Purpose: This workshop will offer participants the opportunity to learn about patterning structures across different length scales (nm → μm) in plastics and become familiar with several important application areas – microfluidics and nanofluidics for biological/biomedical applications using thermoplastic-based devices. In the mornings, there will be lectures covering relevant technological and application areas. In the afternoons, there will be on-site visits, demonstrations of fabrication equipment, and hands-on experiments focused on fabrication and use of a nanofluidic device.
Intended Audience: Researchers who want to learn more about what plastic-based microfluidics can do, how to design devices for different application areas, and how to make micro-/nanofluidic devices using plastics manufacturing.
Venue: Lectures and demonstrations in the KU Nanofabrication Facility (KUNF) and Material Characterization Lab will take place in the Gray-Little Hall on the KU campus (1567 Irving Hill Rd., Lawrence, KS 66045).
Lectures: Day 1 (August 5) – Basic principles on how to produce microstructures and nanostructures in a variety of materials, but primarily in plastics using molding. Day 2 (August 6) – Strategies for designing a device for different application areas. Lectures from 9:00 am – 12:30 pm followed by demonstrations and laboratory work in the afternoons. Day 3 (August 7) – Laboratory work and discussion of results.
Lecturers: Steven A. Soper (University of Kansas), Maggie A. Witek (University of Kansas); Sunggook Park (Louisiana State University), Adam Hall (Wake Forest University School of Medicine), Andrew K. Godwin (University of Kansas Medical School).
The workshop includes a continental breakfast, lectures in the morning, lunch, and the hands-on laboratories in the afternoons. Participants will see demonstrations of the fabrication equipment at KU Nanofabrication Facility (KUNF). There will be a dinner reception on the night of August 6 with a lecture from a keynote speaker.
Parking: Parking and transit information can be found here: http://www.parking.ku.edu/.
Registration: Please send an email to Jo Sabus (josabus@ku.edu) (subject line: CBMM Workshop 2026 registration)
Registration Fee: Covered by Sponsors.
Other Contacts: Maggie A. Witek (mwitek@ku.edu) and Steven A. Soper (ssoper@ku.edu)
Sponsors: National Institutes of Health, CBM2 Precision Medicine/ NIBIB and COBRE/CMADP/NIGMS.