MEMS IV slated for L.A. in April

ASME's Continuing Education Institute will present its fourth annual seminar on microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, next month in Los Angeles. The event is for engineers, scientists and researchers who work in the areas of physics, chemistry, materials science, electrical engineering and biotechnology.

"MEMS IV: the ASME Fourth Annual MEMS Technology Seminar" will take place from April 26-28 at the Hyatt Regency Los Angeles. Two pre-seminar tutorials on the related field of nanotechnology will be given on April 25.

The event, which will feature six short courses on MEMS, is sponsored by ASME's Continuing Education Institute, ASME's Nanotechnology Institute, Mechanical Engineering magazine, Nanotechnology.net, the Micro and Nanotechnology Commercialization Education Foundation (MANCEF) and the technology business training group Larta.

Two new MEMS short courses have been added for this year's program. They will cover polymer MEMS and radio frequency (RF)/ wireless MEMS.

The course on polymer MEMS will teach attendees the basics of polymer materials and microfabrication techniques for polymer MEMS for applications in microsensors, microfluidics, lab-on-a-chip and optical devices.

The class on RF/wireless MEMS will be a comprehensive introduction to MEMS technology as it is applied to RF devices, circuits and systems. This course will cover RF MEMS fabrication technology, passive devices, circuits, packaging and computer-aided design for RF MEMS.

The four other short courses to be offered during MEMS IV will examine bioMEMS, MEMS packaging, microfluidics, and the reliability and manufacturability of MEMS.

Also new this year to the MEMS IV program are the pair of three-hour nanotechnology tutorials that will be offered on April 25. The tutorials, "Fundamentals of Nanotechnology" and "Fundamentals & Simulations of Micro & Nano Flows," are intended to introduce and familiarize attendees with nanotechnology and show its integration with MEMS.

MEMS IV will also feature a keynote presentation on April 26, "Barriers to the Commercialization of Nanotechnology: Lessons Learned From Its Big Brother (aka MEMS)." The keynote speaker will be Roger H. Grace, president of Roger Grace Associates, a San Francisco marketing consulting firm that specializes in high technology.

In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to tour the commercial MEMS foundry at SiWave Inc. on April 29.

Registration for each of the two nanotechnology tutorials is $295 for ASME members, $395 for nonmembers. Registration for both tutorials is $540 for members, $740 for nonmembers.

Registration for each of the six MEMS short courses is $1,295 for members, $1,445 for nonmembers, $1,095 for ASME member academics and $1,245 for nonmember academics.

MEMS IV attendees can receive continuing education units upon completion of the seminar.

For more information on the Fourth Annual MEMS Technology Seminar, contact ASME Information Central at (800) 843-2763 or (973) 882-1167, or visit the Web site, www.asme.org/education/techsem/mems.

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