CEET announces first student to pursue
interdisciplinary doctorate in nanotech

by Joe King

Promod Vohra, dean of the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, has announced that Chien-Chung “Shark” Teng is the first student from the college to pursue an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in nanotechnology.

Teng, who earned his master’s degree at NIU in mechanical engineering, has a joint appointment this fall with the Department of Mechanical Engineering in CEET and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

His research focuses on the growing ultrananocrystaline diamond films. The films may have potential applications in satellite communication, creating sensors that are sensitive to minute changes in weight or to detect the presence of oxygen and certain enzymes. He is working under the direction of C.T. Lin (chemistry) and Shin-Min Song (mechanical engineering).

Vohra heralded the announcement, saying it opens the door to expanding nanotechnology research at NIU.

“This is the beginning of a long and prosperous journey that will allow us to provide our students a terminal degree in an area of great promise in so many fields,” Vohra said. “It will enhance our faculty credentials, strengthen their applied research efforts and ultimately make them more competitive for federal grants.”

Clyde Kimball, director of NIU’s Institute for NanoScience Engineering and Technology, also was excited about the joint appointment, saying it addresses two aspects of the development of science at NIU.

“It brings a sophisticated applied character to the nanosciences program by bringing high-quality individuals whose focus will be on cutting-edge innovative applications,” Kimball said. “It also enables the people in the basic sciences and those in engineering, the applied sciences, to intermingle in such a way that the total is greater than the sum of the parts.”

10-2-06