The Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) program provides support for interdisciplinary materials research and education of the highest quality while addressing fundamental problems in science and engineering that are important to society. The centers undertake materials research of a scope and complexity that would not be feasible under traditional funding for individual research projects or small groups.
The U.S. national network of centers for Materials Research encompasses 29 centers funded by the National Science Foundation, including the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) as part of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) program.
The mission of CCMR is to advance, explore and exploit the science and engineering of advanced materials. The unifying theme of our current research is the study of materials purposefully structured at the nanoscale (near-atomic dimensions). Our aim is to be world leaders in the design, control and understanding of the behavior of both crystalline and disordered nanomaterials. This objective is pursued through fundamental experimental and theoretical studies of the assembly and processing of nanomaterials and of their resulting behavior.
The Cornell NanoScale Science & Technology Facility (CNF) is a national user facility that supports a broad range of nanoscale science and technology projects by providing state-of-the-art resources coupled with expert staff support. 2007 marks our 30th year in operation (30th Anniversary Celebration). Research at CNF encompasses physical sciences, engineering, and life sciences, and has a strong inter-disciplinary emphasis. Over 700 users per year (50% of whom come from outside Cornell) utilize the fabrication, synthesis, computation, characterization, and integration resources of CNF to build structures, devices, and systems from atomic to complex length-scales.
Every week, several new users coming from academia, industry, and government laboratories learn to use the tools available in the facility to carry out their research projects. CNF is open 24 hours a day, and provides the interactive and exciting learning and practicing environment critical to successful cutting-edge research. External users typically spend a week to two at CNF to complete their work with strong staff support. Many projects can also be accomplished remotely.
The Nanobiotechnology Center (NBTC) shared facility is a user-oriented research and education facility, designed to advance interdisciplinary programs in nanobiotechnology. It is open to NBTC faculty, staff, students and affiliates, the Cornell community, and researchers from other academic institutions and industry. The industrial access is enhanced and promoted with funding from the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR).
The facility has equipment located in Duffield and Clark Hall and offers a full range of capabilities and services for design, fabrication, and characterization of substrates and devices for nanobiotechnology. NBTC cleanroom tools (see below for details) process and fabricate novel materials and substrates. Chemical and bio-processing labs on the second floor provide capabilities required to functionalize and charcterize substrates and materials for nanobiotechnology research.
In addition to the NBTC facilities other resources at Cornell such as CNF and CCMR are available to all NBTC users.