The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Ames Laboratory at Iowa State University (ISU) has demonstrated its scientific excellence once again, bringing home two more R&D 100 Awards.
R&D Magazine presents
awards for the 100 most significant new technologies introduced
into the world market each year. This year, editors at the
magazine announced the selection of the ESY9600
Multiplexed Capillary Electrophoresis DNA Sequencer and Nanocrystalline
Composite Coercive Magnet Powder as award-winning
technologies from Ames Lab.
These latest R&D 100 Awards bring to 12 the number of such awards won by Ames Lab scientists since 1984. "These awards represent glowing recognition of the ability of Ames Lab scientists to take the results of their fundamental studies into the public marketplace," says Tom Barton, Ames Lab director. "The success of the Lab in the R&D 100 Award competition over the years has been phenomenal when our size relative to the competition is considered."
The ESY9600 Multiplexed Capillary Electrophoresis DNA Sequencer was developed by Ed Yeung, Ames Lab program director for Physical and Biological Chemistry and an ISU distinguished professor of chemistry. The technology promises to play an integral role in worldwide efforts to sequence the entire human genome. And the ability to decipher our complete genetic code should greatly enhance the diagnosis of diseases and the development of improved treatments.
The product is a detection system for simultaneously monitoring 96 independent capillary separations based on laser-excited fluorescence in the samples. Operating at 24 times higher speed, it is destined to replace current DNA sequencers and do so at a comparable cost. It would take 1,000 years for a conventional instrument to sequence the genome once. But with a future scale-up potential to 1,000 capillaries per instrument, Yeung's device could produce raw data fast enough to read the entire human genome once in 68 days.
Ames Lab won its second 1997 R&D 100 Award in a joint entry with Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), the submitting organization. Winning for Nanocrystalline Composite Coercive Magnet Powder were Bill McCallum, an Ames Lab senior materials scientist and an ISU adjunct professor of materials science and engineering; Matt Kramer, an Ames Lab scientist and an ISU adjunct associate professor of material science and engineering; and Kevin Dennis, and Ames Lab assistant metallurgist. They led the Lab's effort in the development and application of a new alloying approach in rare-earth-based permanent magnet systems, which resulted in the creation of advanced alloys with a nanocrystalline composite microstructure. Their colleagues and co-winners from INEEL include Daniel Branagan, an ISU graduate; Timothy Hyde; and Charles Sellers. The partnership was part of the program for Tailored Microstructures in Permanent Magnets sponsored by the DOE Center of Excellence for Synthesis and Processing of Advanced Materials.
The Ames Lab/INEEL team developed a new alloy suitable for gas atomization, a significant accomplishment since current commercial rare-earth permanent alloys do not retain their hard magnetic properties when atomized. Atomization processing of the new alloys maintained their hard magnetic properties with improved processability. Gas atomization methods will make possible high-volume, low-cost production to meet the rapidly growing market demand for uniform magnet powder. The Ames Lab/INEEL improvements in properties and processing characteristics will allow industry to develop better magnets for use in more energy-efficient motors for industrial, automotive and consumer applications.
Return to Inquiry table of contents
Last revision: 4/17/98 sd
Home | Comments | Search | Disclaimer