May 22, 2006
Purdue's nanotechnology program gains top U.S. ranking
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University's nanotechnology research program, built around the new Birck Nanotechnology Center in Discovery Park, is among the best in the nation, according to rankings released by a leading trade publication.
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Overall, Purdue's program tied for 11th nationwide in a survey that considered 50 U.S. universities based on education, facilities, commercialization and industrial outreach.
"We know that Purdue has one of the nation's best nanotechnology facilities on a university campus, and this survey shows that our peers across the nation also recognize this fact," said George Adams, the Birck Center's research development manager.
"We're pleased that Small Times noted how Birck's design is meant to foster research by bringing scientists and engineers from various fields in proximity to one another. We believe Birck — as an anchor for Discovery Park and its interdisciplinary research focus — is poised to make greater strides once it becomes fully operational later this year."
The survey's top spots went to the University at Albany in New York, Cornell University, University of Michigan, Rice University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Small Times editors highlighted how Purdue emphasizes the $58 million Birck Center as a "shared-use facility and welcomes industry" to utilize its facilities and more than 250 pieces of scientific equipment, "including fresh-off-the-shelf models like the BioScope II atomic force microscope, which Veeco Instruments" released in late 2005.
"The center opened in October, unveiling the latest in cleanroom and lab design and tools," Small Times editors wrote. "But its industry initiative had begun long before the doors opened, placing it among the leaders in the industry outreach category."
Noted were Birck's low-vibration metrology lab, which is shielded against electromagnetic interferences, and its $10 million integrated semiconductor nanofabrication and bio-pharmaceutical cleanrooms.
Birck also houses the National Science Foundation's Network for Computational Nanotechnology, "which allows researchers to perform computer simulations of nanomaterials and processes," the magazine stated.
The Small Times survey included 26 questions about funding, facilities, patenting, company formation, collaborations with industry, research, publishing, and micro- and nano-specific courses and degree programs. It also gave respondents an opportunity to state which of their peer institutions they thought were leaders in micro- and nanotech research and commercialization.
Nanotechnology involves making devices on the atomic and molecular level with applications in computer, medical, military and even textile industries. Annual sales of products and services using nanotechnology could hit $2.5 trillion by 2015, according to Lux Research.
The 187,000-square-foot Birck Nanotechnology Center brings together faculty, researchers, staff members and graduate students from 27 schools and departments across campus.
The Discovery Park facility is named for Michael and Katherine (Kay) Birck of Hinsdale, Ill. The Bircks contributed $30 million for the building, and Michael is a Purdue alumnus, a member of the Purdue board of trustees and chairman of Naperville, Ill.-based Tellabs Inc.
The Scifres Nanofabrication Lab of cleanrooms is named for Purdue alumni Donald and Carol Scifres, who donated $10 million for the building.
Alumni William B. and Mary Jane Elmore provided $2 million toward the center's William and Mary Jane Elmore Advanced Concept Validation Laboratory.
The Birck Center is a cornerstone for Discovery Park, Purdue's $300 million hub for interdisciplinary research and home to 10 established research centers focusing on endeavors ranging from biosciences and manufacturing to oncological sciences and health-care engineering.
Writer: Writer: Phillip Fiorini, (765) 496-3133, pfiorini@purdue.edu
Sources: George Adams, (765) 494-2698, gba@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
John Weaver, facility manager at the Birck Nanotechnology Center, explains how an atomic layer deposition machine will help Purdue advance research in the field of nanotechnology. The machines, located in a cleanroom lab at the center, allow researchers to add thin films with atomic layer precision on computer chips. (Purdue News Service file photo/ David Umberger)
A publication-quality file photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2006/birck-cleanroom.jpg
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