Debbie Mascaro is fascinated with flexibility. Mascaro, an MIT graduate recently hired by the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering at NDSU, conducted her dissertation research in the area of organic electronics. Organic electronics are carbon based rather than silicon based, which leads to easier production, lower costs, and novel device applications.

While silicon crystals are rigid (and therefore brittle and easily damaged), organic crystals are thinner and flexible, so they can be deposited on a flexible substrate, thus opening up a world of possibilities. Imagine downloading your newspaper each morning onto a thin, foldable paper-like material. When finished reading the paper, you just fold it up and put it away until the next day when you download a whole new newspaper. Imagine wallpaper that emits light. Vehicle or weather information displayed on the windshield of your car. Electronic devices built into clothing. It all becomes possible with the technology that Mascaro is bringing to life.

Here at NDSU, Debbie is involved in research with Alien Technology microsensors, working on fabrication processes and the development of chemical sensors. Originally from Austin, Minnesota, Debbie and her husband Steve chose to move to this area, even though other offers were on the table. Steve, a native New Yorker and also an MIT graduate, had been offered a faculty position in the mechanical engineering department at NDSU, but they were still looking at other schools too. What clinched the decision for them were the opportunities available for Debbie to continue in her research field. "Many of the top schools who were interested in Steve didn't even consider what kind of job opportunities might be available for me," says Debbie. "NDSU took the initiative to find a position for me too. That made it an easy decision."

Philip Boudjouk, Vice President for Research, Creative Activities, and Technology Transfer at NDSU, has served on many search committees in his 31 years at NDSU. He says this ability to find professional level jobs for spouses has improved dramatically over the last decade. "I have seen remarkable changes recently in our ability to attract and keep outstanding job candidates. Ten years ago, if a job candidate had a spouse looking for a professional job, we had few options available. Today, we have many opportunities for spouses of people we are recruiting, either here at NDSU or at other area businesses. I think this change is a wonderful reflection of just how much the area's business climate has improved in the past few years."

Debbie Mascaro doesn't really think of herself as a symbol of a healthy business climate. She's just happy to be near her family, happy to give up long commutes, and happy to be working on cutting edge technology that will eventually make a real difference in people's lives.