Poster Award and Emma Nelson for receiving the Third Place Poster Award at the 2024 Innovation in Materials Symposium! This symposium brought together the materials research community at CU Boulder and beyond for presentations by faculty and students as well as discussion and collaboration opportunities.

NSF funds over $50M in new partnerships to broaden participation in materials science

New awards from the NSF Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials program will strengthen research infrastructure and education pathways at 15 minority-serving institutions, including six in EPSCoR states.

The U.S. National Science Foundation is announcing $50 million in Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) awards to 15 collaborative research projects nationwide to expand participation and access to materials science-focused facilities, education, training and careers.

NSF is investing over $50 million in total, which includes awards of over $4 million each to 11 partnering institutions over six years and $1 million in seed funding to each of four additional institutions over three years.

“Supporting the scientific talent present in every community in our country is imperative to strengthening the nation’s materials research infrastructure, which is central to everything from semiconductors to medical implants,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “NSF is dedicated to empowering everyone who wants to shape our scientific future for the benefit of their communities and the U.S. research community at large.”

Since 2004, the NSF PREM program has broadened access to materials science-focused skills and opportunities by supporting strategic partnerships between minority-serving institutions and NSF-funded research centers and facilities at research-intensive institutions.

In addition to fundamental materials research projects, the new PREM awards will support specialized training and mentorship for students and early-career researchers, new research faculty positions, expanded educational outreach to local high school students and teachers, and other activities to build pathways for the future materials research workforce. Six awards are to institutions located in states that receive less federal funding than others and participate in the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.

The 2024 PREM awardees:

Partnership for Education and Advancement of Quantum and nano-Sciences at Fort Lewis College and Norfolk State University, in partnership with the Science and Technology Center for Integration of Modern Optoelectronic Materials on Demand at the University of Washington, will directly support over 80 undergraduate and high school students at Fort Lewis College, a non-tribal Native American-serving institution in Durango, Colorado, and Norfolk State University, a historically Black university in Virginia. Research focus: quantum-level material properties with potential applications in materials fabrication and nanoscale devices such as nanotherapeutics for biomedical purposes.

Congratulations to Oliver Shao for being awarded the Best Paper Award at the IEEE Conference on Computational Imaging Using Synthetic Apertures

Yunzhe “Oliver” Shao, a graduate student at JILA in the group led by JILA Fellows and University of Colorado Boulder Physics professors Margaret Murnane and Henry Kapteyn, has been awarded the Best Paper Award at the IEEE Conference on Computational Imaging Using Synthetic Apertures.

Shao’s winning research focused on developing an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) reflectometer. This innovative instrument is designed to characterize various nanostructured samples’ chemical compositions and spatial properties.

“This research represents a first-iteration, proof-of-concept instrumentation for nanostructure metrology,” Shao explained. “It has been constructed, developed, and improved over several generations of graduate students in our group. It is reassuring and inspiring to share its new capabilities and witness the interest it generates from the metrology community.”

The paper was submitted to the 2024 IEEE Conference on Computational Imaging Using Synthetic Apertures, created in partnership with and hosted by NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology). The annual event highlights advancements in cutting-edge computer imaging and sensing using high-resolution imaging systems, like the reflectometer Shao and the KM group work on.

Shao expressed gratitude for the recognition, highlighting the collective effort behind the project. “Apart from its founding members, whose names are listed in several previous publications, the reflectometer does not exist without the continuing efforts of current students and postdocs from our group, including Nick Jenkins, Clay Klein, Yunhao Li, and Jiayi Liu. We are motivated to further develop and improve this metrology instrument beyond its current limitations.”

Congratulations to Anya Grafov for being awarded the Best Poster Award at the IEEE Magnetics Summer School in Taipei

Anya Grafov, a graduate student at JILA, has been awarded the Best Poster Award at the IEEE Magnetics Society Summer School 2024. Studying under JILA Fellows and University of Colorado Boulder Physics professors Margaret Murnane and Henry Kapteyn, Grafov’s poster titled “Probing Ultrafast Spin Dynamics with Extreme Ultraviolet High Harmonics” was one of only nine to receive this prestigious recognition.

“Winning this award from the IEEE Magnetics Society is an incredible honor. It validates the hard work and dedication put into our research and motivates us to continue pushing the boundaries in magnetics research,” stated Grafov. “Our technique is quite niche, so I wanted to focus my poster on our actual measurement technique and the experiments we conduct. It’s an overview of the measurement technique and examples of two recent projects we’ve been working on using our beamline.”

Highlighting the fundamentals and new research, like Grafov’s, in magnetics, the annual summer school brings together graduate students worldwide to study magnetism through lectures by international experts and poster presentations.

“It was a great experience to learn about different aspects of magnetism, from fundamental research to applied technologies like spintronic devices and magnetic artificial intelligence,” she added.

Congrats to Gordana Dukovic for Being A Recipient of the 2024 National Brown Investigator Award

The Brown Institute for Basic Sciences at Caltech today announced the 2024 class of Brown Investigators. The cohort, the first selected through the newly formed Brown Institute for Basic Sciences, comprises eight distinguished mid-career faculty working on fundamental challenges in the physical sciences, particularly those with potential long-term practical applications in chemistry and physics. Each investigator will receive up to $2 million over five years.

The Brown Institute for basic Sciences at Caltech was established in 2023 through a $400-million gift to the Institute from entrepreneur, philanthropist, and alumnus Ross M. Brown (BS ’56, MS ’57).

Caltech and Brown share a common purpose: advancing fundamental science discoveries with the potential to seed breakthroughs that benefit society.

Gordana Dukovic, professor of chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, will develop methods for chemical structure determination of biomolecules bound to inorganic nanoparticles—materials that could be useful for the conversion of solar energy directly into new chemical bonds.