Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson announced on Wednesday the formation of a new National Science Foundation Center for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures at Rensselaer.
The central focus of the NSF center is to "significantly advance nanotechnology research, serving the $500 billion federal Nanotechnology Initiative" and contribute "appreciably to the economic growth of the Capital Region, at a time when growth is badly needed," said Jackson.
The NSF center, a partnership between RPI, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, is one of six nanoscale science and engineering centers chosen by the NSF to receiving funding support.
The NSF also selected centers at Cornell University, Columbia University, Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Rice University.
"We are glad to be among only the six universities in the nation that carry out this important assignment . For Rensselaer to be selected with Cornell and Columbia as leaders in this vital effort underscores the great strength of the New York universities in nanotechnology research," said Jackson.
The NSF center will operate as a division of the Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center created in April and will receive $2 million in funding from the NSF for the next five years.
Research at the NSF center could lead to scientific advances in nanostructure applications such as thermal and environmental barriers, wear-resistant coatings and parts, tailored optical and chemical barriers, flame retardant plastics, biomaterials, high-capacity energy and information storage media, drug and food supplementary delivery vehicles, ultra high-strength, smart materials with embedded sensors and actuators, and magnetic/thermoelectric thermal management devices.
"With this designation, Rensselaer will be at the forefront of nanotechnology research and development ... The next generation of major scientific breakthroughs and the economic development that will result from them will take place right here," said Joseph Bruno, New York State Senate majority leader.
Richard W. Seigel, the director of the Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center, has been named the administrator of the NSF center.
In addition to the NSF funding, the research center will also receive approximately $1.5 million in matching funds: $400,000 in direct costs and tuition wavers from RPI, $70,000 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, $500,000 from New York State, and $500,000 from industrial partners.
Rensselaer’s industrial partners for the research center are ABB US, Albany International Research Co., Eastman Kodak, IBM, and Philip Morris.
In addition to scientific research on nanostructures, the NSF center will also seek to develop educational partnerships with leading undergraduate institutions.
These include Morehouse College, Smith College, Spelman College, and Williams College. Further efforts will be made to develop relationships with K-12 institutions including the Junior Museum.
