Ohio University names five outstanding Presidential Research Scholars (see the full story at this link)

Ohio University named five professors from physics, engineering, communications and business as its 2021-22 Presidential Research Scholars.

"These faculty are internationally recognized for their success in advancing the state of knowledge in their respective fields," said Joseph Shields, vice president for research and creative activity. “We are fortunate to have such accomplished individuals as colleagues and mentors for students, and their stature is important in defining OHIO’s reputation as a research university.”

The Presidential Research Scholars awards program is targeted to faculty members who have garnered national and international prominence in research, scholarship and creative activity and who demonstrate clear promise for continued, significant productivity in their research or creative activity.

Each award recipient receives $3,000 to be used at the scholar’s discretion as an honorarium or to support research or creative works.

...

Arthur Smith: Studying electronic materials with magnetic spins for potential new devices

Dr. Arthur Smith(opens in a new window), professor of Physics and Astronomy(opens in a new window) in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded nearly $8 million in external grant funding over his research career. Smith uses Scanning Tunneling Microscopy to view single atoms on material surfaces and molecular beam epitaxy to grow his own crystalline layer samples, one atom at a time.

But his work took a major turn in 2000.

One day, while scanning the surface of manganese nitride, a magnetic material, Smith and his students began to see a modulation due to the spins of the manganese atoms. This discovery marked a whole new direction for Smith’s lab, exploring spintronic materials, which combine normal electronic materials with magnetic spins and can lead to new devices with enhanced functionality and decreased power consumption.

Having a tool capable of seeing not only the atoms, but also their spins, positioned his group as a world leader in this area. Indeed, as noted by his colleagues in the field, Smith is one of the few researchers who designs and builds his own instrumentation, ensuring his lab is always conducting cutting-edge research.

"Most importantly for me is to never lose that sense of wonder and imagination I get when viewing the atomic arrangements of a new material’s surface and to hopefully impart this gift to my own students," Smith said.

full story at: https://www.ohio.edu/news/2021/11/ohio-university-names-five-outstanding-presidential-research-scholars?utm_source%3Dnewsletter%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_content%3Dfac-staff-list%26utm_campaign%3Dohionews_111221_UCM

Tags: