University of Pennsylvania’s Nader Engheta Named One of the “2006 Scientific American 50”

December 4 , 2006

PHILADELPHIA – University of Pennsylvania engineering professor Nader Engheta has been named by Scientific American magazine as one of the 2006 Scientific American 50, the magazine’s annual list of leaders in science and technology. The list appears in the December issue, available on newsstands now. Engheta was cited for his research contributions in plasmonics, an emerging field of scientific inquiry regarding the optical and electrical properties of solid matter, such as metals, at nanometer scales.

In writing about Engheta and his group’s research, George Musser from the Scientific American cites Engheta’s development of plasmonic versions of conventional electronic components, including resistors, capacitors and inductors that could allow engineers to build circuits at nanometer scales using light instead of electricity.

"The ‘current’ that flows around the circuit is not the motion of electric charges, but fluctuations in the electric field associated with the light,” Musser said. “One day soon, the fantastic world of plasmonics may be hanging from the rack at Radio Shack."

Engheta is the H. Nedwill Ramsey Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering and professor of bioengineering in Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The magazine’s Scientific American 50 listing can be found at www.sciam.com.

CONTACT:  Greg Lester at 215-573-6604 or glester@pobox.upenn.edu