$11.4 million from NSF for Nanotechnology

An $11.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) establishing one of six Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers (NSECs) validates years of hard work and visionary thinking at Penn and propels the university into the top rank of research institutions in the next frontier of science and engineering.

Dawn Bonnell, Trustee Term Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, has plenty to smile about lately. As the principal investigator for the NSF grant, she will serve as director of the new nanotechnology center. “This is a wonderful opportunity to unite Penn’s strengths to understand the interface of physical and biological systems,” enthuses Dr. Bonnell.

The Penn Nano-Bio Interface Center is based on internationally recognized strengths in molecular motion, single molecule probes, molecular optoelectronics and ethics. Although housed in the School of Engineering, it will bring together researchers from across campus—nine departments in three schools—Engineering, Arts & Sciences, and Medicine. Dr. Yale Goldman, Professor of Physiology, School of Medicine, will serve as Associate Director of the Center.

Winning the prestigious grant is reason enough for high-fives in the corridors at SEAS. But this one means much more. It is a tipping point for the University’s science and engineering schools, for southeastern Pennsylvania’s burgeoning nanotechnology industry, and for science education in the metropolitan region.

Because nanotechnology is still in its infancy, the grant’s leveraging effect—in terms of both economic clout and scientific prestige—will be enormous.

• Individual researchers who utilize the center’s unique facilities will generate additional grants in a field destined to be heavily funded.

• The center will give local nanotech startups a leg up on the competition—and potentially attract more to the region.

• The intellectual capital generated by the center’s location in southeastern Pennsylvania—the graduate, undergraduate and even high school students destined to learn there—will be world class and should generate the largest return on investment for the University and southeastern Pennsylvania.

“Nanotechology is beginning to find applications already,” says Dr. Bonnell. “Textiles that are stain proof, light-emitting diodes (laser pointers), and components inside your CD player and computer are in place now.”

Future applications might include electronics made from molecules, biotoxin sensors, high-frequency, low-power communications devices, active and even interactive cards and displays, and targeted diagnostic and therapeutic devices for health care. As for the grant’s particulars, the $11.4 million, five-year award is renewable for close to $23 million and will subsume other grants for a program total that nears $30 million, according to Dawn Bonnell. Dr. Bonnell currently is Director of the existing Center for Science and Engineering of Nanoscale Systems (SENS), which will be contained within the new center.

As nanotechnology continues to develop, engineers and scientists will create devices by assembling molecules. In many instances, those devices will interact with biological systems. Today, the essential characteristics of those interactions are still largely unknown. To fully understand them, says Bonnell, measurements and characterizations of the interfaces are essential. That is the critical role Penn’s center will play. The information its researchers compile will create the scientific reference library essential to making nano-bio systems that work.

“Researchers are already creating nanosystems that mimic biological molecules and have optical and electronic functions,” says Bonnell. “There are unique interactions between these devices and biological systems. The center will find out what’s happening at that interface.”

Every center needs a home and the Nano-Bio Interface Center will be housed in a proposed new building to be constructed near 33rd and Walnut Streets, says Dean Eduardo Glandt. The grant plays a critical role in consummating a three-pronged strategic vision at the School. A few years ago, SEAS committed itself to either maintaining or creating a leadership position in the three fastest growing technologies: biotechnology, in which it was already a powerhouse; information technology, where it is highly regarded; and now, nanotechnology.

“This grant is huge for us,” says Glandt. “It is a big win for the strategic direction of the entire school.”