
August 2007 Letter from the Director Renewable energy, homeland security, infrastructure problems — these are just a few of the major challenges for research and technology centers in universities across the country. With its two decades of experience in solving complex interdisciplinary problems, the Institute for Physical Research and Technology is well positioned to play a key role in addressing these fundamental problems. I am honored to be the new director of IPRT. I believe that its network of diverse cutting-edge research centers, the application of this research to economic development through IPRT Company Assistance, and the educational outreach efforts of Science Bound combine to make this enterprise unique. Each year, hundreds of Iowa companies, both large and small, benefit from the expertise in IPRT. Despite this record of success, I believe we need to continue our efforts to make new connections. I intend to disseminate the “IPRT message” to as many groups as I can in the coming years. As we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of IPRT, you can look forward to a series of events, including some IPRT-sponsored lectures by leading researchers. – George Kraus, IPRT Director CNDE Conference a Hit IPRT’s Center for Nondestructive Evaluation held its annual “Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation” in July at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo. Considered by many the premier research meeting in the field, the conference attracted over 325 attendees. IPRT scientific adviser Don Thompson held a special panel discussion session on the Perspective on NDE Education, focusing on young engineers. The conference also included a pre-conference short course on the measurement of residual stress. The World Federation of NDE Centers, of which Iowa State serves as the permanent secretary, held a post-conference meeting. The conference also held its annual student poster competition. CNDE reports that over 40 percent of attendees were from outside the United States, representing 22 countries. Some 78 students were also at the conference. Attendance was up slightly from the previous year’s event held in Portland, Ore. The event was held in cooperation with the Air Force Research Laboratory, the American Society for Nondestructive Testing, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-LaRC, and the National Science Foundation (Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers). IPRT Lin Named CCAT Director Victor S.-Y. Lin has been appointed director of IPRT’s Center for Catalysis. Lin, who also is a professor of chemistry at Iowa State, replaces George Kraus, who was recently named IPRT director. “We could not have found a better director for the center than Victor Lin,” Kraus said. “Victor is one of the world’s experts in the basic science of catalysis as well as the application of catalysts in agriculture, industry and even medicine.” Victor Lin Lin has done research at the center since its inception in 2001. He was recently named director of the Chemical and Biological Sciences Program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory. “I hope to build on the excellent foundation laid down by George Kraus,” says Lin, adding that the Center for Catalysis will continue to explore and develop innovative catalysts, which are substances that speed up chemical reactions. In addition, Lin recently founded a company called Catilin, Inc. to commercialize catalysts aimed at making biodiesel production cheaper, faster and less toxic. IPRT	CNDE Tapper Goes to the Fair The “tapper,” a nondestructive evaluation system invented by researchers at IPRT’s Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, was featured in the Iowa State University’s exhibit at this year’s Iowa State Fair. The display explained how the tapper played a role in the investigation of the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 into the Belle Harbor, New York, on November 12, 2001. The tapper, a nondestructive evaluation system created by CNDE researchers, was on display at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines With the tapper, researchers with ISU’s Center for Aviation Systems Reliability mapped out damages on the aircraft’s entire rudder (approximately 28 feet tall), which was recovered from the crash site. The resulting data provided vital information to investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board. Designed by David Hsu and a team of researchers at CNDE, the tapper replaces the traditional method of tapping a coin on honeycomb and composite aircraft parts to inspect for damage. The tapper is inexpensive, requires little training to operate and provides a reliable method of inspection that isn’t hindered by aircraft hangar noise. Attached to a computer, the tapper’s accelerometer translates the stiffness of a part’s surface into digital information displayed on a monitor. A commercial version of the tapper is offered by a CNDE spin-off company called Applied Structural Imaging, Inc., located in Ames. IPRT IPRT’s Joiner Certified Stacy Joiner, IPRT Program Coordinator, recently passed the Certified Research Administrator exam administered by the Research Administrators Certification Council. The designation of Certified Research Administrator (CRA) signifies an individual has demonstrated a level of knowledge necessary to be a professional research or sponsored-programs administrator. IPRT
IPRT News in Your Email Inbox This is the first issue of IPRT News, the email newsletter replacing The Link newsletter published as part of the Ames Laboratory Insider. “I hope you like the IPRT newsletter in electronic form. It offers expanded options for describing the exciting projects underway in the Institute,” says IPRT director George Kraus. A copy of the newsletter will be posted on the IPRT Web site for reference and archival purposes. IPRT News will be made available to non-IPRT employees at Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory. The newsletter will be published quarterly. Let us know what you think: Robert Mills, rmills@iastate.edu, 294-1113. IPRT
About IPRT News The Institute for Physical Research and Technology is a network of scientific research centers at Iowa State University. In addition to performing world-class scientific research, IPRT provides technical assistance and contract research services to Iowa companies. This monthly email newsletter is produced by IPRT Public Affairs for IPRT employees and all interested parties. • Subscribe: Robert Mills, IPRT Public Affairs, rmills@iastate.edu, 515-294-1113. • Contribute news: Robert Mills, IPRT Public Affairs, rmills@iastate.edu, 515-294-1113. • View a Web version here. Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 3210 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

August 2007

Letter from the Director

Renewable energy, homeland security, infrastructure problems — these are just a few of the major challenges for research and technology centers in universities across the country. With its two decades of experience in solving complex interdisciplinary problems, the Institute for Physical Research and Technology is well positioned to play a key role in addressing these fundamental problems.

I am honored to be the new director of IPRT. I believe that its network of diverse cutting-edge research centers, the application of this research to economic development through IPRT Company Assistance, and the educational outreach efforts of Science Bound combine to make this enterprise unique. Each year, hundreds of Iowa companies, both large and small, benefit from the expertise in IPRT. Despite this record of success, I believe we need to continue our efforts to make new connections. I intend to disseminate the “IPRT message” to as many groups as I can in the coming years.

As we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of IPRT, you can look forward to a series of events, including some IPRT-sponsored lectures by leading researchers.

– George Kraus, IPRT Director

CNDE Conference a Hit

IPRT’s Center for Nondestructive Evaluation held its annual “Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation” in July at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo. Considered by many the premier research meeting in the field, the conference attracted over 325 attendees. IPRT scientific adviser Don Thompson held a special panel discussion session on the Perspective on NDE Education, focusing on young engineers.

The conference also included a pre-conference short course on the measurement of residual stress. The World Federation of NDE Centers, of which Iowa State serves as the permanent secretary, held a post-conference meeting.

The conference also held its annual student poster competition. CNDE reports that over 40 percent of attendees were from outside the United States, representing 22 countries. Some 78 students were also at the conference. Attendance was up slightly from the previous year’s event held in Portland, Ore.

The event was held in cooperation with the Air Force Research Laboratory, the American Society for Nondestructive Testing, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-LaRC, and the National Science Foundation (Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers). IPRT

Lin Named CCAT Director

Victor S.-Y. Lin has been appointed director of IPRT’s Center for Catalysis. Lin, who also is a professor of chemistry at Iowa State, replaces George Kraus, who was recently named IPRT director. “We could not have found a better director for the center than Victor Lin,” Kraus said. “Victor is one of the world’s experts in the basic science of catalysis as well as the application of catalysts in agriculture, industry and even medicine.”

Victor Lin

Lin has done research at the center since its inception in 2001. He was recently named director of the Chemical and Biological Sciences Program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory. “I hope to build on the excellent foundation laid down by George Kraus,” says Lin, adding that the Center for Catalysis will continue to explore and develop innovative catalysts, which are substances that speed up chemical reactions. In addition, Lin recently founded a company called Catilin, Inc. to commercialize catalysts aimed at making biodiesel production cheaper, faster and less toxic. IPRT

CNDE Tapper
Goes to the Fair

The “tapper,” a nondestructive evaluation system invented by researchers at IPRT’s Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, was featured in the Iowa State University’s exhibit at this year’s Iowa State Fair.

The display explained how the tapper played a role in the investigation of the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 into the Belle Harbor, New York, on November 12, 2001.

CNDE "Tapper"

The tapper, a nondestructive evaluation system created by CNDE researchers, was on display at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines

With the tapper, researchers with ISU’s Center for Aviation Systems Reliability mapped out damages on the aircraft’s entire rudder (approximately 28 feet tall), which was recovered from the crash site. The resulting data provided vital information to investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board.

Designed by David Hsu and a team of researchers at CNDE, the tapper replaces the traditional method of tapping a coin on honeycomb and composite aircraft parts to inspect for damage. The tapper is inexpensive, requires little training to operate and provides a reliable method of inspection that isn’t hindered by aircraft hangar noise. Attached to a computer, the tapper’s accelerometer translates the stiffness of a part’s surface into digital information displayed on a monitor. A commercial version of the tapper is offered by a CNDE spin-off company called Applied Structural Imaging, Inc., located in Ames. IPRT

IPRT’s Joiner Certified

Stacy Joiner, IPRT Program Coordinator, recently passed the Certified Research Administrator exam administered by the Research Administrators Certification Council. The designation of Certified Research Administrator (CRA) signifies an individual has demonstrated a level of knowledge necessary to be a professional research or sponsored-programs administrator. IPRT

IPRT News in Your Email Inbox

This is the first issue of IPRT News, the email newsletter replacing The Link newsletter published as part of the Ames Laboratory Insider. “I hope you like the IPRT newsletter in electronic form. It offers expanded options for describing the exciting projects underway in the Institute,” says IPRT director George Kraus.

A copy of the newsletter will be posted on the IPRT Web site for reference and archival purposes. IPRT News will be made available to non-IPRT employees at Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory. The newsletter will be published quarterly. Let us know what you think: Robert Mills, rmills@iastate.edu, 294-1113. IPRT

About IPRT News

The Institute for Physical Research and Technology is a network of scientific research centers at Iowa State University. In addition to performing world-class scientific research, IPRT provides technical assistance and contract research services to Iowa companies.

This monthly email newsletter is produced by IPRT Public Affairs for IPRT employees and all interested parties.
• Subscribe: Robert Mills, IPRT Public Affairs, rmills@iastate.edu, 515-294-1113.
• Contribute news: Robert Mills, IPRT Public Affairs, rmills@iastate.edu, 515-294-1113.
• View a Web version here.

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 3210 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.