Four Texas universities form nanotech partnership

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– May 2, 2002Posted in: Current News

Four
Texas universities form nanotech partnership
…………………………………………………………………

BY MARGOT DIMOND
Rice News Staff

Rice and three
other Texas universities have formed a partnership to help
position the state as a center for education, research and
development in the cutting-edge science of nanotechnology.

Officials from all four universities — Rice, The University
of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas at Dallas and
The University of Texas at Arlington — have founded
an organization known as the Strategic Partnership for Research
in Nanotechnology (SPRING). Its goal is to ensure Texas
is a major player in this promising new field of science.

Nanotechnology enables the fabrication of material structures
and devices having molecular dimensions and entirely new
physical or chemical properties as a result of sizes smaller
than the wavelength of light. Still in its infancy, nanoscience
has the potential to revolutionize such disparate fields
as electronics, medicine, communications and manufacturing.

“In 1993, Rice was the first university anywhere to
mount a broad, cohesive program in nanoscale science and
nanotechnology. We are now immensely pleased to join our
sister institutions in a partnership to advance research
and teaching in this vital new field,” Rice President
Malcolm Gillis said.

Leaders of the initiative said that they intend to seek
federal and state funding for the effort, which is expected
to include collaboration on research projects, coordination
on programs and conferences and the development of joint
facilities and infrastructure.

SPRING is headed by an executive committee composed of representatives
from the four institutions:

  • Jordan Konisky,
    vice provost for research and graduate studies, Rice.

  • Da Hsuan Feng,
    vice president for research and graduate education, UT–Dallas.Keith
    McDowell, vice president for research and information
    technology, UT–Arlington.

  • Juan Sanchez,
    vice president for research, UT–Austin.
    The organization’s technical advisory committee includes
    the following individuals:

  • Richard Smalley,
    Nobel Laureate, the Gene and Norman Hackerman Professor
    of Chemistry, professor of physics and founding director
    of the Rice University Center for Nanoscale Science &
    Technology (CNST).

  • Wade Adams,
    director of the CNST.

  • Paul Barbara,
    the Richard J.V. Johnson-Welch Regents Chair and director
    of the Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology,
    UT–Austin.

  • Ray Baughman,
    the Robert A. Welch Professor of Chemistry and director
    of the UTD Nanotech Institute, UT–Dallas.

  • Ananth Dodabalapur,
    the June and Gene Gillis Faculty Fellow in Manufacturing
    Systems Engineering, UT–Austin.

  • Ron Elsenbaumer,
    interim director of the Nanofab Center, UT–Arlington.

  • Alan MacDiarmid,
    Nobel Laureate and distinguished scholar in residence,
    UT–Dallas.

  • Theresa A.
    Maldonado, associate dean for research and graduate studies,
    College of Engineering, UT–Arlington.

Sanchez, who
will serve as the first chair of the organization’s
executive committee, said SPRING’s objectives span
research, education and technology transfer among member
institutions, other universities and businesses throughout
Texas.

Officials of SPRING said that the organization expects to
hold an initial nanotechnology workshop, probably at Rice
next fall. It also plans to coordinate a visit to member
institutions of representatives of all three U.S. military
services, as well as the National Science Foundation, the
U.S. Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration — the major U.S. funding organizations
for nanotechnology research.

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