It's the science of the small, but when it comes to nanotechnology, researchers say the field's biggest asset is also their biggest challenge – nano's enormous scope.
With broad implications for energy, healthcare, and electronics, to name just a few, nanotechnology is helping shape science in the 21st century. But researchers say working with their peers in other fields can be a challenge.
"How do you communicate to someone who is not in your discipline? Whether you're a chemist, biologist, that's the biggest barrier," says Ji Ung Lee, a professor at UAlbany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE).
That's precisely why top scientists, policymakers, and industry leaders from Europe, Japan, and the United States have come together in Albany this week for the Seventh International Nanotechnology Conference on Communication and Cooperation (INC7).
CNSE is hosting the four day event, which was supposed to be held in Japan but was relocated to Albany after the earthquake.
The organizers say the conference is helping to cement Albany's reputation as a global hub for innovation in the nanotech field. CNSE has about 200 students and more than 250 partnerships with companies from around the world.
"I have graduate students that are using the tools, that are learning the technologies, and because they're in this environment ... they become immediately relevant and marketable," says Lee.
In fact, a majority of the school's graduates stay in the region, says Steve Janack, vice president for marketing and communications at CNSE.
"Probably 80 to 85 percent [of students] ... are staying in New York State, which is the idea," says Janack. "Let's keep them here and provide good jobs, which in turn draws companies here."
"This is how we will create jobs"
That economic momentum was apparent today, as the school announced a major new collaboration with a Los Angeles-based company, APIC Corporation. The $10 million deal is expected to create 20 new high-tech jobs over the next 18 months, with the majority at CNSE's Albany Nanotech Complex. The project is aimed at building a new kind of computer chip that will be faster and use less power.
New York State Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver weighed in on the new partnership in a release:
[It] is great news for the Capital Region and further attests to the effectiveness of our public/private economic development model. This is how we will create jobs, spin-off business opportunities, spur technological advancement, and rebuild our state economy in the new millennium.
The INC7 conference continues all week. Tomorrow, keynote speaker and 1973 Nobel Prize laureate, Dr. Leo Esaki, will give a talk on his career.
