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Technology Magazine

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What’s Inside

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Technology puts new face on game and movie creation.

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New microscopes offer chance to speed development.

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His expertise in nanotechnology is no small feat.

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University researchers team up to cut costs of solar energy.

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On the Cover :: The Nano Issue

Technology MAgAzine

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The Next Big Thing Nanotechnology holds huge promise for Arizona.

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In Every Issue 004 President’s Letter 006 Editor’s Letter 008 Tech Support 014 Coaching Corner 027 Capitol Watch 032 Science Foundation Arizona 034 University of Arizona 036 Northern Arizona University

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Southern Exposure bout once a week while most of you are just out of bed with that first cup of coffee, I’m hitting the highway. Before the day is over, I’ve put more than a few hundreds miles on my car, made several new friends and learned much more about what makes this an exciting place to live. My destination? Tucson.

Yes, I’ve heard those often-told stories about Tucson vs. Phoenix—make that southern Arizona vs. Phoenix—and how one is destined to remain in the shadow of the other. I’m here to tell you that was then and this is now. Consider: • Tucson is 8.35 times more concentrated in the aerospace product and parts manufacturing industry than the average of all metropolitan statistical areas across the United States. • The region generates more than $6 billion in revenues annually and is building on more than 100 current bioscience companies. • There are about 35 established solar companies in the region, offering services that include manufacturing, installation and distribution. I credit our partners at Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities with gathering those statistics. The numbers tell us southern Arizona takes the back seat to no one.

The region’s contributions to the technology industry are so important that we even have a branch office of the Arizona Technology Council there. Justin Williams is director of our Tucson regional office at The University of Arizona Science and Technology Park. He works tirelessly with me to develop programs and provide support to our growing membership base in the area. With engineering and business degrees from The University of the Arizona, Justin knows first-hand how vital the region is when it comes to technology. That feeling is shared by the more than 90 member companies the Council has there. (Just a year ago, that membership roster numbered fewer than 15.) Whether we meet with them in their offices or at one of our events, we can’t help but share their excitement about their latest developments. With shrinking budgets and competition for new contracts fiercer than ever, we no longer

can afford to fight the war between the North and South. We must work together to drive innovation in technology, no matter which camp is the originator. Who in our state didn’t share the pride proud when The University of Arizona served as mission control for the Phoenix Mars Mission? Principal Investigator Peter Smith concluded: “Not only did we find water ice, as expected, but the soil chemistry and minerals we observed leads us to believe this site had a wetter and warmer climate in the recent past—the last few million years—and could again in the future.” Such accomplishments were part of the reason the mission was named winner of the Innovator of the Year/Academia Award at last year’s Governor’s Celebration of Innovation, the signature event of the Council. Incidentally, another GCOI winner from Tucson was Raytheon Missile Systems, which was named Innovator of the Year/Large Company for its working with a number of small businesses and universities in Arizona to develop intellectual property and associated patents. The southern Arizona influence is very much part of our decision-making at the Council. Sitting on our board are officials from The University of Arizona, Tucson Embedded Systems, Raytheon, SEBRA Medical Technologies and Solstice Capital. Additionally, you’ll discover in this edition of TechConnect how the region has played a key role in nanotechnology R&D in this state. As you can see, we should all be looking south when it comes to our futures. But the world should know there is only one Arizona when it comes to innovation.

Steven G. Zylstra

President & CEO, Arizona Technology Council

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Editor’s Letter

Publisher Steven G. Zylstra Editor Don Rodriguez

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ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tina May Art Director Jim Nissen, Switch Studio

A Big Deal

Designers Chaidi Lobato Erin Loukili Kris Olmon

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hat’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” We’ve just finished marking the 40th anniversary of the moment astronaut Neil Armstrong uttered his historic phrase as he stepped on the lunar surface. Even though he misspoke and meant to say “for a man,” the world still knows what he meant: Something seemingly so small actually can be a very big deal.

We made that discovery while reporting the stories for this edition of TechConnect, The Nanotechnology Issue. For those of you who are new to the term, nanotechnology is defined as the study and use of structures up to 100 nanometers in size. One reference says it would take 800 particles measuring 100 nanometers placed side by side to match the width of a human hair. And, oh, the things you can do with things that small! Imagine breathing into a device with a sensor that at a molecular level can determine whether you suffer from kidney disease or asthma? Or what about a substance that can be used to coat a jet engine and make it impenetrable to shrapnel? Just try to imagine the number of lives that can be saved when these developments are put to use, which is expected to be soon. How about creating a laser that allows satellites to communicate

with one another while in orbit? Or “dots” that will replace costlier semiconductors to create photovoltaic cells? We have the details inside. There are researchers in Arizona’s university and private labs who are staking their careers on the potential offered by these and other developments. When we were developing this edition many told me to make sure our writers talked with one person in particular. As head of the Arizona Nanotechnology Cluster, a group created to encourage developments in this unique field, Matt Kim is nothing short of excited when it comes to science. Learn more in his profile. As occurs sometimes with new developments in science, there are discussions over ethical, legal and other issues in nanotechnology. We share with you the views that are arising in Arizona and beyond. I think anyone would agree it’s

better to discuss the possibilities vs. dismiss the unknown. Speaking of firsts, this edition is a first for us. This is the debut of a digital edition of TechConnect magazine. Most of you are seeing this on your computer screen but still can flip through the pages as you normally would. Plus the eyecatching design created by Switch Studio of Tempe remains. The biggest difference is the magazine can now go beyond our normal distribution channels. Feel free to share the link with your friends and colleagues. Now, that’s a big deal!

Don Rodriguez

Editor, TechConnect Magazine

Contributing Writers Frank X. Curci Christopher Di Virgilio Wayne Frasch Richard Harth J. Brent Hiskey Joe Kullman Jim McPherson Kate Nolan Diane Rechel Ken Reinstein Michael Tope Trademark // General Counsel Quinn Williams Distribution Partners Tucson Chamber of Commerce E-mail editor@techconnectmag.com subscriptions@techconnectmag.com For queries or customer service, call 602-343-8324 TechConnect is published by the Arizona Technology Council, One Renaissance Square, 2 N. Central Ave., Suite 750, Phoenix, AZ 85004. Entire contents copyright 2009, Arizona Technology Council. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Products named in these pages are trade names or trademarks of their respective companies. TechConnect is a trademark of the Arizona Technology Council. All rights reserved. Publication of TechConnect is supported by private-sector businesses, and is not financed by state-appropriated funds.

Tech Support We want to know what’s happening in the Arizona Technology Community. Submit newsworthy stories to editor@techconnectmag.com

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Six ASU Faculty Earn Career Honors

The National Science Foundation awarded six Arizona State University faculty members the Faculty Early Career Development Awards for 2009. The program is one of the most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through research, education, and the assimilation of education and research within the context of their organization’s missions. The winners of the awards and five-year research grants are Junseok Chae, Yi Chen, Hanquing Jiang, Baoxin Li, Henrey Sodano, and Arjan van der Vaart.

IT In Schools Achievement Awards

Able Information Technologies awarded eight Arizona schools more than $100,000 in technology products and services recently. The awards celebrated achievements and accomplishments in the schools. The Arizona Technology Council, the Arizona Technology in Education Alliance, and the Greater Arizona eLearning Association worked with Able to distribute the awards. Winners are: +F irst place: L.W. Cross Middle School (Tucson) + Second place: Emily Gray Junior High School (Tucson) + Third place: Maricopa Wells Middle School (Maricopa) + Honorable Mentions: Cienega High School (Vail), Pope John XXIII Catholic School (Scottsdale), River Valley High School (Mohave Valley), St. Louis the King Catholic School (Glendale), and Topock Elementary School (Topock).

JDA Software Group Earns Tops Recognition

TECHCONNECTmag.COM

A recent Forrester Research report named Scottsdale-based JDA Software Group as the most recognized merchandising vendor. Forrester surveyed retailers around the world on numerous aspects of their merchandise planning processes, including vendor selection. Forty-nine percent of the respondents revealed they had implemented or plan on implementing JDA’s merchandising software solution offerings, leading to the company’s top placement. Wayne Usie, JDA Software’s senior vice president of retail, credits the company’s success to its uniquely positioned merchandise operation solutions that help customers obtain profitable results and optimize the merchandise management process.

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The city of Scottsdale was honored with Technology Solutions Awards from the Public Technology Institute during its annual conference in San Diego. The projects that earned awards in the population category are: +F irst Place: • Web and E Government Services Award for its Intranet SOA portal architecture • P ublic Safety Award for its prosecution information network + Second Place: • Sustainability Award for the Carpool Connection Web site • Telecom & IT Award for agile development and project management • Public Safety Award for increased police officer productivity in the field

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Thursday, August 27, 2009

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency honored five Arizona environmental heroes in its 11th annual Environmental Awards Ceremony in San Francisco recently. The five Arizona organizations and individuals recognized due to their efforts to protect and preserve the environment in 2008 are: +A nn Marie Wolf of Sonora Environmental Research Institute (Tucson) +C ity of Phoenix Public Works Department (Phoenix) + L illie Lane of the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency (Window Rock) +G lobal Water (Phoenix) +R odney Glassman and the City of Tucson staff (Tucson)

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The National Cancer Institute has renewed its support for Arizona Cancer Center’s research programs with a $20.8 million grant that should carry them through the next five years. The grant renewal, which came with a rating of excellence, is a symbol of recognition of the center’s high-quality research programs, faculty and staff. It also extends the center’s designation as one of 40 comprehensive centers in the United States and the only NCIdesignated comprehensive cancer center that is based in Arizona. The federal funding was a 5 percent increase from the previous grant and will be used to support five research programs, 13 shared services and other functions that serve the entire organization.

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Close+up :A Collection of Briefings Focusing on Significant Topics Affecting Technology.

Writing by :: Christopher DI VIRGILIO

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Adam Kraver’s face is covered with markers used in the process.

Tempe company is ahead of the game in motion-capture technology

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One on one with Adam Kraver +W hat are some of your

favorite games?

“Well, my own games of course. ‘Plants vs. Zombies’ by Popcap has me addicted right now.” + W hat are some of the

games you have created?

‘“Motocross Madness 2’ was the winner of Best Sports Computer Game AIAS (Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences) 2000. I have 13 games on four platforms that were profitable.” + W hat is the tone of the

TECHCONNECTmag.COM

the nano Issue

studio from day to day?

“It’s very frat-like most days. There are a lot of late nights, pizza and practical jokes, surrounded by mass chaos, attempts at new funding, and giving presentations.”

or video gamers and movie-goers, special effects are a large part of the experience that bring animated characters to life or build elaborate computergenerated landscapes that are more realistic and believable to the viewing audience than movies and games in the past. Bridging the gap between realism and animation is Adam Kraver, president and CEO of Tempe-based Captive Motion. Kraver’s new software, Embody 1.0, is proving to be the next generation in game and movie motion-capture technology. “We produce authentic human simulation with expression, emotion, non-verbal communication, and animated realism,” Kraver says. Kraver, who has been engaged with game graphics since high school, got his first job

I wanted to develop a game that allowed a real connection between character and player. - Adam Kraver, president and CEO of Captive Motion.

developing graphics software and he has not looked back since. His own animated demeanor is well suited for his profession, as seen in a Captive Motion promotional video on the company Web site. “I wanted to develop a game that allowed a real connection between character and player,” Kraver says. “Something the game player could relate to.” The self-taught gaming guru has left his mark at companies such as Design Studios and then Rainbow Studios, both in the Valley, where he engineered game development and testing systems and managed some innovative projects. Kraver has become a leading expert in graphics, 3-D modeling, game development, motion capture and game design, and has been nominated six times for visual and technology engineering and best game of the year by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. In 2005, Kraver developed his Embody 1.0 prototype, and after some trial and error on himself and members of his family, founded Captive Motion in 2007. Partnering with his father, Ted, and business associate Mark Carson, the three men recently closed a deal on their first gaming project. “We are excited that people are starting to see us as another tool in capture technology,” Kraver says. To make it all possible, Kraver employs a proprietary tracking system that uses special markers applied directly to the actor’s skin. More than 800 markers can be applied in roughly 30 minutes. The markers are flush to the skin and can withstand touch, rub or sweat. The process gives actors a look similar to Georges Seurat’s 1884 painting, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” one of the artist’s most famous works, comprised entirely of small dots. From the makeup department, the color-dotted actor goes into a sound-proof booth that houses eight high-resolution cameras arranged in a 180-degree sweep around the actor that

captures the face from multiple viewpoints. “The positioning of these cameras is very flexible and allows us to add additional cameras to extend the capture volume,” Kraver says. “We can place the cameras in virtually any position to get the shot that the director needs.” The system can capture up to four hours of raw footage before hard drives need to be swapped out. The footage then is exported into a series of preview shots and shown to the client. The processing department then works its magic by tracking a 3-D mesh that was established by the color-dot markers on the actor into a simple file format. The actor’s eyes also are tracked, adding more realism to the character. The 3-D mesh then can be transferred to the animations of the final character. “Captive Motion provides the final innovation needed to create full-fidelity, virtual interaction,” Kraver says. “We can capture the nuance of the actor and (the program) is designed to allow ‘casting’ of digital characters, thus eliminating the traditional gap between the human element and the technological requirement.” The process is designed around filmmaking “shots” and maintains continuity with standard production techniques.

Multiple cameras capture a sweeping view of an actress’ face.

+ Get Connected www.captivemotion.com

Close+up

New Frontiers Writing By :: Christopher Di Virgilio

Universities’ centers will research alternative energy sources

Ray Carpenter, a professor in ASU’s School of Materials, works with one of the electron microscopes. Photo by Jessica Slater/ASU

Getting Down to the roots Peering deeper into the internal structures of solid materials promises panorama of possibilities for technological advances

ou can see how materials and chemicals bond at the most fundamental levels. You can see how the structure of one kind of atom mates up with the structure of other kinds of atoms,” says Ray Carpenter, a professor at Arizona State University’s School of Materials. When you can look that close, “you really get down to the roots of the basic properties of materials,” explains Nathan Newman, director of ASU’s LeRoy Eyring Center for Solid State Science. Getting that perspective reveals a lot about how the electrical and mechanical properties of materials can best be applied to improving technologies. ASU soon will be able to offer scientists, engineers and industry researchers such illuminating views. The university’s reputation for leading-edge microscopy research and education has helped win a $4.7 million National Science Foundation grant that will enable ASU to obtain two new state-of-the-art electron microscopes for its J.M. Cowley Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy in the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering. The new equipment will help researchers accelerate

progress on producing the next generations of photovoltaic cells, semiconductors, computer logic, electronic memory and communications technologies, Newman says. These “technologically revolutionary” microscopes are “invaluable tools for the future success of nanoscience and nanotechnology, which are fields critical to both national security and economic development,” he says. Adds Carpenter: “We will be able to probe the bonding of single atoms and examine chemical reactions in real time at the atomic level. This is the level at which the workings of nanotechnology happen.” Carpenter says such capabilities enhance the potential for more effectively using nanoparticles as catalysts for energy-production systems, batteries for alternativefuel vehicle, and materials that convert sunlight into electrical energy more efficiently. What makes them special is that they are aberrationcorrected transmission electron microscopes, specifically designed to prevent even the tiniest blurring of microscopic images. ASU’s grant marks the first time the National Science Foundation is supporting acquisition of such a microscope by a university facility. ASU will

join the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (operated by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy) as the only places in the western United States to have such advanced electron microscopes. The microscopes will draw researchers to ASU not only from other universities but from leading industry research operations, and enable them to produce advances that will translate into rich opportunities for industrial innovation and economic development, Newman says. The new technology also will enable ASU to boost the quality of its science education in microscopy. The electron microscopes use detectors that digitize data, so the images provided by the microscopes can be linked to the Internet. “We can record experiments or do live presentations of experiments in action and use them for presentations to students in university and high school classrooms,” Carpenter says. Anywhere in the world where schools can provide a computer and digital projector, he says, “we can help teach classes by sending images from real research being done at the atomic level.”

Joe Kullman is media relations officer at ASU’s Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering

the nano Issue

Writing By :: Joe Kullman

TECHCONNECTmag.COM

rizona has been selected as home of two new Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) established as part of an effort to accelerate scientific advances needed to build a 21st century energy economy. The center at Arizona State University—one of 46 named nationwide by the U.S Department of Energy—will pursue advanced scientific research on solar energy conversion based on the principles of photosynthesis. The goal is to use sunlight to convert water cheaply and efficiently into hydrogen fuel and oxygen. “Our goal is to produce fuel using the energy from the sun,” says Devens Gust, ASU professor of chemistry and biochemistry. “We will strive to take the essence of photosynthesis and apply it to human needs.” DOE will fund $14 million over a five-year period. For the past 15 years, ASU scientists and researchers have been studying the various characteristics of the photosynthetic process, uncovering its chemistry and biochemistry as a way to design and construct solar energy harvesting components based on this fundamental science. The other center in the state will be at The University of Arizona. Researchers at the Center for Interface Science: Hybrid SolarElectric Materials (CIS:HSEM) will collaborate with ASU researchers as they study ways to develop flexible, ultra-thin photovoltaic collectors, or solar panels, that can be easily and cheaply installed. The team will be working with materials in the nanometer-length scale and hope to develop long-life solar energy conversion devices. “We look forward to being the lead institution for CIS:HSEM and to working with our partner institutions,” says Director Neil R. Armstrong, a UofA professor of optical sciences. “The science of interfaces between different organic and inorganic materials is at the heart of the development of new Generation III photovoltaic technologies.”

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Ghassan Jabbour

idle no more 002

Writing By :: Christopher Di Virgilio

Writing by :: joe kullman

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Printing Press

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ong-haul truck drivers soon will be able to idle down during rest periods in Arizona as part of a program to reduce diesel emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $1.73 million to the state Department of Environmental Quality for a truck stop electrification program that will target Arizona Department of Transportation rest stops and invite privately owned truck stops to participate in the installation of “park-and-plug” stations, says Mark Shaffer, ADEQ director of communications. The stations will provide truckers with the ability to shut down their engines during rest periods instead of leaving them idling, which will save fuel and cut emissions. “Yuma and Nogales, Ariz., are the target areas based on their high particulate quality,” according to Shaffer. “Both cities are listed as ‘PM10’ non-attainment locations, which translates to the size of the air particulate in (10) microns (or less).” A human hair is about 50 microns wide. Each park-and-plug station will cost about $15,000, and bids are being sought for installation of 80 stations across the state. “Typically, the driver will pull

alongside the park-and-plug station that will consist of auxiliary air conditioning units and electrical docking outlets, allowing the driver to rest comfortably and preserve cargo temperatures,” Shaffer says, adding that he hopes the program will take off. “The electricity to operate the park-and-plug stations would be paid for through a type of pre-paid or debit card issued to the drivers by the freight companies,” Shaffer says. “It will certainly be more cost effective (for the trucking companies) and ultimately benefit our air quality.”

+ Get Connected epa.gov/cleandiesel azdeq.gov

you can help +W hat can we do to limit

our diesel emissions?

On high-pollution days, ADEQ suggests using public transportation, car pooling and limiting your driving.

+ Is bio-diesel a viable

alternative?

Bio-diesel is a great alternative to diesel fuel because it burns much cleaner, according to ADEQ.

The future of lighting and solar power technology is flexible – literally ight sources may be so flexible they can be cut with scissors and then shaped and reshaped into spheres, tubes or triangles. Sheets of flexible materials containing solar cells could be printed like a newspaper. In his Printed and Flexible Electronics and Photonics Laboratory at the Arizona State University Research Park, Ghassan Jabbour is using nanoparticles to develop techniques to yield more durable, low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells and solid-state lighting sources. He’s using nanomaterials to build electronic and photonic components so small they can be printed onto flexible plastics, textiles or thin metal foils. More than making electronic and photonic devices much more portable, Jabbour, a professor in the School of Materials and director of the Advanced Photovoltaics Center, is confident such methods can produce solar cells that will convert a higher percentage of sunlight into

electrical energy than achieved to date. Because of unique properties that materials exhibit at the nanoscale, mixtures of certain nanomaterials produce “a broader absorption spectrum of incident solar light,” Jabbour explains, meaning they can be used to achieve a more effective conversion of that light into electrical power. Plus, the same nanomaterials can be incorporated into functional devices using common printing methods. Printing of new nanomaterials for electronic circuitry opens a broad range of applications: Imagine a flat and exceedingly flexible surface containing nanosized circuitry. It could be molded into electronic devices in almost limitless sizes and shapes. Progress to date has lured funding from several industry sources, including Tempe-based Solterra Renewable Technologies Inc., which is supporting some of Jabbour’s research through a $1.9 million grant. “Stable, clean and affordable sources of energy are critical to achieving sustainable economic growth on a global level,” says Stephen B. Squires, the company’s president and chief executive. Technology capable of widely distributing green energy “can be the key to worldwide development of fair economic systems that produce the greatest good for humankind,” Squires says. “We think advanced solar technology is the answer to this challenge, and the magnitude of this challenge calls for high-volume, low-cost printing techniques for deployment of solar energy systems. Jabbour’s knowledge of both the evolving technology of the solar industry and the intricacies of printed electronics, Squires says, “is essential to improving the performance and cost metrics necessary for our vision of dramatic change for energy generation and consumption.”

Joe Kullman is media relations officer at ASU’s Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering

Close+up

Keeping in Touch Writing by :: Ken Reinstein

InPlay Technologies builds a better ‘pen’ using digital technology

+ Get Connected inplaytechnologies.com

InPlay WriteSense™ Finepoint digitizer, assembly sensor grid and pen system controller

T ouch & Writing surface

Writing pen

LCD

Capacitive sensor grid [industry’s thinnest]

Single board controller

the nano Issue

not as high-tech or as instinctive as a finger. The WriteSense technology combines both, so consumers may choose what’s the most comfortable for them. In addition, using InPlay’s digital architecture, the WriteSense can make the pen a smart, secure device that only recognizes a person’s PC or phone. This allows multiple people to work on a system with unique recognition, great for teachers and students, or for project teams. The device also adds flash memory as a USB stick substitute. A patent is pending on WriteSense, which was scheduled to be available midyear.

TECHCONNECTmag.COM

cottsdalebased InPlay Technologies recently unveiled its WriteSense™ technology, coupling digital pen input and touch screen systems like those found on popular smart phones, MP3 players, tablet PCs and other mobile electronic devices. The iPhone has popularized touch technology, which to work requires an electrical charge from fingertips. Using a finger for data input is easy, but not always accurate, and may be difficult in cold weather because gloves prevent direct screen contact. Other devices require a plastic stylus to work, as found on Palm smart phones. However, using a stylus is

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Coaching Corner:

The Right Path? Understanding technology consortia and their importance to your business

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Writing by :: Frank X. Curci

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onsider the following scenario: Late one afternoon you receive a frantic call from one of your company’s engineers. He or she wants to join a new technology consortium to allow your company to align its R&D efforts with what appears to be an emerging industry standard. The problem is the engineer needs your approval “right away” to allow the company to become a member of the consortium because it’s having a critical technology meeting tomorrow. The engineer e-mails you a copy of the consortium’s membership agreement, which looks fairly straightforward, so you authorize your company’s participation as a new member. Unknowingly, you may have just compromised some of your company’s most lucrative proprietary technology.

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the nano Issue

Defining Consortia Technology consortia are generally defined as collaborative efforts among companies and other key players (such as research institutions) in a particular industry that collectively try to address and solve key technology or research challenges. Some technology consortia, for example, are formed to create “standards”

that facilitate greater compatibility among the various technologies in that space, so that the industry can collectively develop increasingly innovative products. Other consortia may be formed to address research roadblocks, which are challenging an entire industry sector. In many of these situations, the consortium members—who are often fierce competitors—are voluntarily coming together to collaboratively solve significant obstacles that are holding back the next generation of research and development. Many sectors of the technology industry have seen a rapid growth in the number of technology consortia, including the hardware, software, semiconductor, wireless, and life sciences industries. How a particular consortium functions and the specifics of its membership can have a profound effect on your company’s business and your intellectual property rights. So, before you join any consortium, you should always take a closer look at the business and legal ramifications of your participation.

Benefits of Participation Though technology consortia are often promoted by major technology companies, membership can benefit small to midsize companies and

even research institutions because such participation can give you a “voice” in the R&D that might impact your industry for years to come. However, every company needs to evaluate the specific pros and cons of participating—or not participating—in any particular consortium. Some potential benefits of participating in a consortium

The decision to join a consortium is fraught with complexity and should not be undertaken lightly. -Frank X. Curci include increased market acceptance of your technology, the ability to help create new technologies that would not exist absent broad industry collaboration, and the ability to spread substantial research and development costs across multiple consortium members.

Close+up There are, however, potential pitfalls to joining a particular consortium—or the wrong consortium—which could prove to be detrimental to your business. Generally, these pitfalls fall into two categories: business and legal risks.

Business Risks If your company joins a consortium that promotes a “losing” technology or standard, there is a possibility that your company’s market share will decline, perhaps precipitously. Trying to play “catch up” with your own R&D (if catching up is even possible) could be prohibitively expensive. Eventually, your existing technology or products could approach obsolescence as competing technologies or standards evolve in a different technological direction. To avoid the negative implications of not joining

the “right” consortium, it is critical to evaluate competing consortia and then analyze which collaborative initiative has the potential of winning the broadest industry acceptance. It’s also imperative that you make sure that a particular consortium’s purpose aligns with your company’s overall business plans and direction. Moreover, it is important to examine the organizational structure of each consortium. These factors could determine the extent and nature of your company’s participation in the consortium’s governance and the obligations imposed on you as a member.

Legal Risks One of the most significant legal risks posed by joining a consortium is your company could inadvertently relinquish some of its most crucial

intellectual-property rights. Membership agreements increasingly require each consortium member to comply with all of the consortium’s “policies and procedures.” This commitment, when fully evaluated, could mean your company is obligated to: disclose confidential patents and other intellectual property to the other members of the consortium (at a minimum); license certain company patents and other intellectual property, sometimes royalty-free, to other consortium members; and share, or even transfer, ownership of your company’s technology if you contributed it to the collaborative efforts of the consortium. Thus, it is essential for a company to carefully review all consortium agreements and policies to fully evaluate how membership might impact your company’s valuable intellectual property rights.

Maneuver Carefully Technology consortia are already an essential part of R&D in many companies. Companies that are often competitors increasingly are turning to consortia to collaboratively address technology and research challenges impacting that industry sector. While consortia membership could catapult your company toward greater industry-wide success, the decision to join a consortium is fraught with complexity and should not be undertaken lightly. Evaluation of each consortium should be part of your larger business plan. As with every other piece of your company’s business roadmap, maneuver the path with caution and make sure you fully understanding every avenue you pursue. Frank X. Curci is chair of the intellectual property department and is a member (partner) at Jennings, Strouss & Salmon. He represents technology and life sciences entities in domestic and international intellectual property and technology law matters.

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where institutions collaborate efficiently and unselfishly—a vital but hard-to-find asset in the bioscience industry. “For an emerging bioscience market like Arizona, it was important to have representatives from companies in metro Phoenix, Flagstaff and Tucson in the pavilion with us. Who better to be an advocate for our efforts?” notes Roderick Miller, vice president of international economic development for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. “They did a great job of being ambassadors for the state, and that’s the kind of leadership we need.” The Arizona pavilion at BIO 2009 in Atlanta

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Arizona ups presence at international BIO 2009 conference writing by :: Jim McPherson

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or the eighth straight year, Arizona showcased its growing assets and reputation at the world’s largest annual biotechnology convention and exposition, BIO 2009. The Arizona Department of Commerce and Arizona BioIndustry Association led the state delegation, along with economicdevelopment, non-profit, and industry partners at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The May 18-21 event drew more than 14,000 registrants from 48 states and 58 nations. “Arizona is one of the fastestgrowing states in the biosciences in our research capabilities and our industry base,” says Commerce Director Don Cardon.“BIO 2009 in Atlanta provided a perfect venue to further showcase Arizona’s recent successes to the global bioscience community.” The international expo offered organizations of all sizes an opportunity to promote their products and services while connecting with the industry’s leading researchers, company

executives, investors, and others. “Our company’s experience was very successful in the number of contacts and collaborations that we were introduced to in Atlanta,” says Loretta Mayer, chair and chief scientific officer of SenesTech Inc. in Flagstaff.“ Each year as our participation at BIO has grown, we receive progressively increasing benefits from attending.” A delegation of more than 100 science and business professionals represented the state at the Arizona Pavilion in the exhibition hall, where thousands of bioscience leaders visited booths of companies, states and nations. Despite the state and national economic downturn, private and public-sector contributions enabled Arizona to invest in a prominently located, 1,000-square-foot booth. The booth’s design promoted the state’s core scientific competencies in cancer therapeutics, neurological sciences, bioengineering and bioimaging. Also evident was Arizona’s reputation as a locale

Arizona representation at BIO 2009 included: + Companies: Apthera, Arizona Public Service, Avolix Pharmaceuticals, Bank of America, BioFeedstocks Global, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Celebration Stem Cell Centre, Clinical Information Network, Dedicated Phase 1, High Throughput Genomics, iClient Global, ImmuneRegen IR BioSciences, InNexus Biotechnology, Kemeta LLC, Mission3, Primus Pharmaceuticals, Provista Life Sciences, Regenesis Biomedical, Salt River Project, SenesTech, TGen Drug Development Services, Vomaris.

+ Economic Development Agencies: Arizona Department of Commerce, Canadian Consulate (Phoenix), Town of Gilbert, Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, and the cities of Chandler, Flagstaff, Goodyear, Scottsdale and Surprise.

+ Education and Non: Arizona BioIndustry Association, Arizona State University (SkySong), Flinn Foundation, Northern Arizona University, ThirdBiotech, and the University of Arizona.

“The annual BIO convention was a great opportunity for bioscience firms in all stages of development to gain global visibility,” says Bob Eaton, president and CEO of Arizona BioIndustry Association. “Many of the major players in the world of biotechnology attended, and endless opportunities existed to meet potential research collaborators, business partners, investors, and customers.” The Arizona delegation’s number of contacts totaled 438 industry leaders compared with 423 in 2008. “The numbers tell me that interest in Arizona is strong and our approach is working,” Cardon says. Arizona BioIndustry Association unveiled a new online map of Arizona bioscience firms and organizations and a special BIO edition of TechConnect was distributed. On-the-spot news and information updates were available to conference-goers and folks back home in Arizona via Facebook. Like the current state of the global economy, BIO 2009 had its ups and downs, says Nina Ossanna, director of business development, BIO5 Institute at The University of Arizona, and vice chair of Arizona BioIndustry Association’s board of directors. “While there was a lot to be pessimistic about—just over 14,000 attending, a sobering address by BIO President & CEO Jim Greenwood at Tuesday’s luncheon, and definitely more sellers than buyers at the partnering sessions—there was still the optimism about the present and future role of biotech to solve the major problems of disease, adequate food and alternative fuels,” Ossanna says. “Today’s difficulties seem to be viewed as a temporary blip in the road. And, the opening reception with the B-52s in concert showed that we can still rock on.” + Get Connected www.azbio.org/biomaps.asp

Jim McPherson is assistant vice president of public affairs at the Flinn Foundation.

Writing By :: Michael Tope

alent has always been hard to come by for Arizona employers, even in tough times. But on top of that, businesses are facing a new challenge once they find those new employees. The majority of the technology workforce is comprised of what we know as Gen Y, or as some call them, the Millenials. And increasingly, business owners are scratching their heads as they try to figure out how to best work with this demographic. The challenges often cited are lack of company loyalty, disinterest in staying for more than a year or two in any one job, and an overwhelming sense of entitlement. The fact is, this generation is the most tech-savvy and creatively innovative of any other generation in our workforce. So it serves our best interests to learn how to motivate and mold this generation of IT employees. Aside from some of the obvious differences, employers should

remember the Gen Y workforce has some very root differences in values and motivational drivers. Unlike older generations, Gen Y will not tolerate many of the workplace nuances commonplace in previous generations. And while previous generations prioritized the steady paycheck, a solid retirement plan and a dependency on the 9-5 schedule, this generation finds value in simply being connected to their companies. They actually want to build their careers into their overall lifestyle and definition of who they are. This is a positive for businesses as they have the potential to develop a loyal workforce that wants to become evangelists for the brands they represent. So how can employers work with these differences? Certainly, there’s going to be some compromise by employers. We could all do a better job of evolving our company culture and policies to reflect a changing world. But there needs to be accountability with

this group more than any other. That being said, employers have the unique opportunity to shape Gen Y into a loyal, hard-working generation that will have a positive impact on the entire business community. To start—and this might seem rather basic but it’s very important with this group— employers should sit down with their entire teams and set goals. By including Gen Y in the goal-setting process, you’re not only serving one of their major motivational factors, but also receiving the benefit of more ideas. Every technology company should be constantly innovating, and the more people you bring into this process the better.

Make Them Accountable Once you’ve gotten your Gen Yers to buy into the goals, ask them to set up their own timeline of milestones. This will set the stage for accountability along the way. If there is one thing Gen Y needs, it’s a system of responsibil-

+ Get Connected www.cbri.com

Michael Tope is founder and CEO of Creative Business Resources, a Professional Employer Organization that helps small to midsize technology companies outsource all of their human resources needs.

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What technology companies need to know about Gen Y

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Shaping The New Tech Workforce

ity. And having them establish a system where they need to reach smaller goals under specific deadlines is a great way to teach accountability in a proactive way. Not only will this teach your employees they are responsible for keeping others apprised of their work, it will give you a chance to continuously mentor them. Finally, set up a system of rewards for reaching those big company goals that your Gen Y team helped establish. Let’s face it, your 25-year-old software developer wants a pat on the back. You’re all too happy to give it to him if he holds up his end of the bargain. That concept is, unfortunately, a little foreign to Gen Y. One of the biggest lessons you should spend the time teaching this group is that rewards are earned, not just given out. It doesn’t seem right that as employers you should be the ones to teach this very basic causeand-effect scenario, but that’s the situation we’re in. Take the time to establish what the rewards will be for reaching goals. A bonus? iPhones for all? A few more vacation days? Ask the team what they want for hitting the goals and then stick to it. If the company accomplishes what it sets out to do, the company benefits collectively. You’ll be surprised at how well your Gen Y team rises to the occasion. Gen Y is a perplexing generation to many business owners. On the surface they can appear selfinvolved, self-entitled, rushed to get to the top, and a little short on the attention span. But delving a little deeper, you can see this generation is hard working, creative, extremely savvy, and, if nurtured correctly, whole-heartedly loyal. Understanding what makes them tick can lead to a highly productive, healthy workplace that enjoys low turnover, lower costs and the best spokespersons a company could ever want.

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If quantum tunneling can be perfected, the prospect of rapid, low-cost DNA sequencing could become a reality.

Finely Tailored Fit

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A gold probe outfitted with a dangling nucleotide approaches its complementary base protruding upward from a monolayer.

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cientific efforts to comb secrets from the tangled braids of the DNA molecule have been richly rewarded. Now techniques for deciphering the genetic code are routinely applied in such diverse domains as genetic testing, bioarchaeology and crop hybridization. On the horizon is the prospect of personalized DNA sequencing, which would allow physicians to fine-tune disease diagnoses and therapies to each individual. We now know that the progression of common diseases like cancer is often patient-specific. Access to the full genome of every individual will offer a major advance in the ability to detect illness at a presymptomatic stage and customtailor specific treatments. Despite its enormous usefulness to science, however, genetic sequencing remains a time-consuming, costly and often cumbersome undertaking. Now, a new method of DNA

sequencing has been proposed by Stewart Lindsay, director of the Biodesign Institute’s Center for Single Molecule Biophysics at Arizona State University. Lindsay’s approach relies on an esoteric property of subatomic matter called quantum tunneling. If the technique can be perfected, the prospect of rapid, low-cost DNA sequencing could become a reality. The first unraveling of DNA in the human genome a decade ago was a remarkable achievement. Today, the task of sequencing some 3 billion chemical base pairs of the genome genome—enough information to fill a 20-volume encyclopedia—remains a daunting challenge. The work typically is slow and expensive, though costs have dropped considerably from the initial sequencing of the human genome, which took 11 years and cost $1 billion. Bringing the power of DNA sequencing to every individual requires new, affordable technologies to help

mine the wealth of information DNA can provide concerning hereditary traits, hormonal and cell irregularities, longevity and predisposition to disease. Various techniques for sequencing DNA have been used to determine the identities of the four nucleotide bases that make up the ladder rungs of the DNA’s double helical structure. Most of these require snipping DNA into hundreds of thousands of short fragments, unzipping the helix and reading a few hundred to a few thousand bases at a time. Finally, all of the information from the DNA pieces is reassembled into a picture of the complete genome, with the help of massive computing power.

The Rules of Attraction Lindsay’s technique for observing DNA sequences relies on devices known as scanning tunneling (STM) and atomic force microscopes (ATM). He exploits the sensitive instruments to identify complementary DNA base pairs, evaluating the hydrogen bonds formed between them. Base pairing rules for DNA dictate that nucleotide pairs join together like jigsaw pieces—adenine (A) with thymine (T) and cytosine (C) with guanine (G). The scanning tunneling microscope used in Lindsay’s recent experiments features a delicate electrode tip held close to the DNA sample. When this tip is fitted with a particular nucleotide and brought in contact with its complementary mate, hydrogen bonds stick the bases together and they attach, like tiny magnets. As Lindsay describes the method, “you have sensing chemicals attached to one electrode and the target you want to sense attached to another one. When the junction spontaneously selfassembles, you get a signal. It’s a new way of doing recognition at the atomic scale.” Crucial to the new technique is

the fact that the strength of the glue fastening complementary bases differs for A-T and C-G pairs. While two hydrogen bonds hold A-T bases together, C-G pairs use three hydrogen bonds. So, it’s physically harder to break C-G bonds— a difference detectable through measurement of electrical current. The new method, as Lindsay explains, combines chemical recognition with the flow of electron current as the tunnel junction—the tiny gap between nucleotide bases— is pulled apart. Although quantum tunneling seems exotic, Lindsay points out that the routine leaking of electrons from one atom to another to form a chemical bond is a similar process. If significant challenges to reading single molecules through such a technique can be overcome, the method holds the potential for inexpensive DNA sequencing, operating at the breakneck pace of thousands of base pairs per second. As Lindsay notes, “this combination of quantum tunneling plus the chemistry is very powerful.” Richard Harth is a science writer at the Biodesign Institute at ASU.

Tunneling current for A-T pairs persists for a shorter time, falling off precipitously compared with the same measurements for C-G pairs.

InnerView

Science is a Primary Passion Nanotechnology is just part of Matt Kim’s world writing by :: Kate Nolan

racing bike group and hikes whenever he can, sees a strong link between education, science and nature. “Affluent societies squander their resources. Great societies don’t leave a big footprint. You’re supposed to be welleducated to make society better,” he says. In fact, Kim thinks Earth is a special place for science, that of all the hundreds of millions of galaxies, earthlings are special “because we have self awareness.” “We’re just a bunch of little animals on a rock, but we know what’s going on,” Kim says, suggesting that awareness comes with certain obligations. Recently someone at a party asked him to explain nuclear reactions. Thrilled at the question, the physicist started explaining. In a few minutes, though, his questioner lost interest, so he dropped it. But he still seems baffled by anyone who’s not amazed by science. “When I go outside and look at the sun or the stars, I think what people 500 years ago would have given to know what we know now,” he says.

I can be in my lab and I don’t care what’s going on outside. - Matt Kim, president of QuantTera

Matt Kim

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group that promotes the multidisciplinary new science. Kim, 49, a Philadelphia native, studied engineering at Cornell University and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois physics department, known for having produced 13 Nobel laureates. After working as a Motorola research scientist in Arizona, in 2000 Kim co-founded MicroLink Devices, a leading Chicago maker of transistors for cell phones. A chance to create a new transistor for the U.S. Air Force brought Kim and his wife back to Arizona to start QuantTera. As a nano-scientist, Kim’s strength is in his understanding of the various enabling components of laser technology. Truth is, it’s his passion. “I like science a lot. I can be in my lab and I don’t care what’s going on outside. My lab used to be in my house. I liked that,” says Kim, who works on several education committees. “I think education is an equalizer. I also believe thinking is the best form of entertainment.” Kim, who belongs to a

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he benches in Matt Kim’s Tempe laboratory form an odd city of little structures made from metal chunks, laser displays and home-grown crystals that look like mirrors. Kim constructs the high-tech tools as he needs them in his “poor man’s lab.” That shaves millions off the cost of the lasers his nanotech company, QuantTera, is developing for the government and industry. When Kim points out a piece of equipment that looks like R2-D2 the “Star Wars” robot, suspicions arise that this is the lair of a mad scientist. The physicist says he’s actually more like Felix Unger, the neatnik from “The Odd Couple”, although he describes one laser he’s working on as “crazy” science. Of course, you have to be a physicist to know why it’s crazy. Keeping a lid on things couldn’t hurt as Kim juggles his roles as president of QuantTera and chairman of the Arizona Nanotechnology Cluster, a 200-member nonprofit

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A SCIENTIST SCANS A RAT BRAIN WITH AN ELECTRON MICROSCOPE.

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Professor Neal Woodbury (right) works with a graduate research assistant in the Center for BioOptical Nanotechnology at ASUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Biodesign Institute.

The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University

Axon of nerve cells, commonly known as neurons

Nanotechnology:

The Next Big Thing for Arizona?

A Possible Enabler for Technologies from Bioscience to Aerospace writing by :: Kate Nolan

So how is that going? “We need applications. Nano alone is just chemistry, but put nano with bioscience or

High Hopes For Nano Kim says it’s hard to gauge nanotechnology growth because so much of it takes place in small workshops. An industry trend to slash research and development budgets is nudging cutting-edge scientists to become entrepreneurs, spreading themselves across a vast frontier that abuts a variety of existing technologies. But small companies like Kim’s are growing nonetheless, even if it means pooling knowledge to succeed. Success would mean making a discovery that takes existing technology to a new level. Nano promises to reduce energy needs, make stronger materials that weigh less, speed up communication, attack diseases on the molecular level and make the digital universe smarter. The key to the relatively new science is that matter behaves differently in nano

Nano alone is just chemistry, but put nano with bioscience or energy or semiconductors and we can make artificial atoms that solve problems. -Matt Kim, chairman of the Arizona Nanotechnology Cluster

dimensions–baring new opportunities. For example, a disease-fighting substance may be toxic to humans, but restructuring it atomically through nanotechnology could eliminate its toxicity.

A few hurdles have yet to be crossed in Arizona. For instance, a promising application would be using nanotech to increase solar energy production. Kim says the technology is here but that Arizonans have yet to support the investment needed to retool for solar, even though solar ultimately will be more efficient. Doug Goodman, president of Ridgetop Group in Tucson, and founder of the nano cluster, notes that capital investment currently is tight everywhere for the early-stage funding that empowers entrepreneurs. Some observers express concern that the state’s rules on intellectual property at universities may be a stumbling block. Arizona’s academic researchers technically can’t own equity stakes in products they develop. However, both UofA and ASU have technology licensing groups that find investors and match researchers to new opportunities. “I sense a can-do attitude here,” Goodman says, minimizing the impact of the intellectual property issue. Arizona’s nano industry ranks 16th in the nation, according to one study, trailing leaders California and Massachusetts. But it employs thousands here, according to the nano cluster, and even more are involved in research. Still, few numbers are available to gauge actual growth and investment. Goodman says the state is rich in the kind of human resources—scientists and engineers—needed needed for nanotechnology because of its long legacy as a leader in the semi-conductor, aeronautics and defense industries.

the nano issue

energy or semiconductors and we can make artificial atoms that solve problems,” says Matt Kim, a physicist who leads the Arizona Nanotechnology Cluster, a statewide group that promotes business development in the state. The former Motorola scientist runs QuantTera, a young Tempe firm that is working on communications lasers for the Air Force and has developed a new kind of laser now being patented.

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anotechnology boosters like to say, “The next big thing is really small.” Perhaps the “next big thing” can be excused for leaving an appropriately small footprint in Arizona’s marketplace so far. After all, nanotechnology is the science of manipulating single atoms and molecules, even inventing artificial atoms, to enhance technology. But some sizable bets have been placed on making the emerging nano industry one of the state’s next economic engines. Both The University of Arizona and Arizona State University have funded nanoscience research operations. Mayo Clinic’s research labs, the Translational Genomics Research Institute and Arizona corporate giants, such as Raytheon and Intel, also are involved in nanoscience. The hope is that standard nano elements, such as quantum dots, nanotubes and nanospheres, can be harnessed to fire up Arizona’s proven technology winners: bioscience, aerospace, semiconductors and telecommunications.

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Nano’s Growth In Larger Entities Is Fairly Apparent. Intel Corp., creator of the Pentium chip, has adopted nano for the next generation of semiconductors now being manufactured at its Chandler plants, and military contractors are working with nano for defense and communications applications. Industry experts predict that Arizona’s greatest opportunity may lie in a nanobiotech partnership, because of the state’s relative wealth in medical research entities.

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While some nanotechnology products are difficult to comprehend by nonscientists, others are easier to appreciate. Here are a few Arizona nanotech frontrunners that are either in the marketplace or on their way. + Biosensor for asthma and kidney disease / Arizona State University The device is on course to be a gamechanger for the millions of patients who suffer from two widespread chronic diseases. A team led by NJ Tao at ASU’s Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors, has worked for five years to make a breath sensor that can detect single molecules used to diagnose and monitor the diseases. The cellphone-sized device can be used by a patient, who breathes into the sensor, which sends results to the doctor. “The technology mimics the olfactory system, which can recognize gas molecules with a multi-length scale integrated system from nanometers to centimeters. When the sensor identifies a certain molecule it triggers an electrical signal that we can process and communicate,” says assistant research professor Erica Forzani. The sensor, which can identify molecular markers for asthma and kidney disease, is being courted by investors and is expected to be fully developed in 18 months.

+ P hotonic chip / QuantTera, Tempe The firm is finishing up a contract with the U.S. Air Force to develop a nanochip that uses light to enable highspeed laser communication between satellites. Orbiting satellites have trouble sharing data at high speeds. Converting data to light accelerates the process with less interference. In nonmilitary use, the chip is expected to speed up fiber-optic communications.

The Bio5 Institute at The University of Arizona

Translucent medical nanobots repair blood cells.

+Q uantum dot semiconductors for solar cells / Solterra Renewable Resources, Tempe Solterra’s quantum dots cost less to make than other dots, lowering the price of photovoltaic cells and making them more efficient than cells using silicon semiconductors. +B ullet-proof cloth / NanoGIANT, Phoenix Also called liquid body armor because of its flexibility, the nano-engineered substance was developed at The University of Delaware and has taken 20 years to get to market. The product was introduced in April and is being marketed to law enforcement groups. It also is expected to be used to armor jet engines against shrapnel. +E lectronic prognostics / Ridgetop Group, Tucson Ridgetop markets monitors that predict failure of electronic circuits, serving the automobile, aeronautics and medical fields. The approach is based on detecting molecular “signatures” that precede failure of a system and allowing time to take mitigating actions to assure continued operation of the system. Ridgetop’s Doug Goodman says many businesses are waiting to see what the new economy brings before they introduce new products. He says he’ll call it a recovery when the auto sector comes back. “We have a capacity to build 16 million cars in this country, but only 9 million are being made. Seeing that growth center come back will help on a lot of fronts,” he says.

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Sizing Up the Nanotech Situation How the Technology Will Be Used Poses Ethical, Moral and Environmental Questions

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‘Embedded Humanists’ One way in which the center at ASU seeks to bring about more thoughtful scrutiny of nanotechnology is by going straight to the source: the scientists. “We work with people in their labs and let people know their decisions go beyond their laboratory,” Guston says.

The public really should have information about this. To me, that’s a moral imperative, without totally holding up and dragging out innovation and discovery. – Deb Bennett-Woods, ethics researcher The researchers who visit with the scientists for several weeks are what the center calls “embedded humanists.” They conduct their visits in a conversational way, he says, and no judgments are made. “The model is not to go in and inform people of the social and ethical consequences of their work,” he says. “The model is to allow them to come to their own conclusions through their own thought processes.” Although the embedded humanists have to do the initial asking to get into a lab, Guston says scientists are welcoming hosts. Indeed, he says they find it in their best interest to take part in such a project. Getting as many people in on the conversation about nanotechnology is exactly what Bennett-Woods advocates. Like others who have studied the science, she has myriad questions. For example, she notes that nanotechnology may revolutionize manufacturing as we know it, and that could lead to job cuts as well as up the ante for those jobs that aren’t slashed. And what about nanomaterials used in manufacturing? She wonders: Will they be present in the environment; will they be toxic; and if they get into the human body, do they remain there? “The public really should have information about this,” she says. “To me, that’s a moral imperative, without totally holding up and dragging out innovation and discovery.” She notes that while anything that makes manufacturing more efficient and less polluting—which nanotechnology may do—society also needs to be aware of and consider the idea that such technology could

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eb Bennett-Woods doesn’t have anything against nanotechnology. “It’s an enabling technology,” Bennett-Woods says about the science of controlling matter on an atomic and molecular scale. “There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s morally neutral,” adds the author of “Nanotechnology: Ethics and Society,” and a chair and associate professor of health care ethics at Regis University in Denver, as well as director of the university’s Center for Ethics and Leadership in the Health Professions. But when it comes to the next step —specifically, what to do with the new technology—well, that’s where things get complicated, she says. She’s not alone in her thinking. Many researchers, scientists, ethicists and others studying nanotechnology are pondering the moral and ethical questions its use raises. David Guston, director of the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University in Tempe, says some of the questions concern the potential dangers the new technology might pose to the environment and how equitably the benefits from nanotechnology might be distributed. He believes that before nanotechnology becomes too prevalent, we have opportunities to make it a positive presence in our lives and secure an outcome we all can live with. In fact, Guston says “anticipatory governance”—a way of managing through preparation rather than prediction—is touted by the ASU center. In any case, Bennett-Woods says, more people need to learn about nanotechnology and its potential impact. But she says she feels like she’s preaching to the choir. “The question isn’t, ‘Is it good or bad?’ ” she says. “It’s, ‘What should, or should not, nanotechnology enable us to do?’ ”

Feature

be a source of economic revolution. She offers the possibility that whichever country masters nanotechnology in the global marketplace may alter the status quo. “It could shift the economic boundaries of the planet and, by extension, some of the political boundaries,” she says.

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Impact on Military, Medicine

+ David Guston, director of ASU’s Center for Nanotechnology in Society, and professor of political science

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+ Douglas Sylvester, professor of ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

Nanotechnology’s impact upon military capabilities is another matter up for debate. Bio sensors and small sensing devices are already in commercial use, Bennett-Woods says, and she’s read about GPS-like units implanted in employees so they may be tracked for security reasons. These devices raise concerns for her about personal privacy issues, not to mention the health of the workers who receive implants. Then there are the nanomaterials, which make more powerful weapons and equipment, or those that swap out soldiers for unmanned robots. “If it’s safer to go to war, then is it easier to go to war?” Bennett-Woods asks. “How long are we going to keep new weapons systems— offensive, defensive, whatever—in the box?” And, she notes, what happens when an opponent has those systems, too? Perhaps the biggest impact nanotechnology will have on the average person, however, is in the health-care arena, many experts say. One of the most hailed health-care applications is the targeted drug-delivery system, which allows drugs to be delivered to a specific location, such as a tumor, within the body. Bennett-Woods says this approach could make medicine less toxic to patients and potentially negate the need for harsh treatments like chemotherapy. And all this leads to more questions, she says. Those in the medical field will need new training about these new medicines and approaches to patient care. Today’s medical infrastructure likely will need a total overhaul. “Why do we keep pumping more and more technology into health care when we can’t even afford it now?” she asks. The subject of affordability brings up another issue: access. Bennett-Woods says, for example, that while nanotechnology may make new water-filtration devices a reality, there are concerns that the technology won’t get to the places it’s needed, like subSaharan Africa where there is a shortage of safe drinking water. “People who need those technologies most probably aren’t going to be able to afford them,” she says.

Delaying the Revolution? Taking an even more cautionary stance is Jaydee Hanson, policy director of the International Center for Technology Advancement in Washington, D.C. Hanson says his organization’s outlook is simple: If you don’t have any data, and you don’t understand how something works, you shouldn’t be selling it. One example he points to is carbon nanotubes, which have been used in tennis racquets, and the scientific literature that suggests the material appears to be very much like asbestos. And then there’s nanosilver, which Hanson says is in nearly 300 products already on the market, in spite of no one being really sure of its effects on the environment. The technology advancement center— which works with federal government entities such as the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and is aligned with such groups as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth—also recently has called on the EPA to regulate all nanoscale pesticides as new pesticides. So far, the technology advancement center is “sort of” being listened to, he says. Since the petition was filed, the EPA has issued “some warning letters to a couple of companies,” Hanson says. He also is encouraged by the European Union’s recently amended chemicals legislation, known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals), which he says is the European equivalent to the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act. In the United States, according to Hanson, the thinking is that “a chemical is innocent until the EPA proves it guilty.” Hanson says REACH now tells companies, “If you want to put a chemical on the market, show us the data.” For Douglas Sylvester, associate dean for research and development and a professor at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU, REACH is not so encouraging. “It’s a bad thing in that the benefit of this technology may be delayed,” says Sylvester, who has taught courses relating to nanotechnology. “We’ve put the brakes on the nanotechnology revolution a little bit.” Sylvester acknowledges that while the law is not ready for technology as complex and powerful as nanotechnology, there is time for it to catch up. And, like Guston alluded earlier, now is the time to get a handle on the direction of nanotechnology. “We can actually get ahead of the curve,” Sylvester says.

Capitol Watch

No Small Potential From Nanotechnology

University, and industrial organizations, including Intel, Motorola, Microchip, Texas Instruments, ST Micro and others, all working to move this high-growth field forward. Arizona’s strength in semiconductors powerfully positions the state for research and development in nanoelectronics. Semiconductor firms are producing highquality integrated circuits at extremely small dimensions. Arizona is a leader in shipments of silicon, and the Grand Canyon State is third in the number of semiconductor engineers and scientists. Nanotechnology embraces many disciplines, helping create positions in leading-edge, high-tech areas that will benefit Arizona greatly. In solar technologies, for example, it is

moving toward photovoltaic (PV) systems that aren’t so bulky and produce more power from our generous Arizona sun. In April, ASU and Advent Solar announced a development partnership to further the advancement of solar PV technology. As part of the initiative, engineers and researchers will develop solutions for improving energy harvesting from the sun. This technology could provide a blueprint for delivering the industry’s best value for silicon PV modules. Commercialization of products and discoveries by Arizona innovators—like those emerging from nanotechnology—will lead to new products, services, companies and the high-wage, high-skill jobs that will strengthen our state’s economic future. + Get Connected www.azgoverner.org

TECHCONNECTmag.COM

readily admit I am not much of a techie, but I do remember the days when the battery on my cell phone would oftentimes fail right in the middle of a conversation. And, I do know that the improvements to such things as cell phone batteries—as well as many other advancements—come through nanotechnology. By manipulating the very small particles, often at the atomic level, scientists can change one piece of matter into something new, yielding advances in such things as microchips that use less power and perform better. Arizona has an enviable roster of worldclass university programs, including those at The University of Arizona, Arizona State

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Writing By :: Gov. Jan brewer

Hot Reflection Nanotechnology Combines with Mirrors to Make Widespread Use of Solar Energy More Practical, Economical

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Research Laboratory in Sunnyvale, Calif., wrote in an e-mail message that he was involved with the sunshade project while working with Angel as a fellow faculty member at the UofA. The government agency eventually opted out of supporting the project. “After assuming my current job as NASA Ames director and, based on my interest in this area, we sponsored a weekend workshop on this and related topics,” Worden says. “Following the workshop, NASA, as (former NASA administrator) Dr. (Michael) Griffin indicated, assessed the topic, including the workshop report, and determined that this area is not in our responsibilities.” Ken Caldeira, director of the Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University, is also familiar with Angel’s work and calls the professor “a very bright and clever person.” In an e-mail message, Caldeira adds that while he thinks Angel’s work should be supported by NASA, he does not think the sunshade proposal is something he sees happening any time in the coming decades. But it’s a good idea to at least hold on to the plans, just in case, he added.

We have sunshine.

As a solar resource, this is as good as it gets. — Roger Angel, UofA astronomer

says, “but it doesn’t sound like so much today, not if it’s a matter of saving the planet.” The sunshade proposal called for trillions of super-light spacecrafts to be deployed about 1 million miles above the Earth at what is known as the L-1 point. The crafts, which essentially would be lenses that would allow light to pass through them, would bend the sunlight just enough to reduce its effect on Earth by about 2 percent. The plan was not a complete solution to global warming, he adds. “Cooling the planet by shading it is by no means a fix,” he says, but it was a good place to start. Angel says his sunshade project did receive a small grant from a NASA group early on, but says NASA officials later told him they “would not fund it, partly because it’s not their mandate and partly because they don’t want to look silly.” Michael Griffin, former NASA administrator, declined via e-mail to comment for this story, noting he has no expertise in the subject. But Pete Worden, director of NASA’s Ames

“I think his proposals are an interesting theoretical possibility and a possible long-term end game should we fail to reign in our carbon addiction,” Caldeira wrote. Whatever happens, Angel says, his ideas are published and available for public consideration. But after putting his thoughts and calculations down on paper, he says, he felt it was up to others to bring the project to fruition. “What I’ve done is what I can do,” he says. “I think I moved the ball forward from where it was 20 years ago.” No doubt the solar energy industry will benefit as well from the analysis of this “mirror master,” as Angel has been called. As for whether all these monumental concerns— global warming, melting ice caps, carbon emissions—ever keep him up at night, Angel answers like the pragmatic soul and true scientist he is. “I feel very fortunate,” he says. “I have some skills that actually may be useful. It’s very satisfying if you think you can contribute something.”

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is just the stuff found in regular windows. And progress is being made, Angel notes. The evidence? Since early this year, his team has been able to melt holes in quarter-inch-thick steel using a 10-foot parabolic mirror. “That’s our party trick,” he says, a certain glee in his lilt, “to show that we can make mirrors of very good quality.” As for his sunshade, which was something of a media sensation a few years back and even was featured in the Discovery Project Earth television series, Angel modestly points out that the idea of shading the planet from space is “an old one.” He notes that researcher James Early wrote a paper two decades ago that set forth the basics about such a project. But while he says Early believed a sunshade erected in space would have to wait until the moon was colonized, Angel didn’t think humankind could wait that long. And the way Angel figured it, the sunshade would need to be about 1 million square miles big, would take about 20 to 30 years to develop and launch, and would cost roughly $5 trillion. “Five trillion sounded like a lot then,” he

TECHCONNECTmag.COM

he University of Arizona’s resident Angel still looks skyward for answers to global warming, but his passion for cooling the planet no longer focuses on the vast, orbiting sunshade he proposed years ago. Indeed, the noted astronomer and founder and scientific director of the university’s Steward Observatory Mirror Lab has moved on in his quest to find ways to reduce consumption of fossil fuels. He’s now intent on capturing the sun’s rays—in a very precise way, of course. “I’m working on how to do solar energy right…how to reduce CO2 by doing solar energy right,” explains British-born Roger Angel. More specifically, that means he—and a small team of researchers, all working in the university’s world-class mirror lab located below Arizona Stadium—are using his knowledge of optics and mirrors to design mirrors that can focus incredibly intense sunlight onto commercial photovoltaic cells. And although Angel is not incorporating nanotechnology himself on his project, one of his research partners is using the technology. Yong-Hang Zhang, director of the Center for Nanophotonics at Arizona State University, has been charged with the task of creating a more efficient photovoltaic cell that Angel eventually hopes to use in place of the commercial ones. Angel is trying to find a way to make solar energy inexpensive and more efficient, with the long-term goal of finding a way for utility companies to mass produce energy at a low cost, thereby reducing society’s dependence on fossil fuels. Right now, he says, solar energy is too expensive to do on a grand scale. Angel points out that about only one-tenth of 1 percent of electricity on the power grid in the United States today is solar. But one thing’s for sure: He couldn’t be in a better place to do such research. “We have sunshine. As a solar resource, this is as good as it gets,” Angel says. “The U.S. is blessed. Arizona has enough land and sun to provide all the energy needs for the U.S. We just have to figure out how to capture it for not too much money.” Nick Woolf, a longtime colleague and friend of Angel’s, is an adviser on the project. While he can’t reveal too much, Woolf says two reasons the experiments are going well is that Angel takes the glass as it comes out of the factory and shapes it right away, and that as little steel as possible is used in the mounting process. Incidentally, although the glass Angel typically works with to make mirrors is called borosilicate and comes with a hefty price tag, the glass he’s using for his solar energy efforts

Multi-A xis Solar Tracker

TheFocus ::

No Shortcut to Reality

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Cool Blast Personal Mister

Phoenix-based Raytech takes innovative ideas and develops them

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W riting By :: Christopher Di V irgil io

or many consumers, how a product goes from conception to reality and finally onto store shelves is a mystery. Or it is given little thought. But for industrial designers at Raytech Corp., it is a daily consideration that involves a four-step process of investigation, innovation, evaluation and implementation. Since 1995, David Zuckerman, president and CEO of the Phoenix-based company, has been taking ideas and developing consumer products that range from the simple to the complex. “There is a lot of development that goes into a product long before it goes to production,” Zuckerman says. Raytech teams individuals skilled in enduser research, industrial design, engineering, manufacturing and business management and places them all under one roof, with one mission: to see their customers be successful in business.

“Our clients are involved in this process from product conception through first production,” says John Donachy, director of design research. “Our open-studio environment puts designer and engineer in the same room, working hand in hand.” This process begins by identifying a particular consumer need. “Less than 10 percent of all ideas make it to production,” Zuckerman notes. “We develop a relationship between the end user and our clients’ brands and products.” Raytech is developing more than the fictional widgets of Econ 101 classes past, and what may seem like a good idea may not make for a good product.

Step By Step To flush out the good from the bad, Raytech’s research team first investigates a product idea and collects feedback from stakeholders and public opinion panels to establish a foundation for the validity of the product. Be it an innovative idea or consum-

er-driven need, the timing, current technology available, message the product conveys, and its features are all considered. “Missing one of these keys ingredients could result in the product not moving to production,” Donachy says. “Our goal is to improve current products and ultimately make someone’s life better.” Adds Zuckerman: “Raytech is the implementation to improving lives. Solving problems that no one solved or improving a product is our fundamental job.” Raytech’s approach to product development means being aware of current technology trends and using the tools that are available. “Remaining competitive and having a strong ability to research are key,” says Zuckerman. “Innovation is most important for our clients.” From investigation to innovation, Raytech’s design team goes to work creating the client’s concepts using information gathered during the investigation process. “This iterative development and review process pro-

Ultra-Light Headset

Wonderbucket Product Line

Remaining competitive and having a strong ability to research are key. – David Zuckerman, president and CEO of Raytech Corp.

Customer satisfaction is paramount during the development stages and every effort is made by the design team to communicate with the client throughout these four stages. Before manufacturing, the product detail is presented, complete with product specifica-

One on one with two top design engineers +W hat is the one piece of technology that

you can not live without?

David zuckerman: “I find that my laptop is most valuable to me. I can be in two places at one time, performing lastminute CAD work from home.” + W ho is your favorite designer or

engineer from history?

John donachy: “I was always impressed with the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. But a particular inspiration came from the work of German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.”

+ Get Connected raytechcorp.com or serverlift.com

the nano issue

All In the Details

tions and a 3-D computer-aided design model, all packaged for manufacturability and now ready for final approval by the client. These detailed stages have led to the development of products that range from a personal cooling mister, to a candle-wick trimmer to a painter’s tray. Some of Raytech’s more innovative accomplishments are its solar panel work with Arizona Public Service; the company developed drive mechanisms and hydraulic servos responsible for the precise aiming of the solar panels. Raytech also was instrumental in development of the ServerLift, a mobile device that physically moves computer servers and other IT equipment safely. “From product branding to conceptual design, ServerLift was done entirely under Raytech,” Zuckerman says. “Since its introduction, we have made small design improvements, ranging from relocating the safety brake to alignment modifications, all based on product feedback.”

TECHCONNECTmag.COM

vides opportunity to validate concepts before the design is detailed for manufacturing,” Zuckerman says. “The design team then provides product concepts for further development and review by the client.” Like a major motion picture, the product comes to life through the use of physical mock-ups, computer-generated renderings and interface models, as well as storyboards. “This third stage of the process provides opportunity for the team to verify that the intended functionality meets the necessary product specifications,” Donachy says. “The prototypes are analyzed for functionality, human factors issues and market buy-in.”

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Not Without a Trace Devices in the works would track even microbial DNA for better health, security

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W riting By :: Science Foundation A rizona a nd Way ne Fr asch

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growing health-care concern in recent years has been the emergence of microbes that increasingly are resistant to the traditional first line of defense: antibiotics. As a society, we also face the risk of newly evolved infectious diseases, such as SARS, avian flu and swine flu, and threats to national security from bioterrorism. In today’s global economy and transportation sector, these threats can rapidly spread across borders and continents. To mitigate the threat from infectious pathogens, scientists at Arizona State University are using the ultimate biological detective, DNA, to develop new devices that can rapidly detect the microbial threats to human health and national security. With an investment grant from Science Foundation Arizona, lead scientist Wayne Frasch and his co-workers at ASU have established the groundwork for nanotechnologybased biosensors that can sniff out even trace amounts of microbial DNA. One such biosenser is a small, portable “lab on a chip.” It could thwart bioterrorism threats like anthrax, revolutionize health screenings for diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant staph found in hospitals, and even be applied to identify DNA defects linked to cancer.

A tissue-box-sized prototype of a DNA detector is currently in development using the biosenser device. It uses nanotechnology based on the world’s tiniest rotary motor: a biological, spinning-top-shaped engine called F1-ATPase. This molecule is one of nature’s nanosized molecular motors, acting like a rotary engine to generate torque and make ATP (adenosine triphosphate) the energy currency of every cell. The tiny, spinning F1-ATPase motor can detect minute amounts of DNA, even down to the level of single DNA molecules, far exceeding detection limits of conventional DNA technology. Such a detection instrument also would be faster, cheaper and more portable than existing technology. The ASU team envisions that the device would be routinely used in health-care clinics and to screen luggage passing through airport security checkpoints, leading to substantial commercialization potential. Sampling would be as simple as taking a swab from an infected wound or a piece of baggage, dissolving it in a solution and placing a drop on a slide containing the nanoparts to do the DNA detective work. Red blinking signals emitted by rotating nanorods would let a computer know there’s trouble, literally, in a flash. With support from Science Foundation Arizona, the team is transferring the work from the bench to biotech development by helping

attract outside investment to manufacture the DNA-detection device. This has enabled the ASU team to extend the technology platform to perform protein detection at the single molecule level, an important step in understanding human health and disease.

Avidin

Gold Nanorod DNA

Biotin + Target DNA forms part of a molecular tether between a F1-ATPase tiny nano-motor (named F1-ATPase) and microscopic gold material, the gold nanorod. When a single molecule of a specific target DNA is added, the whirling, nano-sized complex emits a pulsing red signal that can be detected.

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Thinking Small

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Nanotechnology is a key focus of research at UofA

{ Update::UOFA }

Universit y of Arizona students created this device, w hich uses na no-sensors to detect viruses, proteins a nd ions in water. Photo courtesy of the A dva nced Micro a nd Nanosystems Labor atory

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esearchers at The University of Arizona College of Engineering are going small to find big results. Their focus on nanotechnology developments could help pave the way to breakthroughs in new products in areas like health care, manufacturing, energy and environmental sustainability. Nanotechnology research is finding ways to control matter at atomic and molecular levels. Researchers work to develop materials or even functional devices that are 100 nanometers or smaller in size. A nanometer is 1 billionth of a meter, or 1 millionth of a millimeter. For comparison, a typical human hair is about 50,000 nanometers thick.

Among U of A research projects: Improving computer chips

Using nanotechnology, Ahmed Louri with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is working to develop the next generation of high-performance computers by researching chips that will function more efficiently. Such an advance could overcome

the limits of existing electrical interconnects by combining electronic switching with optical communications. That would allow optical communications to take place in two different directions.

present cut by 100,000 to 1 million times in a few hours. Commercial applications include coatings that could make surfaces self-disinfecting.

Studying heart function Disease-killing antimicrobial coatings Hospitals, offices and other public places teem with viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens that can cause illness or disease. If they spread, widespread pandemics could occur. Donald R. Uhlmann in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering is developing a way to make floors, walls, desks and countertops deadly to diseasecausing pathogens. Silver-based nanoparticles two to 20 nanometers in diameter, are attached to surfaces. The coating attracts targeted pathogens, and the silver is toxic to them. In collaboration with Charles Gerba and Kelly Bright of the Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, the effectiveness of the antimicrobial nanoagents has been proven against pathogens, including E. coli and others. The results indicate bacteria

Combining biotechnology and nanotechnology allows the modification, manipulation and characterization of different biological materials down to the single molecule level. Pak Wong of the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering is working with colleagues in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology to “tissue engineer” the microscopic behavior of mammalian cells. This technique allows researchers to guide cardiomyocytes—a type of heart cell—and understand their physiological characteristics, which could help craft better heart-care strategies.

Environmentally friendly techniques Some concerns exist about potential toxicity and environmental impacts of materials developed and produced using nanotechnology. Professor Anthony Muscat’s

Systems that store and transmit information typically see the deterioration of that information over time, which causes errors. Systems need to be able to correct those errors. Bane Vasic of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is using nanotechnology to look at information theory and error-correction coding theory. The main challenge is that in nanoscale systems, both the storage elements and logic gate are faulty. The research involves development of reliable memories made

Stealth devices Metamaterials are man-made composite materials that offer properties beyond those available in naturally occurring materials. Examples are coatings applied to aircraft that “scatter” radar waves to avoid radar detection and are used for such things as stealth fighters and stealth bombers. Researchers under the direction of Richard Ziolkowskvi at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are investigating using metamaterials for a variety of “radiating” systems. Their research has used metamaterials to build antennae that are much smaller than normally needed and still get great reception. This group also has designed silver- and gold-covered nanospheres that could be used for extremely thin color optical displays, like a television set the thickness of a credit card. The research has led to the development of tiny lasers that can detect objects and movement as well as individual atoms or molecules, and aid the search for toxins, bacteria or viruses. J. Brent Hiskey is associate dean for research and administration at The University of Arizona College of Engineering.

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the nano issue

Improving stored data quality

of unreliable components and their characterization in terms of complexity and ability to retain the stored information.

TECHCONNECTmag.COM

research in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering is looking at ways to ensure that the manufacture of nanoscale devices is environmentally safe. Supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) is being used to make nanoporous films and composites. Supercritical CO2—that is in a fluid state while also being at or above its critical temperature and pressure—has properties between a gas and liquid, is inert and is easily recyclable. In addition, Muscat’s research team, in partnership with the Department of Biochemistry and the College of Optical Sciences, has achieved success in manufacturing nanometer-scale devices.

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Researchers develop a new device to find bacteria

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Nowhere to Hide Jeff Leid, left, and Tim Vail at work in NAU’s Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics. Photo by Jason Bullard

{ Update::NAU }

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acteria, like those that cause staph infections, can’t hide from researchers at Northern Arizona University, who recently helped develop the first diagnostic tool to detect them. A patent is pending for the new Lateral Flow Assay device to detect the microorganisms bound together in a protective walls, known as biofilms. They attach to inanimate substances, such as rocks in streams or catheters in humans, or to living tissue such as human heart valves and bone. Certain bacteria produce biofilms, which act as a defense against drugs and the immune system, making it difficult to treat an infection. “Biofilms are an important problem with implanted medical devices as well as in the establishment of chronic infections,” says Jeff Leid, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and associate director for NAU’s Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics. “They are notoriously less susceptible to antibiotics than their single-cell, non-communityorientated bacteria and are less susceptible

to attack and killing from the human immune system.” Biofilms cause more than 70 percent of community and hospital-acquired infections, such as staph and strep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cost associated with treating these infections in the United States is about $5 billion a year. “Because of this, patients often suffer chronic and recurring infections,” Leid says. “Without a specific way for physicians and health-care workers to diagnose these infections, patient treatment may be delayed.” Developed by a team of faculty and students from NAU and the University of Maryland, the Lateral Flow Assay works somewhat like the test used to diagnose strep throat. The device identifies the presence of biofilm-specific antibodies in patients by allowing the antibodies to bind to biofilm-specific proteins on the device. “If physicians and other health-care workers can diagnose these infections early, there will be a much greater chance for clinical

Diane Rechel is a public affairs coordinator for Northern Arizona University.

This new device will allow doctors to test drugs and materials simultaneously and will save time Dr. Steve Fry at Scottsdale’s and money. -Airpark Medical Center

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treatments to work and for patient health to improve dramatically,” Leid explains. Leid invented the device in collaboration with Tim Vail, an associate professor of Biochemistry at NAU; Jennifer Kofonow, an NAU biology graduate student; Mark Shirtliff, an assistant professor in biomedical sciences at the University of Maryland; and Rebecca Brady, a biomedical sciences graduate student at the University of Maryland. Dr. Steve Fry at Airpark Medical Center in Scottsdale hopes the Lateral Flow Assay will help him diagnose his patients’ medical problems faster. “This new device will allow doctors to test drugs and materials simultaneously and will save time and money,” Fry says. The researchers are fine-tuning the treatment protocols for using the new device and meeting with companies interested in licensing the technology so it can be developed and sold as a clinical product, Leid says.

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Jeff Leid hopes a new device will help speed recovery from infections. Photo by Jason Bullard

Sponsors: We Proudly Present

Arizona Technology Council’s Sponsors Thanks to them, we can serve our members better.

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: Members

Advisory Board Architects was designed with a simple, quantifiable charter: Surround strong, fast-growing companies with executives who have an expertise in their industries or can provide insight into a vertical that accelerates the revenue cycle and decreases the risk factor. On behalf of its clients, the firm engages empowered executives for the purpose of strategic decisions, strategic business development, strategic introductions (clients, alliance partners and potential investors), real market applications, customer input/demand validation, operational optimization, talent assessment/validation, corporate venturing, and mergers/ acquisitions. clients@advisoryboardarchitects.com AFLAC provides businesses the opportunity to offer supplemental insurance benefits to their employees at no direct cost to the business. Major medical insurance pays the doctors and hospitals but leaves you with gaps in what they cover. AFLAC covers deductibles; copayments; out-of-network charges; travel-related expenses; living expenses such as mortgage, rent and utilities; and lost income. Also, cash is paid directly to the insured regardless of other insurance and coverage is guaranteed to be renewable for life. www.aflac.com Aide Solar, a large-scale producer of photovoltaic modules, has opened its North America headquarters and distribution center in Tempe to better serve the growing local demand. It supplies modules that are mono- and poly-crystalline siliconbased technology and range from 50 watts to 280 watts of power for residential, commercial, and utility-scale projects around the world. Its goal is to help anyone who “thinks green” to “go solar” with Aide Solar modules. en.aidesolar.com Formed with the combined strengths of Huck and Fairchild Fasteners, Alcoa Fastening Systems serves the global aerospace, automotive and commercial transportation markets with the most specialized engineering, highest quality and greatest breadth and depth of fastening system solutions in its industry. www.alcoa.com/fastening_systems/en/home.asp AmazingMail has continually led the direct-mail marketing industry with technological innovation, cutting-edge products, and world-class service and performance. It provides three “solution tiers” from Web-to-print to dedicated account management to integrated/automated platforms. It can produce a superior mail piece in record time, efficient in quantities as few as one. www.amazingmail.com Arizona Chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM) is a by-invitation federation of senior officers experienced in information and general management. A not-for profit corporation, the chapter assists members in managing information technology. It strives to strengthen professional communications among members who direct the application of information technology in private and public organizations. www.simnet.org/ Chapters/West/Arizona/tabid/65/Default.aspx Arizona Science Center opened its Antione Predock-designed

Audio Eye’s focus is to create better and more comprehensive access to Internet, print, broadcast and other media regardless of the network connection, device, location, or any disabilities or disadvantages an individual may have. Its solutions include comprehensive e-learning and e-commerce systems as well as Internet publishing products and services that enable customers to create and deliver accessible and highly scalable Web-based applications. www.audioeye.com AZ Gift Cards sells discount gift cards for use at high-quality Valley restaurants, hotels, golf courses and spas. www.azgiftcards.com B/E Aerospace is the worldwide leading manufacturer of aircraft passenger-cabin interior products for the commercial and business jet aircraft markets as well as the leading global distributor of aerospace fasteners. It has leading worldwide market shares in all of its major product lines and serves virtually all of the world’s airlines, aircraft manufacturers and leasing companies through its direct global sales and customer-support organizations. www.beaerospace.com BestCompaniesAZ provides a unique mix of employment branding, marketing, human resources and organizational development programs designed to “recognize BEST companies of today and build BEST companies for tomorrow.” It specializes in corporate-culture assessments, employee surveys, best-practice benchmarking, and local and national award consultation to help companies build and sustain cultures for best places to work. The results are increased market awareness and reduced costs. www.bestcompaniesaz.com As leader in managed hosted services, Bull HN Information Systems offers Arizona businesses a single source for technology, consulting and related IT services. It helps companies cost-effectively manage their IT operations, allowing them to focus energy and resources on core business strategies. Services include monitoring and reporting, network management, data backup and restore, security management, performance management, disaster recovery, infrastructure architecture analysis and design, technology migration analysis and design, and facility migration. www.bull.us Cambridge Financial Services is committed to helping clients achieve a lifetime of financial security. It provides clients with a comprehensive financial analysis as well as specific product recommendations in the areas of insurance, investments, pension plans and employee benefits. www.cfpaz.com CellTrust is a leading provider of secure mobile messaging and applications. Its patent pending Secure SMS Gateway™ features a suite of mobile applications to provide advanced secure mobile messaging and information management across 218 countries and more than 700 carriers. CellTrust ensures the trusted exchange of information on mobile devices to the financial, healthcare, government, education, energy, information technology, marketing, travel and other global industries. www.celltrust.com CivicScience is a community for those who want their voice to be heard and their privacy respected. Dynamic consumer and voter preference are measured in real-time through its platform of widgets, portal, social media applications, and analytic software tools. Customers and partners use CivicScience to make smarter marketing and communications decisions. www.civicscience.com CMC’s core expertise is in materials with a focus on electronic interconnect applications including all aspects of packaging

and assembly. With a full analytical laboratory, its services include failure analysis, destructive physical analysis, electrical measurements, thermal characterization and mechanical testing. It also has a laboratory used to develop plating processes and fabricate prototypes and low volume production. Clients’ industries include medical, military, laser diodes, power semiconductors and telecommunications. www.cmcinterconnect.com CrimShield crime-free credentials allow you to add a layer of comfort in all personal and professional environments. Its network of certified vendors and individuals let you pursue relationships with others who care about themselves, their reputations and your safety. When inviting a service provider into your home, taking a child to soccer practice or meeting in person for the first time, know who you are dealing with. www.crimshield.com Data Clean works with companies all over the world who are concerned about loss of revenue due to environmental issues. It partners with customers to help maintain the most reliable environment for their computing systems by providing ongoing maintenance services. It takes a holistic approach to critical space maintenance by investigating the source of contamination then discovering and reporting any other vulnerability before ultimately cleaning the facility. The end result is a more reliable computing environment. www.shop.dataclean.com edu Partnerships’ owner Mary Wolf-Francis provides teachers and parents with the tools and strategies for partnering while ensuring preschool through college students receive quality education. Drawing on her professional expertise and experience as a mother, she has developed, delivered and published workshops, presentations and written materials that enlighten educators and parents about the benefits of working as a team, including tools and strategies never taught in any teacher-education program. www.edupartnerships.com Engerholm Consulting provides information technology, financial and business consulting services to the health care, financial services and technology industries. It uses new ideas along with proven methodologies, best practices and industry expertise to support corporate programs of change. The organization’s services include project and program leadership, road map development, business and financial analysis, restructuring and consolidation management, software selection, and other IT implementation services. www.engerholm.com Flodraulic Group is a fluid power distributor for hydraulic, pneumatic and automation components and systems. Products include cylinders, valves, switches, controls, filters, fittings and tubing from leading manufacturers such as SMC Pneumatics, Pall Filtration, Fabco Air, Baumer Sensors, Maytec Extrusion, Miller, Dynaquip, Oilgear, Sheffer, Parker Transair, Thermal Transfer, Barksdale, and Stauff. www.flodraulicgroup.com Gatesix is a highly experienced, client-centric Internet strategy and technology services agency specializing in quality, custom solutions designed to take clients to the next level, maximize their performance and achieve key business initiatives. Its team has helped hundreds of clients in a wide array of industries with the six gates critical to the success of any business: interactive design, interactive marketing, web development, software development, network support and staff augmentation. www.gatesix.com Greater Phoenix Advisors is an independent consulting firm specializing in developing and implementing strategies for success and resolving business issues for owners of privately-held companies. It has a methodology put forth by The Alternative Board and leverages the experience of more than 1,000 companies who have found the company’s approach to produce the real results they expect and require. In addition to pragmatic information that assists companies

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Achieve Results Consulting is a management-consulting firm that works with small- and medium-sized companies to improve their business environment and achieve greater results. It partners with clients to achieve sustained improved results especially in this challenging economy. Efforts are customized and tailored to align with the client’s needs.

facility in 1997. It contains more than 40,000 square-feet of gallery space containing more than 300 hands-on exhibits; an IMAX Theater seating 285; a multimedia Dorrance Planetarium seating 200; a suite of classrooms; amenities including a gift shop, food service and lunchroom; and support facilities. www.azscience.org

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AbilityCRM helps companies use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to improve their business. Its expertise is helping companies adopt CRM as a business practice, integrate it with enterprise resource planning accounting systems, and manage data using dashboards and business intelligence tools. The company’s major industry verticals include manufacturing, finance, construction and hospitality with clients throughout the United States. It is a Gold Certified Microsoft Dynamics CRM and a Certified Sage SalesLogix business partner. www.AbilityCRM.com

MEMBERS: in their growth objectives, GPA also provides technology tools to help those companies achieve their visions for profitability and growth. site1.greaterphoenixadvisors.com Hard Dollar has evolved into the category leader in project cost management. It focuses on the operational needs and demands of contractors and owners so they can successfully build the capital projects that will transform our world. The company’s commitment to technology and enterprise expertise provides the only solution on the market that allows real-time visibility into the status of all projects—and unprecedented control over resources, cost, schedule and cash flow. www.harddollar.com

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Ideality was formed to create profitable real estate and entertainment projects that are environmentally sustainable. Its first proposed project, Oasis A•Z, will be a master-planned urban resort community with a renewable energy powered theme park at its nucleus. Surrounding the theme park will be retail, dining and entertainment facilities, resort hotels, golf and tennis amenities, green-oriented industries and a planned residential community. idealityincorporated.com

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Integrum is a hyper-productive development team working with startups and large enterprises to rapidly deliver complex mobile and Web applications on time and within budget. It uses Ruby on Rails and other best-of-breed, open-source technologies for maximum productivity, scalability and flexibility. The company’s intense focus on delivering maximum business value ensures customers get a product that is handcrafted to exactly fit their needs. integrumtech.com Intertec Consulting strives to become partners with clients and deliver the evaluation, planning, design and implementation of high-quality, cost-effective solutions. Services include ERP and infrastructure support, application development, delivery models, and project management and governance. www.intertec-consulting.com IRLabs was created to provide the production and customerservice functions for Infrared Laboratories, which has been an innovative technology company since 1967 and continues to focus on development of new products and services. Both corporations work together to give customers quality scientific instruments. www.irlabs.com Jabil is a global electronic-product solutions company that provides comprehensive electronics design, manufacturing and product management services to companies across the globe. Jabil serves customers in a broad range of industries, helping to bring products to the market faster and more costeffectively by providing complete supply-chain management worldwide. It provides services to companies in the automotive, aerospace and defense, computing and storage, consumer, medical and instrumentation, networking, peripherals and telecommunications industries. www.jabil.com You’ve worked hard for your money. It’s only natural to be concerned about it. The investment approach of Jon Rosenthal - Your Arizona Rollover Retirement Specialist reflects your priorities. He’ll show you how to roll over your assets into investments specifically designed to help protect and grow your wealth while minimizing unnecessary risk to your nest egg. www.arizonarollover.com

innovation using quality best practices. It provides endto-end solutions for many of today’s business challenges, including implementing quality systems and processes, achieving quality management certification, driving innovation and continuous improvement, and getting products to market on time. www.leapinnovation.com Level 3 Audio Visual specializes in taking professional audiovisual technology and customizing it to customers’ individual presentation needs and environments. It also provides design and consultation services, installation, repair and training on existing AV systems. Clientele include medical teaching facilities, hospitals, corporate boardrooms, hotels/resorts, government buildings, municipalities, universities, senior living facilities and bar/restaurants. www.l3av.com Mainline Information Systems offers comprehensive integrated technology solutions encompassing server, storage, software, networking infrastructure, application solutions, services and financing. Besides being IBM’s largest North American business partner, Mainline is also a VMware Premier Partner and maintains numerous direct vendor relationships with top software solution providers. Some key solution practices include security, IT optimization, virtualization, business continuity and business intelligence. www.mainline.com Philadelphia Insurance Companies designs, markets, and underwrites commercial property and casualty as well as management and professional liability insurance products tailored for the unique exposures of niche markets while providing competitively priced policies, local service relationships and differentiated coverage features. Whether your organization needs coverage for concerts, builders’ risk, health and fitness, office parks, accountants errors and omissions, human and social services, or directors and officers liability, PHLY has you covered. www.phly.com Predictive Index Arizona is a premier global consulting company specializing in leadership development, sales performance development and helping organizations uncover datadriven insights to create and sustain a high performance culture. It offers a unique combination of behavioral assessment, sales assessment and sales training to help organizations of all sizes. Since 1955, PI Worldwide has helped build world-class teams in more than 7,000 companies, including many of the world’s largest corporations. www.predictivegroup.com Rocking K Consulting provides superior civil engineering, land surveying and land development services. It specializes in commercial sites, office condominiums, infrastructure design, residential subdivisions, multi-use projects, geographical information systems location surveys, boundaries, and American Land Title Association (ALTA) surveys. It brings projects from concept to approval in a professional, economical and timely manner. rockingkconsulting.com Seity is positioned to support the shift in business functions caused by technology, outsourcing and a virtual workforce while focusing on the impact to people, workgroups and the organization. Its expertise is industry independent and has been effectively applied in technologies, financial, healthcare and education. The company specializes in KS Network Analysis, which uses social network analysis methodology. www.seity.com

KAET- TV Channel 8 specializes in the education of children, in-depth news and public affairs, lifelong learning and the celebration of arts and culture through the power of noncommercial television, the Internet, educational outreach services and community-based initiatives. With more than 1.3 million viewers each week, it consistently ranks among the most-viewed public television stations per capita in the country. www.azpbs.org

Sonora Quest Laboratories is the market-share leader in clinical laboratory testing in Arizona, performing more than 45 million tests annually. Ninety-eight percent of all testing is performed at primary testing facilities in Tempe, Tucson and Flagstaff. It offers various IT solutions to securely collect, store, manage and integrate clinical information. Through its patient-centric physician portal, clinicians are provided tools to assist in improving patient care and overall office efficiency. www.sonoraquest.com

Leap Innovation (formerly Hardenbrook Consulting) works with small- and medium-sized companies in the high-tech, aerospace and medical device industries to improve product

Statera is a business and technology services and solutions provider that helps companies large and small optimize

organizational performance by mapping strategic goals and objectives to IT initiatives. Its strategic technology solutions provide powerful insight into an organization, helping solve mission-critical problems and drive performance. By using the business value framework and proprietary balance methodology, the company’s experts consistently deliver innovative technology solutions that enable clients to reach their goals. www.statera.com TeamLogicIT - Southeast Valley provides the knowledge and skills to keep your operations humming along through one-on-one, side-by-side assistance every step of the way. It doesn’t just fix things; it evaluates current and future needs to deliver the best solution for business processes and objectives. Advanced technology supported by nationwide buying power provides more cost-effective solutions than anywhere else. www.teamlogicit.com Tech News Frontiers is a targeted publication focused on Arizona’s science, technology and engineering communities plus the general business community that supports these engines of the West’s future. It aspires to be full range in publication, providing in-depth coverage of those issues and events important to its audiences while becoming one of their trusted sources. www.technewsarizona.com Terra Verde Services is a professional consulting firm that is a trusted partner to leading businesses, governments, and institutions. Its seasoned personnel offer objective approaches and proven methodologies. They help organizations make distinctive, lasting and substantial improvements to their technology performance and risk posture. The company also provides its employees an outstanding place to work, with opportunities for growth that they can find nowhere else. www.terraverdeservices.com Leadership Coach Lynn Rousseau of The Conscious Leader works primarily with middle- to senior-level executives in large organizations who are looking for new ways to develop and access multiple levels of innate intelligence in an effortless way. Clients have experienced increased levels of success and recognition in their careers, built leadership capacity in their organizations, engaged their team, increased trust, and moved into key positions. www.theconsciousleader.com Vision7 Software is skilled in efficiently building high-end Internet and client-server software systems by using a blend of its reusable technologies, off-the-shelf software components and custom software written using standard tools to build tailored solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses in many industries. In exchange for royalty arrangements or equity participation with select partners, the company invests its technical expertise to develop state-of-the-art Internet, e-commerce, workflow management, database and mobile computing solutions. www.vision7.com Walker & Peskind has advised and represented corporate clients—including many technology businesses—from Fortune 500 companies to small startups. Its attorneys offer expertise in such areas as complex litigation, corporate and commercial law, real estate, labor and employment law, business planning, executive compensation, and tax and estate planning. All attorneys in the firm are MartindaleHubble AV® rated (highest legal ability and ethical standards). www.azlawpartner.com Walton Management Services is an independent taxconsulting firm that secures and administers government credits and incentives for its clients, thereby improving their financial performance and reducing their effective tax rate. Serving Fortune 50 to mid-size companies, it identifies opportunities such as work opportunity tax credits, state hiring and location-based credits, state training grants, sales and use tax recoveries, Canadian tax/VAR recoveries, and sellable tax credits. www.waltonmanagement.com

Common Ground. Uncommon Vision.

Quarles & Brady’s Bioscience Practice For over two decades, Quarles & Brady has represented biotechnology companies, universities, educational institutions, medical device companies and others in the life science industry. We provide a full range of counseling to our clients in this industry—from the protection, commercialization and enforcement of intellectual property rights to public and private financings and providing support for mergers and acquisitions. For more information, please contact Jessica Franken, Phoenix Intellectual Property Group Chair, at 602-230-5520 or jfranken@quarles.com

To receive our legal updates and alerts via e-mail, please visit www.quarles.com/mailinglist

Common Ground. Uncommon Vision. www.quarles.com

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Size Does Matter Phoenix ONE offers nation’s largest commercial data center

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Not all data centers are created equal.” i/o Data Centers’ motto based on the mostrecognized phrase of 042 the U.S Constitution took on new meaning when the company recently opened the doors of its new 538,000-square-foot Phoenix ONE facility. The new data center claimed its own place in U.S. tech history as the largest commercially available data center in the nation.

“Phoenix is an ideal location for a data center of this magnitude because of its abundant power supply, outstanding network access and lack of natural disasters,” says Anthony Wanger, i/o Data Centers president and founder. The company also moved its headquarters to the 31-acre campus. Phoenix ONE is home to one of the largest, highest-powered data centers commercially available, and includes a private electric-utility substation. The substation will eventually be expanded from 40 megawatts of power to 120 megawatts. But if you think the power grid is in for a big hit, think again. Going green was foremost when the former bottling site of LeNature’s Beverages was refurbished to become the center. The intent was to reduce the facility’s overall carbon footprint. For example, a top priority for any data center is to keep things cool (even in an Arizona summer). The facility’s design maintains the coldest water, however, with the least amount of energy consumption combined with highefficiency heat exchanges. Working together, they leverage free cooling bypass and outside air temperature to cool chilled water. The center also uses ultrasonic humidification with its sealed cabinets to reduce energy consumption by 200 percent. Also, there is a pressurized floor plenum that separates cold air supply from warm air return. At the heart of this efficiency is use of raised floors created by Tate Access Floors. Workers installed 180,000 square feet in each of the first two phases with the final 100,000 square feet scheduled for completion by Sept 1.

The use of raised access floors with underfloor service distribution allows the center to handle high heat loads in the most energyefficient way. Cool air can be supplied closer to the server racks along with various integration strategies to accommodate lower fan speeds and higher temperatures while taking advantage of displacement ventilation. In turn, there is a cut in operating costs, along with facility and maintenance costs. Sustainable energy will be at work, too. A bank of solar panels generating up to 4.5 megawatts of electricity will help supply the needed power. The center also has access to dozens of telecommunications, Internet and other carriers because of its location next to one of the largest joint fiber trenches in the country. However, Phoenix ONE will remain carrier and network neutral, and will not charge cross-connect fees. This means customers are free to choose the best carriers for their needs. Such access is a plus for other corporate clients doing business in the remaining 80,000 square feet used for office space. “Because of the success we had with our Scottsdale ONE facility, we were able to pre-sell some space at this new facility,” Wanger says. The 125,000-square-foot Scottsdale ONE is the site of the original data center and former headquarters. It’s still very much part of the company, which plans to add two “pods” to accommodate growth from both new and existing customers. + Get Connected www.iodatacenters.com www.tateaccessfloors.com

Are You a CEO?

This two day event gathers business owners, presidents, and CEOs for golf, networking and panel discussions. Escape the heat and head up to Red Rock Country for the Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second annual CEO Retreat.

Tuesday, August 18th - Wednesday, August 19th Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa

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*Cost does not include room rate.

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COST: Member, $300 | Non-Member, $400 Member (Including Golf), $450 Non-Member (Including Golf), $550