Meet Daniel Fischer and Stanislaus Wong
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Dan Fischer (left) and Stanislaus Wong. |
For Dan Fischer and Stanislaus Wong, there is nothing unusual about working with powerful, highly focused x-rays, shining them at various materials to see what’s holding them together. In fact, this describes a typical workday.
But their current project — using x-rays to study nanotubes — is special even by their standards. This isn’t due to the investigation technique they are using. Nor is studying nanotubes a new experience. The compelling part of the project is the combination of the two. In fact, it is what led Fischer, a physicist, and Wong, a chemist, to become collaborators.
Fischer’s background is rooted in synchrotron science. For the past 21 years he has worked on developing new ways to use a synchrotron. Wong’s research interests are more focused on Nanoscience and nanotechnology, particularly carbon nanotubes and metal-oxide nanostructures. Together, they make a great team. “I heard about Dan’s work and wanted to see if near edge x-ray absorbtion fine structure (NEXAFS) could complement the other material characterization techniques I was using to study nanotubes. Learning that the answer is ‘yes’ has been exciting,” said Wong.
“This is a real NSLS success story,” agrees Fischer.
Fischer received his Ph.D. in physics from Stony Brook University in 1984. For the past 14 years he has worked for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and is supervising a group of NIST scientists stationed at the NSLS.
Wong completed his Ph.D in chemistry from Harvard University in 1999. Since 2000 he has been an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department at Stony Brook University with a joint appointment at Brookhaven Lab. He is an avid reader and an “amateur fashion aficionado.”
