National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

The National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) is an integrated networked partnership of user facilities, supported by the National Science Foundation, serving the needs of nanoscale science, engineering and technology.

The mission of NNIN is to enable rapid advancements in science, engineering and technology at the nano-scale by efficient access to Nanotechnology infrastructure. We provide shared open, geographically distributed laboratories, each with specific areas of technical excellence, and provide fabrication, synthesis, characterization, and integration resources to build structures, devices, and systems from atomic to complex large-scales. Our users belong to diverse areas: astronomy, plant pathology, materials science, physics, chemistry, life-sciences, various branches of engineering, etc., and come from academe, national laboratories, and industry. Projects may be short term or long term, from Academic or Industry, and range from pure research to prototype product development. Users can perform research on-site using facility equipment, training and staff support. For many tasks, remote usage is also feasible. External users typically spend a week or two, or commute, to complete their work although longer visits are possible. We help users succeed by providing strong pre-visit technical interaction, mechanisms that let users protect their intellectual property, and strong training and knowledge support.

At NNIN, we are committed to fostering research on the social and ethical implications of nanotechnology. NNIN users are at the forefront of nanotechnology and can offer unique insight into this research.

To this end, users may be invited to participate in a research project, such as by answering a survey or participating in an interview. Although users are free to decline, and their decision to participate or not to participate will have no bearing on their ability to use the NNIN, we sincerely hope that users will consider each request and accept as many invitations as they can in the spirit of advancing knowledge on social and ethical issues and helping to ensure that NNIN remains a leader in nanotechnology innovation.

For any questions, please contact:

NNIN's SEI Coodinator, Dr. Katherine McComas kam19@cornell.edu 

The NNIN REU program is designed to give undergraduate students an introductory research experience in nanotechnology. Each year a total of approximately 90 students are hosted across the network for a 10 week program, spread across the 14 NNIN sites. Each student works on an independent research project within their area of interest, using the advanced resources of our laboratories. Because of the breadth of expertise in NNIN, we are able to offer exciting nanotechnology research projects across the spectrum of nanotechnology fields: Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Biology, and Biomedical Engineering. Students take advantage of the streamlined training process that NNIN employs for all its users to become proficient in advanced laboratory practices quickly. Projects are scaled to be challenging yet achievable within the 10 week time frame.