|
NSF PR 03-150 - December 22, 2003
National Science Board Approves Award for a National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
ARLINGTON, Va.—The National Science Board, the 24-member policy
advisory body of the National Science Foundation (NSF), has
authorized the Foundation to fund a National Nanotechnology
Infrastructure Network (NNIN): 13 university sites that will form
an integrated, nationwide system of user facilities to support
research and education in nanoscale science, engineering and
technology.
Led by Cornell University, the NNIN is expected to begin
operation in January 2004 for a five-year period.
"The network will be an investment of at least $70 million under
NSF's nanoscale science and engineering priority area," says
Lawrence Goldberg, NSF senior engineering advisor. "NNIN expands
significantly beyond the current capabilities of the five
university National Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN) that is
concluding its ten-year life span this year."
Joining Cornell in NNIN will be the Georgia Institute of
Technology, Harvard University, Howard University, North Carolina
State University, Pennsylvania State University, Stanford
University, the University of California at Santa Barbara, the
University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota, the
University of New Mexico, the University of Texas at Austin and
the University of Washington.
"By assembling and offering to share our specialized resources
with any and all qualified users," says Cornell's Sandip Tiwari,
the electrical engineer who will be director of the NNIN, "we
have created the world's largest, most comprehensive and
accessible nanotechnology laboratory."
Indeed, says Goldberg, the NNIN will not only provide users
across the nation with access to leading-edge tools and
instruments, but will contribute to a new workforce skilled in
nanotechnology and the latest laboratory techniques.
"NNIN will implement, on a national scale, innovation in
education that will impact all levels from professional through K
12, include outreach efforts to non-traditional users, reach
underrepresented groups, and disseminate knowledge to the wider
technical community and public," Goldberg added. "It will also
develop the intellectual and institutional capacity needed to
examine and address societal and ethical implications of
nanotechnology."
NSF anticipates holding future open competitions to expand the
scope of the NNIN by adding new sites and capabilities as the
need arises, providing flexibility within the program.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of nearly $5.3 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 30,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes about 10,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $200 million in professional and service contracts yearly.
Receive official NSF news electronically through the e-mail delivery system, NSFnews. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to join-nsfnews@lists.nsf.gov. In the body of the message, type "subscribe nsfnews" and then type your name. (Ex.: "subscribe nsfnews John Smith")
Useful NSF Web Sites:
NSF Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov
News Highlights: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa
Newsroom: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/media/start.htm
Science Statistics: http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/stats.htm
Awards Searches: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a6/A6Start.htm
|
