National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI)

Executive Summary: Nanotechnology is everywhere. And, our ability to engineer and examine at the nanoscale will become more advanced over the next 10 years (and beyond). Today, we have the opportunity to harness the potential of nanoscience and nanoengineering to address the nation's most critical challenges in energy, Earth's environment, healthcare, defense, and more. In addition, the government aims to bring semiconductor jobs back to the US but we face a skilled workforce shortage. Building upon a four-decade long legacy of shared nanotechnology infrastructure support, a future national nanotechnology infrastructure can address these challenges and is a critical resource for our nation. In response to the nearing end of the 10-year, NSF-funded National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) program, subject matter experts convened in Washington, D.C. to identify opportunities for a future nanotechnology infrastructure. This white paper summarizes and details the input from the participants (~200 virtual and ~80 in person) and organizing committee of "The Workshop on Nanotechnology Infrastructure of the Future. More specifically, major takeaways and future recommendations related to the identification of key nanotechnology research priorities; education and workforce development; technology translation; research ecosystem and social responsibility; and organizational structure, governance, and assessment are provided. A high-level, cross-cutting summary of the workshop recommendations is outlined below.

• Advance the frontiers of research for the nation by providing the necessary tools, facilities, expertise, and collaborative spaces to image, fabricate, and control nanoscale systems.
• Prioritize inspiring and training the next-generation workforce via education, outreach, and training programs that make "K-to-gray" learners aware of the nanotechnology field and pathways into it, and by partnering with industry and community colleges for workforce development.
• Partner radically with industry, government agencies, and related academic disciplines to maximize the impact of our nanotechnology infrastructure on the US technology ecosystem.
• Be intentional about increasing access across geographical regions and social barriers with a focus on rural communities, underrepresented individuals, and women.
• Build and expand upon the NNCI model's successes by protecting individual site autonomy and flexibility, as well as coordinating, incentivizing, and resourcing collaboration across the sites within the nanotechnology infrastructure.

• CNF Education and Outreach Webpage
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  NANOOZE "is a place to hear about the latest exciting stuff in science and technology, particularly things related to Nanotechnology, the science of really small things! Nanooze is a magazine that has been created to get kids excited about science and especially nanotechnology the science of really small things." Browse through articles, blogs, Meet a Scientist profiles, and Download past issues. Read and download this kid-friendly e-magazine." Nanooze is a project of the Cornell Nanoscale Facility part of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) 
• CNF REU Program: "The Cornell NanoScale Science & Technology Facility Research Experiences for Undergraduates (CNF REU) Program takes full advantage of this diversity of research and offers projects encompassing chemistry, nanoscale electronics, materials processing, physical sciences, engineering, and life sciences, with a strong inter-disciplinary emphasis. 
• International REU Japan Program. "Since 2008, CNF has directed an international research experience program, giving talented undergraduates (and recent graduates) an advanced international research experience in an international environment. Currently we have a relationship with the National Institute of Materials Science (NIMS) in Tsukuba, Japan. Each year we select six outstanding undergraduates for this program, selected from the pool of prior year participants in the NNCI REU program." 
• 4-H Career Explorations in STEM--"CNF is proud to partner with NYS 4-H in support of their STEM activities. As a program of Cooperative Extension, 4-H reaches every county in NY State. Their expanded mission embracing STEM makes CNF's partnership with 4-H an excellent vehicle for reaching a broad population. Each summer, CNF, along with many other Cornell departments, participates in the 4-H Career Explorations event which brings nearly 500 youth from across NY to the Cornell campus for several days of hand-on activities."

• MANTH REU -- This 10-week program gives undergraduate students the opportunity to work with scientists on the cutting-edge of nanoscale research. The Singh Center offers four major research facilities, all featuring state-of-the-art equipment for nanoscale characterization, measurement, and fabrication: the Quattrone Nanofabrication Facility, the Nanoscale Characterization Facility, the Scanning and Local Probe Facility, and the Material Property Measurement Facility. Summer projects may include ones in which students work on a research project within a Penn faculty member's lab, as well as unique project opportunities to work on research originating from the Singh Center research facilities themselves. Students will be matched to projects based on their background, interests and the projects' needs and requirements.
• NanoDay@Penn--Nanotechnology is all around us! Learn about nanotechnology, meet professionals in the field, and discuss careers associated with nanotechnology. The Singh Center for Nanotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania hosts high and middle school students at NanoDay @ Penn 2023. Meet researchers, engineers, undergraduate/graduate students at Penn, Drexel University and Goeppert.
• Community College of Philadelphia Internship Workforce Training--The Singh Center and Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) are partnering to offer a paid summer internship opportunity for CCP students. Interns work for 20 hours per week during the 14-week internship. At the Singh Center, interns work in the Quattrone Nanofabrication Facility, or "cleanroom." They learn the basics of nanofabrication through hands-on training on fabrication methods and cleanroom equipment operation and maintenance. Interns select a project for the summer, which provides a context that structures their work beyond general safety, equipment and basics of nanoscience training.
• Master's Program in Nanotechnology--University of Pennsylvania and Graduate Student Fellow Program --Learn Nanotechnology and Semiconductor in the World-class Facilities; diverse curriculum, hands-on laboratory, research experience, student support career consulting, networking.

• MINIC Education Programs
• MINIC Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Program--The RET program engages five science teachers at the high school or community college level in a six week experience of hands-on nanotechnology research and curriculum development at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus.
• MINIC Webinars and Workshops

• MONT Education and Outreach Resources
  • All About Nano  
  • What is Nano
  • Size and Scale
  • Matter Acts in Weird Ways at the Nanoscale
  • Seeing Things at the Nanoscale
  • Making Things at the Nanoscale
  • Applications of Nanotechnology
• Teaching Nanotechnology Across the STEM Curriculum -- website in partnership with the Science Education Resource Center, Carleton College, MN.
  • Preparing for a Career in Nanoscience in the Earth and Environmental Sciences: A Guide for Students and Their Mentors 
  • Nanoscience Resources for Instuctors 
  • Nanoscience Literature for Earth and Environmental Science --seminal articles from the scientific literature to support class or independent study projects for teaching and learning about nanoscience. 
  • Instruments and Analytical methods Common to Nanoscience -- a series of introductory tutorials to introduce students to X-ray crystallography, electron beam methods (SEM, EDS, EBSD, CL), bulk elemental analysis (major and trace element), mass spectrometry, surface spectroscopies, micro-imaging, and other related spectroscopies. Modules are written for upper division undergraduate or graduate students to help prepare for future training on instruments, or to help users be informed readers of the literature or attendees at presentations. 
  • Ethics Education for Nanotechnology -- Responsible conduct of research, professional behaviors of scientists, ethical decision-making, and special ethical challenges related to nanotechnology. 
• Master of Science in Science Education -- The Master of Science in Science Education (MSSE) program offers unique online and campus-based courses in all science disciplines designed for traditional and informal science educators. An emphasis on science inquiry, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and a culminating Capstone Project, often based on the Action-Research model, are hallmarks of the program.
  • In collaboration with MONT, the Dept. of Electrical Engineering offers Solar Cell Basics for Science Teachers. Solar Cell Basics is a course for science educators, to train them to teach principles of solar cells. The course is designed to help science teachers, grades 6 to 12, understand the operating principles and the fabrication processes of modern solar cells that convert light energy to electrical energy. The course has a laboratory component in which solar cells will be fabricated in the Montana Microfabrication Facility (MMF). Each student will process 4 inch silicon wafers using the various steps necessary to make solar cells. 
• MONT Webinars
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  • Dr. Robin Gerlach, Applications of Raman Confocal Spectromicroscopy in Biogeochemistry, Geology, Materials Science and Engineering, February 22, 2019
  • Dr. Recep Avci, Applications of Integrated NanoAuger Probe in Materials Science, January 18, 2018
  • Dr. David Dickensheets, From Microfluidics to Nano-optics: Building Devices in the Montana Microfabrication Facility, March 23, 2017
  • Dr. Phil Stewart and Betsy Pitts, Imaging Microorganisms on Surfaces, December 7, 2016
  • Drs. Recep Avci and David Mogk, Material Characterization Using Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy: Examples Using SEM, XPS and Auger, May 17, 2016

• 2024 NanoSIMST Nanoscience Institute for Middle School Teachers and Institute Website 
• Community College Internships 
• K-14 Nano Resources; Videos on 
  • Meet A Scientist - Kitchen Discoveries Lead to Nanoscale Tool, Dr. Ahanjit Bhattacharya shares slides which walk through the development of the Langmuir Blodgett Trough by a female scientist in her kitchen; in addition he highlights connections to art and culture! 
  • Meet A Scientist - Following in Her Foote Steps, Rachel Porter, a Biophysics PhD candidate, talks about her passion for the environment; shares an experimental procedure about greenhouse gases by the Grandmother of Climate Science, Eunice Newton Foote, for students of all levels. 
  • How to Lead an Outstanding Outreach event with a SEM Demonstration, Learn best practices from Abby Carbone, a Materials Science and Engineering PhD student, and an experienced outreach volunteer on Scanning Electron Microscopes, SEM.  
    • Demo for K-6; 
    • Demo for 6-12
• Stanford Online edX: Nano@Standford; This resource contains materials to prepare researchers to become effective users of the nano@stanford nanofabrication and nanocharacterization tools and facilities, as well as to be useful to anyone wanting to learn about nanofabrication. The nano@stanford facilities include the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility (SNF), the Stanford Nano Shared Facilities (SNSF), the Stanford Materials Analysis Facility (MAF), and the Stanford Environmental Measurement Facility (EMF). Anyone can take this course: one does not have to be an SNF or SNSF lab member or in any way affiliated with Stanford University to take this course. Anyone can learn about nanofabrication and nanocharacterization techniques and tools and the principles behind them by reading any of the course material. The course lasts for 10 weeks, 5 hours/week, and is self-paced. 
• Nano@Stanford YouTube Channel; 97 videos 
  • Societal and Ethical Issues Playlist 
  • NanoScience Summer Institute for Middle School Teachers 2020 (19 videos) 
  • Community College  Partnerships -Internships

• Education and Outreach Resources
• REU and RET Programs (2016-2023)
• NCI-SW Access to SEM via RAIN Network;  Remote Access Examples 
• Webinars !MIRA!  Archive 2023 -- links to You Tube recordings. The Center for Materials Interfaces in Research & Applications (¡MIRA!) at Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a disruptive force in STEM, removing barriers between the worlds of STEM and cultural identities that often serve to limit the participation of historically marginalized communities. ¡MIRA!, which translates to Look! in Spanish, is an explicit recognition of the multicultural demographics of our state, with a message that deliberately welcomes historically marginalized populations to enter education and career paths in Materials Science and STEM. 
• NCI-SW Outreach --ASU Open Door and Arizona SciTech Festival; STEM Fest; Indigenous Peoples Day Phoenix Festival, City of Tempe's Geeks Night Out, Lab Tours
• Societal and Ethical Implications (SEI) User Facility in the ASU Center for Nanotechnology in Society
  • The Center for Nanotechnology in Society, Arizona State University. Since 2005, ASU has been home to the NSF funded Center for Nanotechnology in Society (CNS). The scholars, skills, and experience gained during that period provide the core of the NCI-SW SEI User Facility.
  • Science Outside the Lab -- "Every summer NCI-SW sponsors a week long Science Outside the Lab program on nanotechnology.  Science Outside the Lab brings a small cohort of graduate student scientists and engineers to Washington, D.C. to explore the relationships among science, innovation, and policy. The goal is to expose participants to as many different viewpoints as possible and help them understand how people and institutions influence and learn from science. Science Outside the Lab Video.  NNCI description of Science Outside the Lab
  • Winter School --"The Winter School will give junior scholars and scientists an introduction to and practical experience with methods and theory for better understanding the social dimensions of emerging technologies. The 2024 Winter School will be focused on the broad notion of impact with an aim to explore ways for participants to increase and diversify the impact of their work. The National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure Coordinating Office is now supporting the winter school, run by the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University."

• NNF Education and Outreach Resources --"The main goals of NNF education and outreach programs and communications are to increase awareness of nanoscience to students, teachers, businesses and the general public and to increase the number of students entering nanoscience fields, especially among underrepresented groups."
• NNF Teacher Resources
  • Nanocamp Powerpoints and Workshop Powerpoints
  • Nano/STEM Digital Kits and Kits for Purchase
  • Nano/STEM Training Videos
  • Cleanroom Facility Lessons and Resources
• NNF Summer Research Experiences for Teachers --"Teachers will spend time designing curricular materials to use in their classroom and will share these teaching materials during the program and after they return to their home institution. Be a part of a national initiative this summer, learning about nanoscience research, creating your own curriculum, and discovering new ways to teach science and engineering.
• NNF REU Programs "NNF offers a 10-week summer fellowship that provides undergraduate students with an opportunity for interdisciplinary research in a nanoscale science or engineering laboratory on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. The Nebraska Nanoscale Facility summer research REU includes faculty mentors from the following university departments: Physics, Mechanical Materials Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Civil Engineering and Chemical Engineering."
• Nebraska Nanoscale Facility Minicourse Registration (2023 Event closed, but describes nature of program)--In-person hands-on training will be taught by NNF Specialists from November 8-10 in the Voelte-Keegan Nanoscience Center, located on the City Campus at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (16th and W Streets). During this time, the program will train new users in the technical aspects of any two pieces of equipment of their choice. Participants will have the opportunity to learn materials analysis, advanced materials characterization, fabrication of nanostructured materials, electronic devices, structural components, and advances in nanotechnology. Attendees will also have the opportunity to get first-hand knowledge of the potential benefits to their research and development activities and how to become users of the facilities.

• RTNN Education Resources
• RTNN Research Experiences for Teachers
  • RET Educator Developed Lesson Plans
• RTNN K-12 Teachers and Students, Classroom Learning and Field Trips
• RTNN Take-out Science --Take-out Science is a program designed to provide you with take-out access to our nanotechnology tools and experts. Approximately twice a month, we stream or post a new show in focused on a different theme. All shows are designed with K-12 audiences in mind and are open to everyone.
• RTNN Kickstarter Program --In order to further our mission to serve as a hub of cutting-edge nanotechnology innovation and education, the RTNN has established a means to allow members of the nanotechnology and greater scientific communities, who would otherwise not have the financial resources, to use RTNN facilities. Several recent reports describe how  L pandemic adversely affected and continues to affect academic research particularly for specific groups (e.g., women, international students, early career scientists). In response to this crisis, the RTNN is expanding its Kickstarter eligibility criteria to include researchers that have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• RTNN Immersive Lab Experiences  --he RTNN has created immersive lab experiences for K-12 students in an effort to give students engaging, hands-on activities in our facilities. In this program, students come to the facilities and work alongside other users. To prepare for the visit, the activities include work outside the facilities including watching videos, collecting samples to image, and designing a photomask. In the facilities, students operate the equipment and take ownership of the work. We have designed several experiences:
• RTNN REU on Hybrid Perovskite Materials --he RTNN hosts a collaborative REU site that leverages the strength of collaborative research on hybrid materials, specifically hybrid perovskites, together with the integrated nanotechnology tools of the RTNN to provide a state-of-the-art research experience on a timely research topic that has direct and tangible technological applications (e.g. solar cells, lighting, lasers). Each year, twelve students conduct research in faculty labs across the three RTNN institutions: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and Duke University.
• Other Resources
  • Introduction to Scanning Electron Microscopy
  • Introduction to Sputtering
  • MyScope Outreach page Thermo Fisher / AMMRF collaboration with answers to basic questions on microscopy
  • MyScope Explore a virtual SEM where you can load different types of samples
  • Inspire STEM Education Teaching Tools  -- from Hitachi for teaching SEM operation
  • Nanotechnology, A Makers Course a Coursera course that introduces and demonstrates various nano-fabrication and -characterization tools  

• SDNI Education Resources. - Center for Nano Technology Educational Resources (C.E.N.T.E.R)
• SDNI Nanotechnology Summer Institute for Middle and High School Teachers --RET teachers receive hands-on nanotechnology research experience in a UCSD Faculty lab for a period of 6-8 weeks. At the end of the program, participants produce a lesson plan, based on their research experience or another nanotechnology topic of their choice, that they must bring back to their respective schools/colleges for implementation in their class as well as sharing with their peers.
• SDNI REU Program --The goal of this program is to provide undergrads with research experience in the field of nanotechnology as well as professional development through programmatic activities which enriches their experiential learning and better prepare them for graduate school. Please take note that each selected participant will be assigned to a faculty mentor involved with nanotechnology research, and specific research area will depend on facultys' availability.
• OMNI NANO Program
  • College and Career Readiness
  • Interactive Workshops
  • Relevant Curriculum
  • Accredited Courses-Bridges to Nanotechnology Program
• Remote SEM --School teachers are invited to benefit of our program consisting of Remote Access to our high-end Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). This program enables you to control the Zoom and Focus functions of our SEM from the comfort of your classroom. The only thing you need is a connection to the internet and a display screen (or LCD; you can also simply use your computer screen if nothing else is available).

• SENIC Education Resources
• Outreach Demonstration Guide-- A detailed guide to some nanotechnology demonstrations, developed by the NNCI site at Georgia Tech. These are not full scale lessons, but rather 10 minutes activities.This guide consists of a variety of demonstrations that the SENIC Education Office at Georgia Institute of Technology; 17 easily accessible tested activities for demonstrations with Instruction Sheets for students and the public.
• SENIC Nanotechnology Outreach Instruction Sheets --Additonal material designed to accompany the lessons contained in the Demonstration Guide.
• SENIC Size and Scale Poster
• SENIC REU Summer Internship Program GT-IEN SENIC Internship in Nanotechnology (SUIN)--A program of SENIC at the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology. Explore exciting interdisciplinary opportunities in nanoscale science and engineering at Georgia Tech's IEN facilities. In addition to research, participants will practice science communication methods and learn about entrepreneurship through a series of presentations and customer discovery exercises.
• SENIC Workshops --2024 IEN/MCF Skills Development Short Courses
• SENIC Seminars and Nano@Tech Webinar Series YouTube Channel --Nano@Tech is an organization comprised of professors, graduate students, and undergraduate students from Georgia Tech and nearby academic institutions, as well as professionals from the corresponding scientific community that are interested in nanotechnology.
• SENIC Ethics Video: 8 Things You Need to Know About Social Implications of Nanotechnology Research, Dr. Jan Youtie

• NanoJournalism --SHyNE Resource, collaborating with Northwestern Medill School of Journalism and School of Communications, has established a novel Nano Journalism focus within the existing Health, Environment and Science Journalism program. The program began in 2016 and multiple components will be introduced, designed to bring journalism students into the facilities to learn about nanoscience research and connect scientists and researchers with the Medill experts in science writing to help them effectively communicate their research to a general audience.
• SHyNE Research Experience for Undergraduates -SHyNE Resource has developed a unique REU program providing facilities focused research projects for four undergraduate students (50% from underrepresented minority groups). Research projects are developed in close collaboration between SHyNE facility staff and Northwestern faculty. This combination of a traditional REU research experience with the hands on instrumentation focus provides an opportunity for students to learn new skills and enrich their experience.
• SHyNE Research Experiences for Teachers --As one of the four sites in the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure Network (NNCI) RET collaborative program, SHyNE will be offering local High School and Community College teachers the opportunity to experience the excitement of nanotechnology research and to share this experience in their classrooms and with their peers.

• MUNI: Multicultural and Underserved Nanoscience Initiative --MUNI is a NanoEarth signature initiative. With only 11% of underrepresented people working in science and engineering jobs, MUNI strives to provide an opportunity for inspiring those groups to pursue nanoscience degrees and careers. MUNI provides access to and training opportunities on state-of-the-art nanoscience-relevant instrumentation, as well as nano-synthesis and processing laboratories, for underrepresented professionals and students. For students, MUNI serves all academic levels, from K-12, to community college students, to students in four-year programs and even graduate school. 
• NanoEarth's Innovation Ecosystem --The NNCI Innovation Ecosystem offers programming and resources focused on training a new generation of nano-savvy innovators and entrepreneurs, identifying and meeting the unique needs of industry users, particularly start-ups and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and supporting the commercialization of nanotechnologies. 
  • Research and Entrepreneurship Experience for Undergraduates (REEU)--The REEU program exposes NSF REU students to nano-enabled entrepreneurship opportunities linked to research. Since the extent to which entrepreneurship might fit within an REU program can vary from site to site, flexible REEU options are offered and tailored to meet the needs of individual REU coordinators. 
  • Industry Seminar Series --The purpose of the series is to invite prominent industry speakers to the Virginia Tech campus to share with the NanoEarth team the unique nano fabrication and characterization challenges they face in industry, and how collaboration with NNCI node sites like NanoEarth can help support their efforts. Ultimately, the goals of this effort are to: 1) foster more robust collaborations with industry and 2) develop a set of industry case-studies that demonstrate the importance of industry/academic collaborations around nano characterization and fabrication. 
  • Nanotechnology Entrepreneurship Challenge (NTEC; 2024) --NTEC 2024 is supported by participating sites of the NSF-funded National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI). Student-led teams can receive funding or in-kind facility access and mentorship to develop nano-enabled innovations for global sustainability challenges. 
• Pulse of the Planet-- Syndicated radio producer Jim Metzner (multiple radio media major-award winner, plus multiple NSF, Grammy Foundation, and Fulbright grants) produces NanoEarth sponsored Pulse of the Planet radio shows. These Pulse of the Planet radio shows are about nanoenvironmental research and environmental nanoscience and engineering in general. 
• NanoEarth Videos
  • The Enabling Potential of a Career in Nanoscience --Matt Hull 
  • Doing Good" with a Career in Environmental Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. --Marc Michel 
  • Nanoscience Professional Development Workshop for High School Teacher