This award of the Professional Opportunities for Women in Research and Education (POWRE) program funded through the MPS Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA) supports the research and educational activities of Professor Nita A. Lewis of the University of Miami. The research aims to develop a new and general class of molecular wires based on a protein backbone. Polypeptides serve as templates for the self-assembly of metal complexes into a conducting track covalently bound to the protein. The POWRE award enables the prototyping of short wires with two and ten metal atoms through exploratory synthesis and extensive spectroscopic characterization. The opportunity afforded through the POWRE program will enhance Professor Lewis's research potential and her educational mentoring of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral scientists. The preparation of molecular wires is expected to be of interest not only to the electronics industry, but also to researchers interested in constructing tiny implantable bio-devices requiring the production of small electrical currents.
