Centers
Department of Physics
UCCS Center of the University of Colorado BioFrontiers Institute
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
Osborne Science and Engineering Building
Main Office A452
Director: Bob Camley (719) 255-3512 rcamley@uccs.edu
Lab Manager: Yuriy Garbovskiy (719) 255-3123 ygarbovs@uccs.edu
Admin. Operations Manager: Kristen Petersen (719) 255-3964 kpeter13@uccs.edu
https://biofrontiers.uccs.edu/
The UCCS Center of the University of Colorado BioFrontiers Institute (BioFrontiers-UCCS) is devoted to collaborations between scientists across disciplines to advance biotechnology. The initial focus of BioFrontiers-UCCS is to complete collaborative research projects in biology and physics. Our goal is to attract talented researchers and students by providing an environment that encourages and rewards innovative thinking and collaborative research. As BioFrontiers-UCCS grows, additional research areas will be added, bridging such disciplines as physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, computational science, and biology.
The BioFrontiers Institute began at CU Boulder as the Colorado Initiative in Molecular Biotechnology (CIMB) and has evolved into a system-wide program. The Institute is headquartered on the CU Boulder campus and is currently headed by Tom Cech (Nobel Prize winner) and Leslie Leinwand. We anticipate active collaboration between researchers at the different campuses. As an extension of the BioFrontiers Institute in Boulder, BioFrontiers-UCCS currently has seven faculty members whose research will contribute to the BioFrontiers effort. We have extensive lab facilities and equipment in the new Osborne Science and Engineering Center.
BioFrontiers-UCCS is funded by a generous donation from the CU Foundation.
Center for Magnetism and Magnetic Nanostructures
Research in magnetism has exploded in the past 15 years because of the novel properties of layered magnetic films, where an individual layer can be only 5 atoms thick. Some of this research was quickly transferred into practical devices - creating a 20 GigaByte magnetic storage system on something the size of a postal stamp. The Center for Magnetism and Magnetic Nanostructures is dedicated to the study of magnetic phenomena, particularly in ultra-small magnetic structures.
The current research of the Center is concentrated on understanding and manipulating high frequency electromagnetic waves (10-80 GHz) using structured magnetic materials. This is particularly important because there are "windows" in this frequency range where electromagnetic waves can penetrate fog and smoke. These windows could allow the landing of planes in poor weather through radar guidance, for example.
The work of the Center is funded from grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the US Army Research Office, and NISSC. The total funding is about $300,000 per year. The Center also has much active collaboration including interactions with Argonne National Laboratory, University of Western Australia, University of California at Irvine, University of Silesia Poland, IFW in Germany, and University of Central Florida. The Center also actively involves all levels of students. In the past year we have had 5 undergraduate students, 2 graduate students, and two high school students working with us. Of the 11 papers published by center faculty this year, four included students as co-authors.
Since its foundation in 2011, the Center for Advanced Technologies and Optical Materials has been devoted to serve and enrich the following major interrelated areas: research, technological development, and education. From fundamental understanding of physical properties of liquid crystals, polymers, thin films, and nanoparticles to technological advancement creating novel functional materials and designing devices based on them, the Center establishes pioneering research to reach ground-breaking hi-tech milestones.
The Center brings together faculty from across UCCS as well as many collaborators from multiple institutions and agencies, providing unique multidisciplinary expertise to bridge the gap in research and development for current industries, increase the speed of innovational and technological break-through of industrial partners, and leverage knowledge and expertise for best R&D investment payoff.
The mission of the Center is to provide a state-of-the art platform for the fundamental and applied cutting-edge research and development, research opportunities for scholars and the academic community, and strong education and training for current professionals, graduates and undergraduates, K-12 students, and timely solutions to high-profile industrial projects. This mission has been designed to follow the mission and goals of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) through building strong collaborations between students, faculty and staff members, research, and promotion of education and excellence.
We promote excellence in science and success for all students in their academic careers at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Towards this end, we extend our services to our students and across our university community.
To Our Students: Because students' needs and backgrounds are highly individual, the Science Center offers exemplary support to promote success. The Center provides drop-in tutoring for individuals and small groups, problem-solving sessions (called Extra Instruction, or EI, sessions), and a wide variety of course materials (e.g., help sheets, problem sheets, practice exams and quizzes). Working together, peer tutors and students build collaborative communities to help students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills in mathematics and science.
