Detecting biological agents, developing land mine discovery techniques and improving computer memory durability are among the projects in which some University of Houston engineering students will be involved through the National Science Foundation-Navy Civilian Service Fellowship Program.
Totaling more than $226,000 in direct costs, the NSF grant will support the fellowship and tuition-related costs for the students. The research will focus on the development of device structures, including nanomagnetic biosensors, magnetic random access memory (MRAM) and ultra-sensitive magnetic sensors for detecting land mines.
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is interested in development of the nanomagnetic biosensors that can be utilized for detection of biological warfare agents, such as anthrax, as well as for civilian applications, such as food and water safety monitoring. The lab also is interested in the development of low-power, non-volatile computer memory that can withstand the effects of ionizing radiation and severe electromagnetic pulses, the by-products of nuclear explosion.
