Dr. Joseph J. Brown joined the UHM Mechanical Engineering department in August 2017. He was previously a Research Scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder Department of Mechanical Engineering, and served there as a Lecturer in 2014-2015, teaching classes of up to 90 students. Dr. Brown has worked on a diverse array of research since 1999, centered on nanoscale device and materials engineering, including precision assembly, experimental mechanics, fluid processing, and applications of nanostructures and nanoscale systems. He helped found a company that provided nanotube textiles used on NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter. He is author of 16 journal articles, 8 conference papers, and 1 book chapter, and he is an inventor of 5 U.S. patents and 11 international patents. He is a member of ASME, IEEE, and AAAS.

Innovation from Nanomanufactured Structures, Systems, and Materials

In this talk, I will discuss my research in microscale and nanoscale mechanical engineering, focusing on recent projects integrating engineered ultrathin films in scalable nanomanufacturing processes. These projects center on structural materials and interfaces, and structureenvironment interactions in nanofabrication-enabled devices such as thin film loudspeakers and sensors. This presentation will discuss some of the properties of ultrathin films from ALD/MLD (atomic/molecular layer deposition), and the challenges of applying nanoengineering to structural interfaces and active electromechanical devices. I also will discuss these in the broader context of challenges for engineering leadership in US and global society, and some opportunities for leadership in nanotechnology/nanomanufacturing. The talk will also include a look at current research directions here at the University of Hawaii, and opportunities for future research.

Please RSVP by noon on Thursday, February 8 to Carrie Matsuzaki at x 6-2286 or e-mail: cmatsuza@hawaii.edu