State Approves Funds for NanoCenter

*MEDIA ADVISORY*
June 8, 2006
CONTACT: Missy Corley
(301) 405-6501
mcorley@umd.edu

WHAT: The Maryland NanoCenter will receive $3.65 million in state funds for the purchase of nanofabrication equipment for the "FabLab" clean room facility in the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building at the University of Maryland's Clark School of Engineering. The funds will be drawn from the state's "Sunny Day Fund" and Governor Robert Ehrlich’s nanotechnology initiative. The money will be used to purchase major capital equipment that enables the fabrication of nanoscale patterns using electron beams as well as novel printing approaches, the controlled deposition of material at atomic and nanoscale dimensions, the characterization of nanostructure and properties, and associated support equipment.

WHO: The Maryland NanoCenter was established as a partnership between three University of Maryland colleges: The A. James Clark School of Engineering, the College of Computer, Math, and Physical Sciences (CMPS), and the College of Chemical and Life Sciences, with sustaining support from all three and the campus. The center promotes major nano research and education initiatives, provides one-stop shopping for those seeking expertise and/or partnerships at Maryland, and supplies infrastructure to facilitate nano activities at Maryland through equipment, staff support and informational and administrative functions. Nano research at the University of Maryland includes key areas such as scanning nanoprobes, complex oxide and multifunctional materials, focused ion beam research, ultrasmall devices, biomolecular engineering, biomaterials, polymer composites, and ultrafast dynamics. The Maryland NanoCenter was formerly called the Maryland Center for Integrated Science and Engineering (M-CINSE).

WHY: "Maryland is ideally poised to achieve a sustained leadership position in nanotechnology, with major benefit to economic, employment and workforce development in this critical industry, as well as to university excellence," said Governor Ehrlich. "This funding will allow the University of Maryland to continue its outstanding work partnering with local companies to provide both technical expertise and easy access to critical equipment."