Overview of the Institute

Past Research

• Steven M. Block - Single Molecule Biophysics
  
  Current Stanford Webpage
  Research in our lab marries aspects of physics and biology to study the properties of proteins or nucleic acids at the level of single macromolecules and molecular complexes. Experimental tools include laser-based optical traps ("optical tweezers") and a variety of state-of-the-art fluorescence techniques, in conjunction with custom-built instrumentation for the nanometer-level detection of displacements and piconewton-level detection of forces



• Ava Chase - Animal Behavior
  
  Past Rowland Webpage
  Study complex discrimination tasks in simple animals (fish)
  Behavior, Research Methods, Instruments and Computers 31, 470 (1999)
  
  
  
• Dongmin Chen - Nanoscale Quantum Physics
  
  Past Rowland Webpage
  The main thrust of our group is to explore novel quantum phenomena in nanoscale materials using scanning tunneling microscopy in an ultra high vacuum, low temperature and high magnetic field environment.
  
  
  
• Louis Cincotta - Photomedicine and Photobiology
  
  Past Rowland Webpage
  Supramolecular chemistry of the phenothiazine moeity
  Design of photosensitizers for the photo-inactivation of viruses
  Isolation of anti-cancer agents from natural products
  Exploration of tumor immunotherapies through the use of photodynamically generated tumor associated antigens



• Jean-Marc Fournier - Optical Structures
  
  Past Rowland Webpage
  Lippmann photography (historical full-color photography process)
  J. Imaging Sc. Tech. 38, 507 (1994)
  Very high resolution photosensitive material
  Optical trapping
  Ultra-sensitive phase imaging microscope



• Lene Vestergaard Hau - Bose-Einstein Condensation and Non-Linear Optics
  
  Current Harvard Webpage | Past Rowland Webpage
Bose-Einstein condensation in a 4 Dee trap
Study of condensate/non-condensate interactions: Phys. Rev. A 58, R54 (1998)
Ultra Slow Light
Non-linear optics using BEC
Speed of light in BEC reduced to 38 MPH: Nature 397, 594 (1999)



• Jeffrey Hoch - Protein Structures and Dynamics
  
  Current UCHC Webpage | Past Rowland Webpage
  
  NMR studies of protein structure and dynamics
  NMR data processing
  Investigations of protein/water/cosolute interactions
  NMR
  osmometry
  computer simulation

  
  
• Amit Meller - Single Molecule Biophysics
  
  Current Boston University Webpage | Past Rowland Webpage
  We study the dynamics of individual DNA and RNA molecules threaded through a nanomete scale pore (“nanopore”). The threading of the negatively charged biopolymers is made possible by an electric field applied across the nanopore. Controlling the magnitude of the field in real time allow us to apply a varying force on the molecule and study its response. In this way we are able to detect the interactions of polynucleotides with proteins, and study secondary structure formation in RNA. The structure of the single molecule is probed using time-resolved Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer and single channel ion current measurements.
  
  
  
• John Osterhout - Protein Folding & Design
  
  Current University of Arizona Webpage | Past Rowland Webpage
  De novo design and characterization of a helical hairpin peptide
  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91, 3675 (1994)
  Design of 4-helix bundle



• Robert Savoy - Brain Mapping
  
  Past Rowland Webpage
  Using temporal resolution of fMRI to drive novel experimental design
  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93, 14878 (1996)
  Detecting brain response to voluntary shifts of attention
  Neuron 18, 591 (1997)
  Commonalities in language processing from words seen or heard
  Human Brain Mapping 7, 15 (1999)



• Jay Scarpetti - Stereo Imaging Group
  
  Past Rowland Webpage
  Technique for using ink-jet printer, special inks, substrate to make 3D hardcopy
  Proceedings SPIE 3012, 246 (1997)
  Commercialization of process
  
  
  
• Diane Schaak - Bacteriophage Therapy
  
  Past Rowland Webpage
  Enhancing bacteriophage therapy