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EQUATE-funded paper selected for PRB Editors' Suggestion

Christian Binek.A paper published in Physical Review B by Christian Binek and colleagues Syed Q.A. Shah, Ather Mahmood, and Arun Parthasarathy was selected as an Editors' Suggested article in August 2023. The paper, "Search for magnetoelectric monopole response in Cr2O3 powder," was funded in part by the NSF/EPSCoR RII Track-1: Emergent Quantum Materials and Technologies, OIA-2044049. (9/28/23)


Binek represents Nebraska at first Nanotechnology Infrastructure Leaders Summit

Group photo of summit attendees standing on a staircase.Christian Binek was in attendance at a first-of-its-kind gathering of infrastructure center leaders from across the country. The Nanotechnology Infrastructure Leaders Summit, held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., was an important first step toward creating a more cohesive network of U.S. shared infrastructure facilities, optimizing the efficiency and impact of attending organizations, and creating a more seamless network for the country's researchers, students, and entrepreneurs. (9/27/23)


Bartelt-Hunt selected for 2023-25 NU DEAL fellowship program

Shannon Bartelt-HuntShannon Bartelt-Hunt, chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is one of 16 NU colleagues who have been selected to participate in a system-wide program that aims to develop the next generation of higher education leaders. NU’s “Developing Excellence in Academic Leaders” program, sponsored by the Office of the President together with the system provost and campus chief academic officers, offers an intensive two-year curriculum that helps participants develop their leadership skills, expand their networks, and explore key issues and challenges facing the University of Nebraska and higher education. (9/25/23)


Dishari paper earns first place at ASEE Midwest Section Conference

Shudipto Dishari.Shudipto Dishari, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and graduate students Oghenetega Obewhere, Karen Acurio Cerda, and Rajesh Keloth, earned the first place award in the full paper category at the ASEE Midwest Section Conference, held in September in Lincoln. The paper, “Implementing a Virtual STEM Camp for Middle- and High Schoolers in a Post-COVID Climate Leveraging Prior Experience,” explored how Dishari and fellow researchers conducted outreach to children to improve STEM literacy. (9/25/23)


Dishari investigating lignin for use in new antimicrobials

Shudipto Dishari.Shudipto Dishari’s research is investigating how lignin, a naturally abundant polymer and a major element of plant cell walls, could be processed to make new antimicrobials. Her team’s findings, outlined in the American Chemical Society’s Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering journal, are promising, and the work is now featured by the journal as a supplemental cover story. In this work, Dishari’s team modified lignin from Norway spruce trees with quaternary ammonium, a positively charged functional group used to kill bacteria, viruses and mold. The modification was done in water which ensured green synthesis. The team then tested this lignin-derived antimicrobial, named QAL, on an antibiotic-resistant strain of E. coli causing urinary tract infections. The positively charged groups of QAL made it easy for the lignin to attack and disrupt the outer skin of bacteria which is net negatively charged. “While antibiotic-resistant bacteria are smart enough to save themselves from the action of conventional drugs, they cannot protect themselves from the non-specific effects that QAL makes,” Dishari said. (9/14/23)





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For over 30 years, the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has made waves in the areas of materials and nanoscience research. As we look to the future, Nebraska is poised to become a leader in quantum materials and technologies research. Please consider giving to the NCMN Research and Education Fund today to help us achieve this goal.

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Portrait of Dr. Abdelghani Laraoui.

Faculty Spotlight: Abdelghani Laraoui

Dr. Abdelghani Laraoui is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at UNL. Dr. Laraoui’s primary research focuses on developing new quantum materials based on color centers in diamond (NV, SiV, GeV), and defects in wide-bandgap semiconductors (SiC, GaN, ZnO) and two dimensional materials (hBN, TMDs) for applications in quantum sensing and quantum information processing. Read more about Dr. Laraoui's current research in the latest installment of our newsletter Interfaces.