Uwe Kortshagen to speak at Sept. 25 Rotary Club of Edina meeting

The Rotary Club of Edina will welcome Uwe Kortshagen, University of Minnesota mechanical engineering professor, as program speaker at the Thursday, Sept. 25, Rotary Club of Edina meeting. Kortshagen is a distinguished McKnight University Professor and mechanical engineering department head.

Kortshagen's primary research interest is in plasma processes for advanced technological applications. Recent investigations are concerned with radio frequency sustained plasmas used for semiconductor manufacturing and for advanced light sources. These studies include probe diagnostics of the plasma electrons, measurements of the ion energy distribution, optical emission and absorption plasma spectroscopy, and multidimensional kinetic, numerical modeling of complete discharge systems. Further research interests are in plasma chemistry and nanoparticle generation in plasmas.

In May 23, 2012, Kortshagen was awarded a Department of Defense, Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program grant with researchers from Rice University, the University of Michigan, and Ohio State University. Research will address the topic of "novel nanostructures for the controlled propagation of electromagnetic energy." The ultimate goal is to develop coatings, paints, or even aerosols that absorb or transmit light in a predesigned manner. The $6.25M grant, of which the University will receive $1.73M, will fund this research over a period of five years.

The Kortshagen group explores new approaches to renewable energy technology by exploiting the unique advantages of so-called plasmas, ionized gases produced in electrical discharges. The group's research ranges from studying materials for future 3rd Generation solar cells, to improving materials for current solar cell technology, to studying plasma-synthesized substances for thermoelectics (the generation of electricity from waste heat), to manipulating aerodynamic flows to enhance the efficiency of gas turbines. As many of the materials-related studies performed by the Kortshagen group utilize the novel properties of nanostructured substances, this work is typically referred to as Energy Nanotechnolgy. The efforts of the Kortshagen group span the entire range of activities starting from producing materials, through characterizing their properties, to finally testing the materials in energy conversion devices. At the same time, basic plasma studies help gain a better fundamental understanding of the unique role that plasmas play in the areas studied.

Kortshagen is distinguished McKnight university professor and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota, and a member of the graduate faculties of Physics, Chemical Engineering, and Materials Science, and Nanoparticle Science and Engineering. He earned his Diploma degree in Physics in 1988, and his Ph.D. in Physics in 1991 from the University of Bochum, Germany, under Hans Schlüter. He came to the U.S. in 1995 with an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and spent a year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned the Habilitation in Experimental Physics at the University of Bochum in 1995. In 1996, Kortshagen joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota as assistant professor, where he was promoted to associate professor in 1999, and to full professor in 2003. He served as president of the International Plasma Chemistry Society and is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Institute of Physics (UK), and the International Plasma Chemistry Society. He was awarded the 2005 Institute of Technology-George Taylor Award for Distinguished Research, and was named distinguished McKnight university professor of the University of Minnesota in 2007. His research interests are in the area of nanomaterials for renewable energy applications. His work has been published in more than 140 articles in peer-reviewed journals and received more than 6,000 citations. ​

New member Joe Graca will be inducted at the meeting as well.

Rotary Club of Edina meetings are held at the Edina Country Club. Cost for lunch and the program is $18. All are welcome.