This proposal was received in response to Nanoscale Science and Engineering initiative, NSF 02-148, category NER. This interdisciplinary, collaborative research project combines the expertise of the P.I. in creating and characterizing nanostructured surfaces with the expertise of the Co-P.I. in protein functionalization and immobilization. It involves two institutions of the Claremont Consortium (one undergraduate, one graduate), and will provide the opportunity to combine their research resources, enabling a project not feasible without this collaboration. Three undergraduate students will be able to participate in cutting-edge research, under the guidance of two women faculty members, a postdoctoral associate and a research assistant and will bring applications of nanoscience and nanotechnology to the students at both institutions. The results from this project will be presented at national conferences, and will be integrated into the senior undergraduate research program and the bioengineering curriculum at the institution of the P.I. and Co-P.I., respectively.
