Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment
Encyclopedia
Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment (MIRTHE) is an Engineering Research Center (ERC) funded by the National Science Foundation
. It was launched on May 1, 2006 as part of NSF's larger program of ERCs. Largely based at Princeton University
and Rice University
, initial funding of the center is $15 million in its first year, with an additional $40 million allotted over the next 10 years.
) optical trace gas sensing systems based on new technologies such as quantum cascade laser
s or quartz enhanced photo-acoustic spectroscopy, with the ability to detect minute amounts of chemicals found in the environment or atmosphere, emitted from spills, combustion
, or natural sources, or exhaled in human breath. Through its fundamental research and prototyping in materials, sources, detectors, sensing systems, and application testbeds, MIRTHE addresses a broad range of technologies and industry sectors - semiconductor
s, test and measurement, medical equipment
manufacturers, chemical and petrochemical, and homeland security - as well as government labs and hospitals. MIRTHE provides an interdisciplinary
and practice-oriented education for a competitive and diverse U.S. workforce and seeks to educate the public about chemical sensing applied to applications in environment, homeland security, and health.
, Rice University
, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Johns Hopkins University
and the City College of New York
. In addition, the center is taking a novel approach of attaining funding both from NSF and by membership support from collaborative industries.
Claire Gmachl, director of MIRTHE states, "The sensors we are creating will be portable and easy to use. Today's state-of-the-art sensors are very sensitive, but require an expert to operate and are bulky and expensive. MIRTHE's vision is to make sensors with the same or better level of sensitivity at a fraction of the size and cost."
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
. It was launched on May 1, 2006 as part of NSF's larger program of ERCs. Largely based at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, initial funding of the center is $15 million in its first year, with an additional $40 million allotted over the next 10 years.
Objectives
MIRTHE's goal is to develop mid-infrared ( λ ~ 3 to 30 μmMicrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
) optical trace gas sensing systems based on new technologies such as quantum cascade laser
Quantum cascade laser
Quantum cascade lasers are semiconductor lasers that emit in the mid- to far-infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and were first demonstrated by Jerome Faist, Federico Capasso, Deborah Sivco, Carlo Sirtori, Albert Hutchinson, and Alfred Cho at Bell Laboratories in 1994.Unlike typical...
s or quartz enhanced photo-acoustic spectroscopy, with the ability to detect minute amounts of chemicals found in the environment or atmosphere, emitted from spills, combustion
Combustion
Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
, or natural sources, or exhaled in human breath. Through its fundamental research and prototyping in materials, sources, detectors, sensing systems, and application testbeds, MIRTHE addresses a broad range of technologies and industry sectors - semiconductor
Semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...
s, test and measurement, medical equipment
Medical equipment
Medical equipment is designed to aid in the diagnosis, monitoring or treatment of medical conditions.-Types:There are several basic types:* Diagnostic equipment includes medical imaging machines, used to aid in diagnosis...
manufacturers, chemical and petrochemical, and homeland security - as well as government labs and hospitals. MIRTHE provides an interdisciplinary
Interdisciplinarity
Interdisciplinarity involves the combining of two or more academic fields into one single discipline. An interdisciplinary field crosses traditional boundaries between academic disciplines or schools of thought, as new needs and professions have emerged....
and practice-oriented education for a competitive and diverse U.S. workforce and seeks to educate the public about chemical sensing applied to applications in environment, homeland security, and health.
Background
It was proposed and is currently headed by Dr. Claire Gmachl of Princeton University. She envisions it to become a center of collaboration, combining the work of several professors and both graduate and undergraduate students from the partnered universities, which in addition to Princeton include Texas A&M UniversityTexas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
, Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
and the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
. In addition, the center is taking a novel approach of attaining funding both from NSF and by membership support from collaborative industries.
Claire Gmachl, director of MIRTHE states, "The sensors we are creating will be portable and easy to use. Today's state-of-the-art sensors are very sensitive, but require an expert to operate and are bulky and expensive. MIRTHE's vision is to make sensors with the same or better level of sensitivity at a fraction of the size and cost."