UWaterloo researcher and TRIUMF beta-NMR collaborator Jamie Forrest were honoured today with the 2013 Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) Brockhouse Medal, jointly with his colleague Dr. Kari Dalnoki-Veress of McMaster University. Both researchers have carved new techniques within their field to advance Canadian soft matter physics on the world stage.
The Brockhouse Medal sponsored jointly by CAP and the Division of Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (DCMMP) was created in 1999 to acknowledge and encourage outstanding experimental and theoretical contributions to the realms of condensed matter and materials physics. The Brockhouse Medal was named in honour of Canadian Professor Bertram Brockhouse, whose contributions in condensed matter physics were recognized in 1994 with the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Drs. Forrest and Dalnoki-Veress are perhaps best known for their work on problems pertaining to dynamics and morphology of confined soft materials. Recently, Jamie and Kari have devised new experiments to test and verify the properties of glassy polymers. Their work has shed light on the field of soft matter physics, spurring new interest in the field.
Jamie has contributed to the field while using gold nanoparticles to demonstrate why dynamics in very thin films can be so rapid among other discoveries. He has since collaborated with Ian McKenzie and Rob Kiefl at TRIUMF to employ beta-NMR techniques to study the surface properties of glassy polymers, delving into them to determine if the properties at a deeper level are the same as within the first few nanometres of the surface and vice versa. While we may have an understanding of these glass properties at the everyday level, additional questions persist due to the fact that they often behave like liquids at their surface. Drs. Forrest and Dalnoki-Veress are seeking to answer questions in this field.
Beta-NMR is a surface-sensitive technique that is well suited to the kind of research that Dr. Forrest is undertaking due to its ability to probe into the interior layers of materials at the most finite levels of accuracy- allowing researchers to discover and make predictions about material properties. Iain and Rob are currently working with Jamie to complete a third experiment at TRIUMF on his behalf that explore these dynamics within glassy polymers.
"It's very exciting to do beta-NMR at TRIUMF because it's a world-leading centre for the technique, and the people we work with at the lab are truly skilled at what they do," said Dr. Forrest of his work with the lab.
Together, Drs. Forrest and Dalnoki-Veress are viewed as world leaders in polymer physics, and their work has served as an exemplar for high scholarship within the field.
"We are deeply honoured to receive the 2013 Brockhouse Medal. Being recognized by the community for the work that we love is a true privilege. It is with great gratitude that we share this award not only together, but also with the extended research team from whom we have had the opportunity to learn."
Congratulations, James and Kari!
---Ariane Madden, TRIUMF Communications Assistant