ASU chosen to lead $4M nanotechnology research site
Sep 18, 2015, 4:17 PM
(AP Photo/Tony Ding)
(AP Photo/Tony Ding)
PHOENIX — Arizona State University will soon lead a nanotechnology research center funded by the National Science Foundation.
In a release, the school said it would receive a total of $4 million in funding to host the program. The site will provide researchers across the country with access to university facilities — complete with cutting-edge fabrication tools, instrumentation and expertise — and will partner with Maricopa County Community Colleges and Science Foundation Arizona.
The site will be headed up by Trevor Thornton, a professor in the Ira A. Fulton School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering.
“What also is outstanding about this program is that it not only focuses on building a nanotech industry, it is equally concerned with creating an educated workforce,” Thornton said in a release. “Our efforts will span from K-12 all the way to working professionals.”
Nanotechnology is the design and manufacture of minuscule systems that operate on a molecular level. All of the research will focus on technology that is less than 1/500th the width of a human hair.
ASU was one of 16 sites across the nation selected by the NSF. A total of 27 universities are part of the nationwide effort.
Researchers believe nanotechnology will be applicable in a range of fields, including medicine, electronics and even consumer products.
