NIBRAZ AHAMED
Much nanotechnology research is done at universities. Since nanotechnology research is expensive and most schools don't have the means to pay for it, much of the research is done in conjunction with businesses or the government. More than a hundred schools have nanotechnology programs underway, but several of them have earned special distinction. HARVARD: Harvard's Materials Research Science and Engineering Center comprises 21 members of the faculty from different departments, including engineering, physics, biology, chemistry, and the medical school. The three main research groups are working on multiscale mechanics of films and interfaces, engineering materials and techniques for biological studies at cellular scales, and interface-mediated assembly of soft materials. RICE: Rice is home to the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice and Richard Smalley, the Nobel Laureate in chemistry who is a nanotechnology pioneer. The center focuses on wet, dry, and computational nanotechnology, and often works with NASA. COLUMBIA: Columbia is home to the Center for Nanostructured Materials. At the center, teams of people work on developing complex metal oxide nanocrystals into thin films that can be used to improve the strength of materials. The center also looks into structurally integrated chemical films that contain nanoparticles. CORNELL: Cornell is a member of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network. Cornell's focus is in materials science and engineering research, including nanostructured materials in electronic and mechanical devices. NORTHWESTERN: Northwestern recently built a 40,000-square-foot Center for Nanofabrication and Molecular Self-Assembly on its Evanston campus. The center was paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which makes it one of the first federally funded facilities dedicated to nanotechnology. RENNSSELAER: This institute has a nanotechnology center that studies advanced coating for materials, the nano dimensions of biosciences and biotechnology, nanoelectrics, and nano-scale mechanics and systems. BERKELEY: The Nanotechnology Initiative Research Group at University of California at Berkeley focuses on nano-scale engineering, nanocomposites, and nanowires, among other things.
