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Canadian Women Chemists at work
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Chemistry at 10-15 seconds. Dr Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, chemist and president of McMaster University, is a pioneer in the development of ultrafast laser spectroscopy, at the pico- and femto-second level. Her research enables her to design new systems for ultrafast switching and gating for state-of-the-art circuitry.
Trace analysis by measuring heat. Dr Joan Powers at McGill University is a leader in the development of a new thermal wave imaging technique, that detects the heat that evolves after absorption of light by the material to be analysed. This is a unique, nondestructive, highly sensitive method of tissue sampling and analyzing the composition of natural waters, thin polymer films and optical coatings.
Electrical switch squeezes solids and flips molecules. At the University of Calgary, Dr Viola Birss and her research group focus on altering surface properties of materials through electrochemistry. They have discovered a special Ni/Co oxide which, at the flip of a switch, will expel or absorb ions and water - it collapses or expands like a sponge. The group has also discovered a biologically important molecule that can be made to roll and twist on a surface at will by altering the electrical potential.
Designer solids. At the heart of Dr Linda Nazar's research at the University of Waterloo is the synthesis of new inorganic materials that are microporous, channelled, layered, tunnelled - anything you like. Dr Nazar has discovered new low temperature methods to create these materials, some of which are excellent catalysts.
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