SOUTH BEND, IND. (June 17, 2009) – Three Ivy Tech Community College-North Central students were each awarded a Nanotech Undergraduate Research Fellowship (NURF) and an Ivy Tech Biotechnology instructor was awarded a Research Education for Teachers (RET) fellowship. All will work on the University of Notre Dame campus this summer.

Kathryn Griffin, of South Bend; Amro Mentash, of South Bend; and Leigh Weaver, of Elkhart will conduct research on the University of Notre Dame campus under the direction of Notre Dame’s Marya Lieberman, professor of Surface and Materials Chemistry. Ivy Tech student research includes working with DNA nanostructures and the adherence of bacteria to nanosurfaces. 

Assistant professor of Biotechnology George Twaddle will work with Notre Dame faculty and students from both Ivy Tech and Notre Dame on potentially groundbreaking nanotech research.

Other collaborative nanotechnology projects in the Ivy Tech/Notre Dame research partnership this summer include constructing DNA, linking molecules in unique shapes and creating nanosurfaces that can promote or inhibit bacterial growth. According to Twaddle, this type of research could lead to creating clean surfaces that resist bad bacteria and promote good bacterial growth.  Other research findings could be used in everyday applications such as creating clothing that stays permanently clean and never needs to be washed.   

According to Ivy Tech-North Central Chancellor Virginia B. Calvin, the student fellowships will give internship credit as well as practical workplace experience for  future careers as biotechnologists. “Our students are on the ground floor of new discoveries.  We’re proud and excited that they’re participating in this enhanced learning opportunity this summer.”

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution and the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college system with more than 120,000 students enrolled annually.  Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana.  It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana.  It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.