Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science - Materials Science

APhMS in the 21st Century

On November 6, 2014, the Applied Physics and Materials Science (APhMS) faculty, alumni, students, staff and corporate friends joined each other for a day of connections and discovery. The one day glimpse into the 21st Century featured faculty talks spanning quantum engineering to physical biology, a panel discussion on the future of alternative energy, poster sessions and lab tours. It closed with a banquet at the Athenaeum with keynote speaker, Dr. Arati Prabhakar, Director of DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and Caltech Applied Physics alumna (M.S. '80, Ph.D. '85).

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Program

7:30 am Registration (lobby) & Coffee (patio) Beckman Institute Auditorium
8:15 am Welcome and opening remarks
Ares Rosakis, Otis Booth Leadership Chair, Division of Engineering and Applied Science; Theodore von Kármán Professor of Aeronautics and Mechanical Engineering
Kerry Vahala, Ted and Ginger Jenkins Professor of Information Science and Technology and Applied Physics; Executive Officer for Applied Physics and Materials Science
  Session I: Quantum Engineering
8:30 am Optomechanical Crystals: Circuits for Light and Sound
Oskar Painter, , John G Braun Professor of Applied Physics
9:00 am Putting Mechanics Into Quantum Mechanics
Keith Schwab, Professor of Applied Physics; Fletcher Jones Foundation Co-Director of the Kavli Nanoscience Institute
9:30 am Phonons and Properties of Materials
Brent Fultz, Barbara and Stanley R. Rawn, Jr., Professor of Materials Science and Applied Physics
10:00 am Break Beckman Institute Patio
  Session II: Physical Biology Beckman Institute Auditorium
10:30 am Wiring Up Living Matter
Rob Phillips, Fred and Nancy Morris Professor of Biophysics and Biology
11:00 am Integrated Neurophotonics: A Vision for Massively-Parallel Interrogation of Brain Activity
Michael Roukes, Robert M. Abbey Professor of Physics, Applied Physics, and Bioengineering
11:30 am Lunch Beckman Institute Patio
  Session III: Photonics After Telecom Beckman Institute Auditorium
1:00 pm The Optical Power Driver of the Internet - The Distributed Feedback Laser: Past, Present and Future
Amnon Yariv, Martin and Eileen Summerfield Professor of Applied Physics and Professor of Electrical Engineering
1:30 pm A Revolution in Microwave Generation Using Photonics
Kerry Vahala, Ted and Ginger Jenkins Professor of Information Science and Technology and Applied Physics; Executive Officer for Applied Physics and Materials Science
  Session IV: Engineered Materials
2:00 pm Glassy Metals - Metal Manufacturing with Plastics Technology
William Johnson, Ruben F. and Donna Mettler Professor of Engineering and Applied Science
2:30 pm Watching Paint Dry and Colors Fade: Materials Science in Art Conservation
Katherine Faber, Simon Ramo Professor of Materials Science
3:00 pm Strong, Tough and Ultralight Architected Metamaterials
Julia Greer, Professor of Materials Science and Mechanics
3:30 pm Break Beckman Institute Patio
  Session V: Energy Beckman Institute Auditorium
4:00 pm Overview of the Energy Landscape
Harry Atwater, Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science; Director, Resnick Sustainability Institute
4:15 pm Panel Discussion on Energy
Moderator: Harry Atwater, Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science; Director, Resnick Sustainability Institute
5:30 pm Reception at the Athenaeum
Poster Session (The Athenaeum West Patio) 		The Athenaeum
7:00 pm Dinner
  Keynote Speaker
8:00 pm What's Next: Breakthrough Technologies for the Next Generation
Arati Prabhakar, Director, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
9:00 pm Close

Keynote Speaker

Arati Prabhakar

Arati Prabhakar
Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Dr. Prabhakar (MS '80, PhD '85) has spent her career investing in world-class engineers and scientists to create new technologies and businesses. Her first service to national security started in 1986 when she joined DARPA as a program manager. She initiated and managed programs in advanced semiconductor technology and flexible manufacturing, as well as demonstration projects to insert new semiconductor technologies into military systems. As the founding director of DARPA’s Microelectronics Technology Office, she led a team of program managers whose efforts spanned these areas, as well as optoelectronics, infrared imaging and nanoelectronics.

In 1993, President William Clinton appointed Dr. Prabhakar director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where she led the 3,000-person organization in its work with companies across multiple industries.

Dr. Prabhakar moved to Silicon Valley in 1997, first as chief technology officer and senior vice president at Raychem, and later vice president and then president of Interval Research. From 2001 to 2011, she was a partner with U.S. Venture Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm.

Dr. Prabhakar identified and served as a director for startup companies with the promise of significant growth. She worked with entrepreneurs in energy and efficiency technologies, components for consumer electronics, and semiconductor process and design technology.

Dr. Prabhakar received her Doctor of Philosophy in applied physics and Master of Science in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. She received her Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University. She began her career as a Congressional Fellow at the Office of Technology Assessment.

Dr. Prabhakar has served in recent years on the National Academies' Science Technology and Economic Policy Board, the College of Engineering Advisory Board at the University of California, Berkeley, and the red team of DARPA's Defense Sciences Research Council. In addition, she chaired the Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Prabhakar is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a Texas Tech Distinguished Engineer, and a Caltech Distinguished alumna.

Speakers and Panelists

Harry A. Atwater

Harry A. Atwater

Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science;
Director, Resnick Sustainability Institute
"Overview of the Energy Landscape"

Katherine T. Faber

Katherine T. Faber

Simon Ramo Professor of Materials Science
"Watching Paint Dry and Colors Fade: Materials Science in Art Conservation"

Brent Fultz

Brent Fultz

Barbara and Stanley R. Rawn, Jr., Professor of Materials Science and Applied Physics
"Phonons and Properties of Materials"

Julia R. Greer

Julia R. Greer

Professor of Materials Science and Mechanics
"Strong, Tough and Ultralight Architected Metamaterials"

William L. Johnson

William L. Johnson (PhD '75)

Ruben F. and Donna Mettler Professor of Engineering and Applied Science
"Glassy Metals - Metal Manufacturing with Plastics Technology"

Oskar J. Painter

Oskar J. Painter (MS '95, PhD '01)

John G Braun Professor of Applied Physics
"Optomechanical Crystals: Circuits for Light and Sound"

Robert B. Phillips

Robert B. Phillips

Fred and Nancy Morris Professor of Biophysics and Biology
"Wiring Up Living Matter"

Arati Prabhakar

Arati Prabhakar (MS '80, PhD '85)

Director, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
"What's Next: Breakthrough Technologies for the Next Generation"

Ares J. Rosakis

Ares J. Rosakis

Otis Booth Leadership Chair, Division of Engineering and Applied Science;
Theodore von Kármán Professor of Aeronautics and Mechanical Engineering
"Welcome and opening remarks"

Michael L. Roukes

Michael L. Roukes

Robert M. Abbey Professor of Physics, Applied Physics, and Bioengineering
"Integrated Neurophotonics: A Vision for Massively-Parallel Interrogation of Brain Activity"

Keith C. Schwab

Keith C. Schwab

Professor of Applied Physics; Fletcher Jones Foundation Co-Director of the Kavli Nanoscience Institute
"Putting Mechanics Into Quantum Mechanics"

Kerry J. Vahala

Kerry J. Vahala (BS '80, MS '81, PhD '85)

Ted and Ginger Jenkins Professor of Information Science and Technology and Applied Physics;
Executive Officer for Applied Physics and Materials Science
"A Revolution in Microwave Generation Using Photonics"

Amnon Yariv

Amnon Yariv

Martin and Eileen Summerfield Professor of Applied Physics and Professor of Electrical Engineering
"The Optical Power Driver of the Internet - The Distributed Feedback Laser: Past, Present and Future"