Center for Chemistry at the Space-Time Limit
Center for Chemistry at the Space-Time Limit or CaSTL Center is a National Science Foundation[1] Center for Chemical Innovation.[2]
Motto | Visualize Single Chemical Event |
---|---|
Active | 2008–2020 |
Parent institution | University of California, Irvine |
Director | Vartkess Ara Apkarian |
Managing Director | Venkat Bommisetty |
Academic staff | 80 |
Administrative staff | 3 |
Location | Irvine, California |
Campus | University of California, Irvine (HQ). Partner Institutions: Northwestern University, University of Pittsburgh, PennState, University of Utah. |
Website | www.castl.uci.edu |
The CaSTL Center was established through a cooperative agreement between the National Science Foundation and the University of California, Irvine in 2008.[3] Vartkess Ara Apkarian, a Professor of Chemistry at the University of California Irvine, is the director of the center.[4][5] Notable members of the center include researchers in nanoscience such as Richard Van Duyne,[6] Hrvoje Petek, Wilson Ho, H. Kumar Wickramasinghe, George Schatz, Eric Potma, Lasse Jensen, Matt Law, Nien-Hui Ge, Jennifer Shumaker-Parry, Ruqian Wu.
Mission
The mission of the CaSTL Center is "develop the essential science and technology to probe single chemical events in real space and time".[7] CaSTL researchers proposed and developed a new tool, called Chemiscope,[8] a chemist's microscope, to accomplish this goal.
Accomplishments
Microscopy with a Single Molecule Scanning Electrometer
CaSTL researchers developed experimental & theoretical tools to image
Imaging Vibrational Normal Modes of Single Molecules
Internal vibrations of molecules determine the structural transformations that determine chemistry such as reactivity. A CaSTL team led by Vartkess Ara Apkarian measured the
Broader impacts
The CaSTL Center organized several scientific events such as symposia, workshops, summer schools on single molecule chemistry. Noted among these are the 2018 Telluride Workshop on Molecular Videography[13] and a symposium with the theme "Toward Chemistry in Real Space and Time" at the 2019 Fall Meeting of the American Chemical Society.
Informal Science Education
An educational video game titled Bond Breaker was developed by CaSTL scientists in collaboration with TestTubeGames where players are introduced to light-matter interactions through a series of problems that they must solve. This game become very popular and featured on the front page[14] of Scientific American. This game is currently available on several gaming platforms across the world. A Classroom version of the game, Bond Breaker - Classroom Edition,[15] based on Next-Generation Science Standards, was released in 2019. This video game consists of a series of game levels, animations, quizzes and NGSS Lesson plans. The characters in this game were chosen to promote diversity and equity in STEM disciplines.
Science Animations
CaSTL scientists helped the development of a series of science animations, such as What is an Atom and How Do We Know?,[16] What are Atoms Made of?,[17] What is a Molecule?,[18] and How to See a Virus,[19] explaining the basic concepts of nanoscience to the broader public.
CaSTL - ASU Pathways Program
CaSTL scientists partnered with the
References
- ^ "NSF - National Science Foundation". nsf.gov. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ "Centers for Chemical Innovation". www.nsf.gov. National Science Foundation. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ "NSF Award Search: Award#0802913 - The Center for Chemistry at the Space-Time Limit (CaSTL)". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ "V. Ara. Apkarian". ps.uci.edu. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Scientists push microscopy to sub-molecular resolution". phys.org. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- S2CID 201674912.
- ^ "Mission". CaSTL. 2012-02-01. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
- ^ "Chemiscope - Science Nation". www.nsf.gov. National Science Foundation. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
- PMID 29963637.
- S2CID 92998248.
- ^ Lowe, Derek (2019-04-10). "Vibrational Modes, For Real". In the Pipeline. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
- PMID 30944489.
- ^ "Workshop Details". www.telluridescience.org. Telluride Science Research Center. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
- ^ Ouellette, Jennifer. "New Bond Breaker Game Puts You in the Proton's Seat". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
- ^ "Bond Breaker - Classroom Edition". testtubegames.com. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
- ^ What Is an Atom and How Do We Know?, 2018-09-18, retrieved 2019-07-21
- ^ What Are Atoms Made Of?, 2019-01-03, retrieved 2019-07-26
- ^ What Is a Molecule?, 2019-06-26, retrieved 2019-07-26
- ^ How To See A Virus!, retrieved 2020-06-03