November 17, 2008 Kimberly Turner’s primary research focus is
very small—literally. Her lab works on tiny devices, called
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). They can function as
filters, sensors, and switches, and have myriad applications in
everything from car airbags through videogame controllers to
inkjet printers. Turner is developing exquisitely sensitive
devices that can detect minute changes in mass—changes that can
indicate the presence of a single molecule of a material. This
new generation of sensors could have a broad range of
applications, including food safety monitoring and detecting
trace amounts of chemical warfare agents, long before they can
be picked up by current systems. MEMS devices can also be
designed to sense movement. A MEMS gyroscope built by a former
student has attracted a lot of attention, Turner says, because
it is far more robust than alternative MEMS designs. She sees
applications for such a MEMS gyroscope in guiding satellites and
even missiles: “anything that requires pr