SJSU is Awarded $500,000 for Nanotechnology Partnership

San José State University announced today that the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded the College of Engineering a $500,000 grant for the establishment of a collaborative research program in nanoscale materials and device characterization, including support of a Materials Characterization and Metrology Center. The Center, which will be managed through the SJSU Foundation in partnership with IBM-Almaden Research Center and NASA-AMES Center for Nanotechnology, will conduct research projects to further the understanding of nanoscale materials for use in a wide range of computing, data storage and sensor applications.

"The building of university/industry partnerships is an important activity for the University," says SJSU President Don W. Kassing. "We are delighted with DARPA's support of this project, and are grateful for the commitment of U.S. Congressman and head of the House Appropriations Committee Jerry Lewis, and our local representatives, Mike Honda and Anna Eshoo, who so enthusiastically endorsed our proposal. We look forward to supporting the efforts of IBM-Almaden Research Center and NASA-Ames Center for Nanotechnology in advancing this important work in the area of nanotechnology."

The DARPA award will support the work of six SJSU graduate students and six faculty members in the industry/partner laboratories. Funds from the award will also be used to provide technical support and maintenance services for the nanomaterials research equipment located throughout the SJSU campus.

"Over time, there won't be a single market that is not in some way changed by what we are learning about how the molecular building blocks of existing materials can be combined and manipulated to produce and deliver new materials," says Emily Allen, project principal investigator and chair of SJSU's Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering. "Being able to support the work of our students and faculty members on campus, as well as in such prestigious laboratories, is part of our commitment to training the next generation of scientists and engineers, who must be skilled in the use of tools and techniques to study nanoscale materials." Allen added that leading Silicon Valley companies, such as Intel, Applied Materials, Novellus Systems and others have indicated their support for the project as a public/private initiative that would be beneficial to local industry and the region.

"We always have many more ideas than we have time and hands available to pursue," says J. Campbell Scott, manager of molecular electronics at IBM's Almaden Research Center. "Our relationship with SJSU on this project is a way for us to do things that we wouldn't otherwise be able to do. For the students, it means getting experience in a research environment that broadens their education and gives them background with the use of different equipment and scientific approaches."

"I see this first substantial grant in nanotechnology for San José State as an important beginning for their development of curricula and research opportunities for their students interested in nanotechnology," says Dr. Meyya Meyyappan, director of the Center for Nanotechnology at NASA-Ames. "The funds will allow them to leverage public institutions like NASA-Ames so that they can fairly quickly establish themselves as an important player in the field of nanotechnology. I am pleased to be part of this partnership and to be able to provide this sort of opportunity for SJSU faculty and students. It is a terrific institution."

Contact: Carol Menaker - 408-927-5164 or 924-3343, carol.menaker@sjsu.edu