Hampton University News April 16, 2021 Hampton University Assistant Professor, Dr. Rupak Dua, Awarded $59,700 to Acquire Desktop Scanning Electron Microscope Dr. Rupak Dua, an assistant professor in Hampton University's Department of Chemical Engineering in the School of Engineering and Technology, was recently awarded a supplement award of $59,7000 for his continuing Research Initiation Award by the National Science Foundation. The supplement award will allow Dua to acquire a benchtop Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) that can magnify to 175,000x without a dedicated operator. "Congratulations to Dr. Rupak Dua on receiving another exciting and very deserving award. His work is sure to make strides in the biomedical field," said Hampton University President, Dr. William R. Harvey. "Our faculty at Hampton University continue to make important contributions to society. Their research is being recognized in their respective fields as well as making an impact on the global community." Acquiring a benchtop desktop SEM at Hampton University will help Dua advance his research successfully and positively impact the institutional infrastructure and other investigative research. This new instrument on campus will make a huge impact on research and create new research opportunities for students. This is the only benchtop SEM with an integrated navigation optical camera microscope system which makes navigation on a sample even at high magnification very easy. The camera has the same point of view as the detector and provides an overview of the sample at 20x magnification. Navigation is done via the monitor, using the optical camera as a reference. The optical camera allows sample evaluation before doing SEM. It also provides bright field and dark field images. This latest award follows Dua receiving a Research Initiation Award last year to develop a biomimetic surface at the nanoscale on a customized polyether ether ketone (PEEK) structure to provide inherent antibacterial properties. Additionally, Dua won the best poster award for his research work at the Annual Leading Emerging and Diverse Scientists to Success (LEADS)) Summit that was held virtually from Feb 17-19, 2021. The competition was very competitive and had faculties from LEADS partners institutions, including Howard University, Morehouse School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, North Carolina Central University, the University of Texas at San Antonio, University of Hawaii Manoa, and the University of Puerto Rico. Earning his doctoral degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2014 with a specialization in Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials from Florida International University located in Miami, FL., Dr. Dua worked for two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Orthopedic Research, and Education housed in Texas Medical Center (World's largest Medical Center), located in Houston, TX. Before joining Hampton University in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Dr. Dua was working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Hampden-Sydney College, where he taught and supervised undergraduates on clinically translated research projects. Sandra M. Phoenix HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children and those yet to come. Building Capacity for Humanities Special Collections at HBCUs - Become an ally and partner with us to protect, preserve and share a more authentic record of American history. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/humanities-2019.html for more information. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/ and click on the Donate Now button to invest in this project. Your support is appreciated. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/