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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
NSU Speaker’s Forum Hosted by Dr. Larry A. Calderon, Mar. 2
Jeff Thompson, Ph.D., professor and director of the Biosciences Research Center at Nova Southeastern University’s College of Dental Medicine.
Jeff Thompson, Ph.D., professor and director of the Biosciences Research Center at NSU’s College of Dental Medicine, will be the featured speaker at NSU’s Speaker’s Forum on Friday, Mar. 2. His presentation is titled: “Zirconia: It’s not just a cheap substitute for a diamond engagement ring!”
Thompson joined NSU’s dental faculty in January 2007. He previously served as professor and interim chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio from July 2005 to December 2006. Prior to that, Thompson was associate professor of operative dentistry and biomedical engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for 10 years. He is a graduate of the University of Florida, where he received his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering in 1995. Thompson has published more than 130 papers and book chapters, and is a Fellow of the Academy of Dental Materials and a former president of the Dental Materials Group of the International Association of Dental Research.
Thompson’s current research is funded by federal grants through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is primarily focused on the development surface coatings and modifications for biomedical applications. Thompson currently has two large funded NIH projects. The first has been funded for 13 consecutive years and is titled “Thin Film Coatings for Toughened Dental Ceramics.” The project is focused on application of novel thin-film surface coatings, specifically zirconia-based films, to enhance the fatigue and fracture resistance of dental ceramic restorative materials. The second is titled “Zirconia Surface Modification for Adhesion to Biological and Synthetic Substrates.” This project was initially funded in 2010 and focuses on surface modification of zirconia bioceramics to enhance adhesion to biological and synthetic materials currently utilized in a wide range of biomedical applications.
The weekly NSU Speaker’s Forum, hosted by Calderon, takes place each Friday from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The forum will be held at the Huizenga Business School Room 5026. For more information, please contact Tracey-Ann Spencer at straceya@nova.edu or 954-262-5208.