Potomac – UMBC Collaboration to develop novel manufacturing techniques for microfluidic devices shows early, promising results.

Thermistor heating of the underside of a microfluidic structure (cross-section view). The electrical interconnect layer carries electrical connections to the thermistors and provides optimized thermal insulation from the heat sink.

Microfluidics is the science of designing, manufacturing, and developing devices and processes that deal with extremely small volumes of fluid for many types of applications, including sensing, drug discovery, alternative energy, and point-of-care diagnostics. Testing and analysis processes, that would normally be performed in a lab, have now been miniaturized and can be conducted on a single chip in order to enhance efficiency and mobility, as well as, reducing sample and reagent volumes.  Recently, Potomac and its partners at UMBC and Potomac Mesosystems have embarked on several projects to develop novel microfluidic manufacturing technologies.

Surface mount thermistors for heating and sensing

In our first study, we’re investigating the use of submillimeter thermistors as combined heat sources and temperature sensors.  We’re using the smallest negative temperature coefficient thermistors with a footprint  of 0.3 mm x 0.6 mm (0201 size).

When thermistors are used for temperature sensing, great care is normally taken to avoid self heating of the thermistors by the sensing current.  In our case, we’re purposely self-heating the thermistor and monitoring its resistance to infer its temperature. This gives us a tiny heat source with an easily measured temperature that can be placed in close proximity to a microfluidic channel.

3-D temperature distribution model of a thermistor heater embedded in a microfluidic structure heat source with an easily measured temperature that can be placed in close proximity to a microfluidic channel.

Because of the complex heat flow patterns in a typical microfluidic structure, it is very helpful to use a 3D modeling program to estimate temperature distributions, required power input, cooling time constants and other important parameters.  The sketches to the left show a cross-section of a simple thermistor heater layout and the results of a Comsol model of the corresponding temperature distribution.  We are now constructing and modeling several single-thermistor configurations.

A “hot thermistor” flow sensor for microfluidics

A large variety of microfluidic flow sensors based on micromachined heaters and RTD’s have been reported in the literature.   Hot wire flow sensors – the analog of hot wire anemometers — are among the simplest of these, since they can be fabricated with a single heater with a well-defined relationship between resistance and temperature.  Implementation requires only a resistive heater fabricated from a very narrow and thin conductor that is placed near a microfluidic flow stream.  The heater is positioned near a heated with a drive current, and its temperature isinfluenced by the cooling effect of the nearby fluid flow.  Higher flow provides more cooling and lower heater temperatures.   Calibration of temperature (i.e. resistance) vs. flow results in a simple flow monitor.   Heater dimensions are typically such that fabrication is by photolithographic patterning of a metal film of submicron thickness. For good sensitivity, the heater should have a high thermal coefficient of resistivity.

Hot thermistor flow sensor.

We’ve recently shown that a small, surface-mount NTC thermistor can be substituted for the patterned thin metal film, with significant implications for reduction of process steps and costs associated with fabrication, and increased speed and simplicity of rapid prototyping of integrated flow sensors.  The very high temperature coefficient of thermistors provides good flow sensitivity, and use of surface mount electronic assembly techniques simplify fabrication.

In work carried out in the Potomac laboratory, Amir Harandi, a Ph.D. student at UMBC, fabricated a hot thermistor flow sensor like that shown at the right.  The microfluidic channel had a cross-section of 300 microns x 600 microns, and a 2Kohm NTC thermistor with a 0201 package size was used in the experiments.  Experimental results are summarized below, and demonstrate the relatively large electrical output variation produced by flow rates between 0 and 50 ul/min.

Voltage signal vs.Flow

Comparison of measurement and Comsol modeling results.

Availability of microfabrication tools at Potomac, such as lasers, micromills, plastics bonding, hot embossing, dispensing, and pick-and-place equipment, allows fabrication of of microfluidic prototypes that incorporate electronics in just a few hours.

For over 30 years, Potomac Photonics has been a leader in microfabrication and small hole drilling. Potomac’s contract services span prototyping to production, helping clients develop miniature products and bring them to market. Using cutting-edge manufacturing technology, Potomac has been recognized by both commercial and government agencies for innovation in areas such as medical device, electronics, aerospace, and automotive manufacturing. Potomac’s high-tech facility, located at bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park , is ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified. Visit the website at www.potomac-laser.com

PALO ALTO, CA (Marketwired - Mar 4, 2014) - Ayasdi (www.ayasdi.com) today announced that it continues to strengthen its executive bench, adding industry leaders Harnish Kanani, as Vice President of Customer Success, and Thomas Schaeffer, as Vice President of Human Resources, to its leadership team. Ayasdi enables organizations to automatically find insights in complex data and to discover answers to questions they did not know to ask. By eliminating the need to formulate initial hypothesis and write queries, Ayasdi's approach allows data scientists and domain experts to reveal breakthroughs in minutes. Kanani will report to Dr. Pek Lum, Chief Data Scientist and VP of Solutions and Schaeffer will report to Gurjeet Singh, Co-Founder and CEO of Ayasdi.

Kanani will help build and lead Ayasdi's Customer Success group. He is an entrepreneurial leader with 20-plus years of experience selling and delivering enterprise software products and services globally. Most recently, Kanani was the VP and GM within Oracle's Cloud Applications Consulting team. He has also previously overseen global customer success programs and services operations at Taleo (now part of Oracle), Cognizant Technology Solutions, SumTotal Systems, Emagia, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, and TATA. He holds a B.E. in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from India's Birla Institute of Technology and Science.

"It is a rare gift to work at a company where you can really make a difference in the world and Ayasdi is doing just that," said Harnish Kanani, Vice President of Customer Success, Ayasdi. "With Ayasdi's award-winning technology widely recognized as one of the most innovative platforms in Big Data and a team passionate about helping companies find breakthrough insights, we are going to build a world-class customer success team that will help solve our clients' most complex problems."

As Vice President of Human Resources, Schaeffer will manage the human resources function and continue to grow Ayasdi's team. Schaeffer has been a human resources executive in the high tech industry for more than 25 years. He has been a participant and strategist in five successful technology initial public offerings (IPOs), including YuMe, Juniper Networks, Megatest, Synopsys, and Daisy Systems. Schaeffer is also an expert in the human resource elements of corporate acquisition strategies, working on Cisco's acquisition of StrataCom, one of the largest technology acquisitions to date. Schaeffer holds a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of San Francisco and an M.A. in Organizational Development from Chapman University.

Big Data Expo Early Bird Savings here!

In his session at 5th Big Data Expo, Anthony Bak, Senior Data Scientist and Mathematician at Ayasdi, will discuss how Ayasdi uses Topological Data Analysis to solve complex problems for companies, foundations and academics. He will start with an overview of the core algorithm used in TDA and describe how it forms a unifying framework for many machine learning and data analysis tasks. He will demonstrate how Ayasdi turns this idea into a product with uses cases and a live demonstration of the software.

Explore Big Data Expo Sponsorship & Exhibit Opportunities !

Speaker Bio:
Anthony Bak is a Senior Data Scientist and Mathematician at Ayasdi, a data analytics startup based in Palo Alto, CA. Prior to Ayasdi, Anthony was a post doc at Stanford University where worked with Ayasdi co-founder Gunnar Carlsson on new methods and applications of Topological Data Analysis.

A Rock Star Faculty, Top Keynotes, Sessions, and Top Delegates!
Big Data Expo 2014 New York, June 10-12, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading Big Data industry players in the world.

The growth and success of Big Data will be on display at the upcoming Big Data Expo conference and exhibition in New York City, New York, June 10-12, 2014.

All main layers of the Big Data ecosystem will be represented at the 5th International Big Data Expo - the infrastructure players, the platform providers, and those offering applications, and they'll all be here to speak, sponsor, exhibit and network.

Sponsorship Opportunities 
for Big Data Expo 2014 New York
Big Data Expo 2014 New York "show prospectus" has shipped. Sponsorship, exhibit, and keynote opportunities can be obtained from Carmen Gonzalezby email at events (at) sys-con.com, or by phone 201 802-3021.

Early Bird Registration Options 
for Big Data Expo 2014 New York
Big Data Expo delegates can pre-register for Big Data Expo New Yorkwith Early Bird Savings here.

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- by Elizabeth White

A West Coast software company is expanding to Baltimore to tap into the area’s growing cyber security industry.

ParaTools, based in Eugene, Ore., has opened a Baltimore office at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s bwtech@UMBC research and technology park. The company’s software was designed to make complex supercomputers run more efficiently. Now, ParaTools wants to use the same efficiency software to improve cyber operations.

“With our skills in optimizing software and computer performance we think there’s a lot of opportunity in the cyber,” said John Linford, who is heading up the company’s Baltimore office.

ParaTools’ software attaches itself to a system and creates a profile that shows how and where time is being spent. The information can be used to rewrite code in trouble spot and make the system run more smoothly.

The company’s first cyber contract will focus on improving efficiency of drone aircraft that scans for suspicious vehicles. Previously, the drones collected data and brought it home to be analyzed. With ParaTools’ technology, the drones will be able to send data real-time, so they can more quickly address any problems identified.

ParaTools currently has four employees and reported almost a million in profit last year. The company’s two founders, professors at the University of Oregon, are based in Eugene. Linford and a UMBC professor work out of Baltimore.

The new industry focus will hopefully mean steady growth for the company over the next few years. ParaTools hopes to add five employees in Baltimore and grow revenue over the next several years.

“We’re not looking for huge growth or rapid growth, but we are looking for steady growth,” Linford said.

- Sarah Gantz, Reporter, Baltimore Business Journal

DB Networks Wins Multiple 2014 Info Security Products Guide Global Excellence Awards and Grand Trophy for Contributions to IT Security

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - (RSA Conference 2014 Booth 901 South Expo) - DB Networks, an innovator of behavioral analysis in database security, today announced that Info Security Products Guide, the industry's leading information security research and advisory guide, has named the DB Networks IDS-6300 as a winner of the 2014 Global Excellence Awards in the following five awards categories: Intrusion Detection, Prevention, or combinations; Innovation in Next-Generation Security; Database Security, Data Leakage-Protection/Extrusion Prevention; Most Innovative Security Product (Software) of the Year; and Tomorrow's Technology Today.

In addition the company earned the Grand Global Excellence Trophy for "Best of the Best" in security technology.

Read more at http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwgeeks/article/DB-Networks-Wins-Multiple-2014-Info-Security-Products-Guide-Global-Excellence-Awards-and-Grand-Trophy-for-Contributions-to-IT-Security-20140226#.UxCEhs7LKRN

Interview with Michael Sabo of DB Networks

Rooms To Grow

UMBC alumni, professors and students find new spaces and places for innovation.

Photography by Marlayna Demond ’11

* * * *

Much of the journey of creation takes place in the space of the human mind. Yet that journey is not a solitary one. Intellects require companionship. Great ideas spark new approaches – and more new ideas – when they are tested by conversation and forged in collaboration. And those combinations require spaces to encourage and enhance their work.

A research university such as UMBC excels in creating such spaces. Not only do its professors and students create them on (or nearby) the campus, but the university’s alumni carry that spirit of exploration into our community.

We invite you to take a closer looks at these spaces where the next great ideas in numerous disciplines are being developed or taught right now by members of the UMBC community.

THE CYBER HIVE

Proximity. Potentiality. Coffee.

This morning, you can almost hear the first two qualities over the hiss of the coffeemaker as the employees of Integrata Security watch a presentation by their CEO, Mike Geppi in the CyberHive – a joint project between bwtech@UMBC, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT) and Merritt Properties.

The Cyber Hive is a collaborative space with four tenants (including Integrata Security) and six affiliates. Tenants have dedicated office space and access to the common areas, while affiliates have access to the common areas. “It’s very high tech,” says Geppi.

Integrata Security is developing technology for secure wireless networks. The National Security Agency (NSA) was interested in how to make wireless networks secure, and after a survey of commercially available solutions, the agency determined that none was secure enough. So the NSA invented a new technology, which Integrata has licensed and is developing for commercial and government use.

For Geppi, part of the CyberHive’s allure is its location. “Being close to the NSA is fantastic,” he says. “Not only is the location of the CyberHive great but we also have access to the talent on the UMBC campus.”

Ellen Hemmerly, president and executive director of bwtech@UMBC, says that combination was just what she and her team had in mind with the venture, which will further boost the research park’s already burgeoning presence in the cybertechnology field.

“It adds to our cyber program at bwtech@UMBC by providing co-working space and meeting space that will facilitate the growing of our affiliate program, which houses cybersecurity companies that don’t need a dedicated office space,” she says “We also hope it will facilitate partnerships between cyber companies, UMBC faculty and students.”

Geppi says the design of the Cyber Hive makes it a naturally collaborative environment. “We do interact with other companies and that’s a real benefit. Having startups talk with each other. It typically leads to opportunity. We can develop strategic partnerships or find customers. Some of the entrepreneurs here are going through the exact same thing I’m going through and it’s good to be able to compare notes.”

While Geppi meets with his team, Tyler Simon and John Linford meet in a private office.  They are both research scientists for Paratools, a software engineering firm.  Simon, who is also a research scientist in the computer science and electrical engineering department at UMBC, agrees with Geppi about the Cyber Hive’s possibilities for collaboration.

“People are more likely to collaborate because they just walk by,” Simon observes. “It’s better than just a bunch of closed offices.”

Linford concurs: “It’s the first incubator I’ve been in that has that feature.”

– Nicole Ruediger

For more information about the Cyber Hive: http://www.bwtechumbc.com/pdf/cyberhive.pdf

UMBC Hosts Media Workshop for Faculty Researchers and bwtech@UMBC Entrepreneurs

Nearly two dozen UMBC faculty researchers and bwtech@UMBC entrepreneurs attended a media workshop held in the research and technology park’s new CyberHive on Thursday, February 20th. UMBC’s Office of Institutional Advancement organized the event in collaboration with bwtech@UMBC as an opportunity for researchers and entrepreneurs to learn about media relations and strategies to gain visibility for their work.

Attendees heard from three local journalists: Sarah Gantz from the Baltimore Business Journal, Liz Gormisky from Defense Daily, and Lisa Palmer, an NSF-funded science communication fellow at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center and freelance journalist who has written for publications such as The New York Times, Scientific American and Slate.

In their talks and the Q&A session that followed, Gantz, Gormisky and Palmer discussed how to communicate and build relationships with journalists to generate interest in new research or technologies. Additional topics included how various types of publications work on different timetables and use different types of sources, and how to tailor story pitches to fit particular news outlets.