Western's Andreas Riemann to discuss his research in molecular nanostructures Nov. 3

Andreas Riemann, an associate professor in the department of physics/astronomy at Western Washington University, will speak on "Molecular Nanostructures on Surfaces" during a noon lecture Thursday, Nov. 3, in Communications Facility Room 105.

Riemann's presentation is part of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Faculty Research series.

Molecular self-assembly plays a crucial role in biology and is the focus of many research projects in the field of nanotechnology. Here, the goal is to create structures that could be used for further applications in molecular electronics, biosensors or medicine. The control of these nanostructures is a fundamental challenge in surface science. Especially interesting are so-called molecular wires, one-dimensional arrangements of molecules that are preferably self-assembled. There is a wide variety of molecules to choose from, natural occurring species as well as specifically engineered molecules. In his talk, Riemann will give an overview of methods used to image and create molecular nanostructures and show results of experimental and computational work done on amino acid structures on surfaces.

All faculty, staff, students and off-campus community members are invited to attend the RSP lectures, and faculty are encouraged to invite their students. The purpose of the series is to provide opportunities to learn about research, publication of research and the direction research is taking in various disciplines and cross disciplinary areas of the university.

For more information, contact Ken Clark, director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, at (360) 650-4403 or ken.clark@wwu.edu, or Connie Hernandez at (360) 650-2884 or connie.hernandez@wwu.edu.