The fundamental research and educational objectives of this CAREER proposal are concerned with sensing and sensor related technologies.
The research component of this CAREER proposal focuses on developing two new, different, remote query sensing technologies able to obtain chemical concentration information from small, in-situ sensors over a range of several meters. During the four-year course of this proposal the PJ seeks to extend and develop the different sensing technologies to ultimately provide the scientific community with a toolbox of sensor technologies that can be chosen as needed for a specific application. Such technology would find great use in environmental, manufacturing, and medical monitoring.
Two new remote-query chemical sensor technologies will be developed under this CAREER proposal: (1) Magnetoacoustic chemical sensors, where the change in mass of a chemical recognition layer results in a change in the resonant acoustic frequency emitted by a magnetostrictive thin film exposed to an ac magnetic field, and (2) Electromagnetic-based resonant antenna chemical sensors where changes either in the dielectric constant or volume of a chemical recognition layer result in changes of the resonant electromagnetic frequency of the sensor. By monitoring the frequency response of the sensors, rather than the amplitude, spurious responses due to sensor alignment within the interrogation field can be avoided.
There are several objectives per the educational component of this CAREER proposal. The first is development of a new inter-disciplinary course at the University of Kentucky (UK), entitled Sensing and Sensor Technologies, where students learn about biological and technological based sensing means. The class will incorporate a significant laboratory/independent research component where students have the opportunity to build their own sensors and sensing systems. This class will first be taught Fall Semester 1998 as an Honors class, open to all University of Kentucky Honors students at all levels and of all disciplines. The class will then be transformed to a Senior level class, offered through the Electrical Engineering Department, that is taught with a multi-disciplinary emphasis, and offered for the first time Spring Semester 1999 ***
