Mid-Atlantic Nanofab Managers Meeting Spring 2025 - Georgetown University - Washington DC - May 1st/2nd

Program

8:00 9:00 Registration

9:00 9:15 Jasper Nijdam & everyone Welcome & introductions

    Associate Research Professor and Technical Lab Manager GNuLab, Georgetown University

9:15 9:45 Tatiana Litvin-Vechnyak Partnerships & Patents: IP Essentials for Collaborative Tech Labs

  VP, Technology Commercialization, Office of Technology Commercialization, Georgetown University

9:45 10:15 Natalie Michalak 2024 GU HazMat Drill

      Interim Director of Emergency Management, Georgetown University

10:15 10:45 Sarah Johnson A small cleanroom for Astrobiology

    Professor in Biology & School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University

10:45 11:15 Coffee break

Session theme: Customer Relations

11:15 11:45 Aleksandar Krsmanovic It takes two to tango: OEM -customer playbook

   Territory Sales Manager, Oxford Instruments

11:45 12:15 Betsy Clark Vendor Relationships: A Customer Perspective

    Managing Director, Materials Characterization Facility, Carnegie Mellon University

12:15 12:20 Group picture

12:20 13:15 Lunch

13:15 13:45 Steven Hernandez The ZEISS-geist: a modern ecosystem for advanced microscopy systems

    Business Development Manager, ZEISS 

13:45 14:15 Shawn Wagoner

    Nanofabrication Manager, Nanofabrication Facility, George Mason University

14:15 14:45 Gerald Lopez Incorporating the Mid-Atlantic Nanofab Managers Network

    Director of Operations and Business Development & Center Associate Director, University of Pennsylvania | Singh Center for Nanotechnology 

14:45 15:00 Jasper Nijdam Closing remarks

15:15 ? Jasper Nijdam Lab Tour

Social Event Location on May 1st, 6pm-8pm: 

The social event will be held outside in the Continental Beer Garden.  This is located at 1901 Fort Myer Drive (which is the back of the block), on the NW corner of 19th St  N and N Moore St in Arlington, VA right across Key Bridge from Georgetown University campus and next to the Rosslyn Metro Station. If you come out of the elevator, it's a block to your right; if you came up the escalator, it's a block to your left. Can't miss it, it's the only open air bar around. Rosslyn is a massive transportation hub with the Orange, Silver and Blue Metro lines, scores of bus lines, Capital Bikeshare stations and I-66, US-29 and US-50 all crossing each other. After 5pm Continental has free parking on top of their building. There's also pricey public parking right next door on Moore St.

Meeting Location on May 2nd:

The meeting will be held in Regents Hall 109 in the heart of our Hilltop campus - the light blue building on the map below.  If you enter from the first floor entrance, 109 is the first right with the red arrow. There should be no locked doors in your way. For an academic building, Regents is easy to navigate should you enter on another floor.

Travel

Travel to Washington DC is fairly easy for most along the NorthEast Corridor. Just hop on Amtrak to Union Station. There are also three airports for your convenience. DCA/National Airport in Washington DC itself, BWI near Baltimore and IAD/Dulles in Northern Virginia. Union Station, DCA and IAD are on WMATA's metrorail network. BWI is served by MARC trains. 

While travel to Washington DC is easy, travel to Georgetown University's main campus is less straightforward as we are not on metrorail. However, there are free Georgetown University shuttle buses from the nearest two metro stations: Rosslyn and DuPont Circle. The stops are unmarked, but buses are generally GU branded. There are always people waiting for the bus. Ask if you're not sure. Campus is also served by WMATA's G2 bus and D6 bus. The walk from Rosslyn to campus via Gateway Park and across Key Bridge is a wonderful 20 minutes with great views of Washington across the river. Georgetown campus, the National Cathedral, the Georgetown Waterfront, Theodore Roosevelt Island, the Watergate hotel, the Kennedy Center and the Washington Monument are all visible. 

Bikers can use Capital Bikeshare. There are two stations next to campus. Signing up is very easy for members of sister systems like in NYC and Philly, as Lyft already knows you. Lime, Lyft, Spin, and Veo have bikes and scooters.

For those traveling by car there is a wonderfully congested road system. Confusingly, there is a variety of express lanes that all work differently. No really, they're all different. Some are free, some are free only for HOV 2 or 3 vehicles, some are tolled, and all that may change based on the time and direction you want to drive. Please note that you need a special Virginia EZPass Flex transponder to enjoy free HOV rides.  Tolls vary based on the average speed in the tolled lanes. The lower the speed, the higher the tolls. Yes, high tolls mean you will pay to be traffic.

To get to Georgetown's Hilltop Main Campus, please point your mapping program to 3611 Canal Rd, Washington, DC. This is the entrance to the visitor parking garage. If you come from I-95 on the north side of town, please ignore your mapping program when it wants to send you through Downtown DC, and take I-495 West to Exit 39 Cabin John Parkway. That'll bring you to Canal Rd and is generally way faster than via Downtown. Campus parking is $25/day. Driving in DC can be bewildering because road signage is confusing or absent. 

Hotels

DC hotel pricing varies based on whether there's a demonstration or convention Downtown. There are no hotels adjacent to campus so just pick a cool side of town and enjoy Washington DC. Cheaper options can probably be found across the Potomac in Northern Virginia in Arlington and Alexandria. There should be some affordable hotels in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, Pentagon & Crystal City. Stay close to a metro station and you'll get an easy trip to campus.

Spare time

The DC area is rich in history. Aside from the big monuments and (free!) museums, there's a historical plaque or marker on virtually every block, and a small statue or monument every few blocks. There's even a ruin at National Airport (between the parking garages). Spend your free time wisely. Go out and about. Read some of those plaques. Amazing stuff has happened here that you had no clue about. The weather should be lovely at the start of May. There might even be a demonstration to your liking! Those e-mails can wait.