Wednesday, January 24, 2007, 11am - 12pm, MDEA

Controlling Particles in Micro-Fluidic Devices

Nadine Aubry

Professor and Department Head

Mechanical Engineering Department

Carnegie Mellon University

Abstract

Although the further understanding of micro-fluid dynamics, that is the analysis and control of fluid dynamics in micron-sized devices, is crucial for advancing many microfluidic systems such as laboratory-on-a-chip, it also presents numerous challenges, particularly as these flows often carry particles, droplets, and/or bubbles.  In this talk, I will present and address some of these challenges associated with the transport and separation of micro- and nano-sized particles suspended in fluids, the efficient mixing of fluids for bringing particles in contact of one another, and the generation of droplets from continuous streams in small scale straight channels. 

Biographical sketch

Nadine Aubry received a B.S. degree from the National Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble (France) and an M.S. degree from the Scientific and Medical University of Grenoble in 1984, and her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1987.  After staying there as a post-doctoral associate, she joined the faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the City University of New York.  In 1996, she moved to New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) as Jacobus Professor of the Mechanical Engineering Department.  From 2000 to 2005, she served as chair of her department and was promoted to the rank of Distinguished Professor in 2002.   From 2000 to 2006, she also served as the founding Director of the New Jersey Center for Micro-Flow Control, as well as the founding Co-Director of the W.M. Keck Laboratory for nanotechnology research and education. She joined Carnegie Mellon University as Professor and Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department as of July 1, 2006.  Professor Aubry’s research interests lie in the area of fluid mechanics and microfluidics. Her national awards and appointments include the National Science Foundation’s Presidential Young Investigator Award, her election as Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and her current appointment as Chair of the US National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics within the National Academies.