World Class Nanotechnology Research Center Opens

Eh-Wire writes "The University of Alberta and Edmonton are mighty proud to be home to the new National Institute of Nanotechnology. The $52.2-million(Canadian) facility is designed to provide the optimal conditions for nano-scale research and to foster collaboration between researchers. Apparently it is Canada's quietest space and engineered that way to minimize vibration and acoustical noise. Even the electrical wiring has been twisted to reduce electro-magnetic interference. Curiously enough the head project architect, Donna Clare of architectural firm, Cohos Evamy was also the head project architect for Edmonton's highly acclaimed Winspear Centre, a concert hall designed specifically to enhance acoustics. There's likely going to be some big things coming from this state-of-the-art research facility for the really really small."

Sounds like it was designed by

Bloody Stupid Johnson [wikipedia.org] – it's so small, you can get lost just looking for it!

Please!

Never say "Johnson" and "it's so small" in the same sentence!

Nor

Nor "Johnson" and "Bloody", please.

Huh?

Curiously enough the head project architect, Donna Clare of architectural firm, Cohos Evamy was also the head project architect for Edmonton's highly acclaimed Winspear Centre, a concert hall designed specifically to enhance acoustics.

What's curious about that? If you want a quiet building, I'd think you'd want to hire a guy who's an expert in sound and architecture.

-Grey [wellingtongrey.net]

Nit, I pick YOU!

"What's curious about that? If you want a quiet building, I'd think you'd want to hire a guy who's an expert in sound and architecture."

Seems they got off on entirely the wrong foot with head project architect Donna Clare, then.

Whoops

Errr... That was the gender-neutral 'guy'. :)

-Grey [wellingtongrey.net]

Re:Whoops

While we're picking nits, do you ever get tired of pasting that link to your web site to the bottom of every single comment? That's what sigs [slashdot.org] are for, you know?

HuH?

There's likely going to be some big things coming

... big things ... nano-tech ... is this like "jumbo shrimp"?

Has this already happened?

I think we should focus on building a nanotech device that will build nanotech devices that build nanotech devices. My worry is that this has already happened. How would I know?

Re:Has this already happened?

I think we should focus on building a nanotech device that will build nanotech devices that build nanotech devices. My worry is that this has already happened. How would I know?

.. you'll know that the recycling nanobots have been created (and let into t

Re:Has this already happened?

Look, grey goo exists, and it's called microbes. Just leave food outside for a couple of days, and you'll see. And generalized dissassemblers can't work simply due to not having enough energy/kg available in the environment (unless you use fire, which coul

Re:Has this already happened?

General disassemblers don't have to be fast ... store up energy (say, sunlight) for a few minutes, disassemble one molucule, repeat. It works in nature - plants do it all the time. So lets say that a disassembler weighs the same as one cell that makes up t

Re:HuH?

...from this state-of-the-art research facility for the really really small.

Moreover, the proper term for us is dwarves.

Sorry but this is not new

Even the electrical wiring has been twisted to reduce electro-magnetic interference.

This is done in all the high precision instruments and the facility in which they are installed. TEM [wikipedia.org]s and electron beam lithography [wikipedia.org] tools often have a separate foundation isolated from the rest of the building to minimize vibration issues.

Probably they should mention about the tight control over temperature, humidity and airflow as well.

Re:Sorry but this is not new

I was thinking the same thing when I read it. It's worded as if twisted pairs are some sort of new fangled idea. Anbody who is plugged into the internet via an ethernet cable is benefitting from this "twisting to reduce electro-magnetic interference".

size matters

Careful not to step on it!

Minatec

You might be interested by the recently launched european equivalent : Minatec [minatec.com].

This makes me worry

U of A does have some nano technology expertise. On the other hand, this does sound like some administrator dreamed up a way to tap the 'obscene' pile of money in Alberta.

Call me a cynic but I've seen this happen too many times. If you use the right sexy

Re:This makes me worry

The University of Alberta has their own nano tech lab called the NanoFab [ualberta.ca] and it is good for what it did. However it is an open access research facility and the space inside of it was almost all used up by the time I finished working there 2 years ago. This new lab is huge and has tons of room for more equipment and has taken advantage of new construction techniques in order to allow for more sensitive equipment. There is a lot of research in nano-tech happening in Alberta and this will allow it to continue.

Research without focus is mostly waste

If you want to do research that actually will have an impact on people's lives, get the heck out of universities as fast as possible. Given the vast amount of money that the government pours into research, it is obvious that SOME useful things will come o

nanoscience vs. nanotechnology

The distinction between the fundamental and applied research at the nanoscale is basically that between nanoscience and nanotechnology. But this distinction is currently a lot fuzzier than similar boundaries in the more traditional branches of science (e.g

Major investor backed out

It would have been done sooner if a major investor hadn't backed out:

Derek Zoolander: What is this? A nano-research center for ants? How can we expected the researchers to learn about nano-technology... if they can't even fit inside the building?

Cana

UMass has one in progress..

The University of Massachusetts in Lowell is building a new $23 million dollar nanotechnology center, with area for corporations to rent for use as assembly systems:
http://www.uml.edu/Media/News%20Articles/article34 6.html [uml.edu]

Re:UMass has one in progress..

$46.45mil USD > $23mil USD ^.^ Not that I'm pitting the U of A against U of M or anything...

I hear the labs are really small...

(ta dump dump)

The University of Alberta

There are some grandious title on doors that turn out to be wood shops if you open them. The Condensed Matter Physics labs. I found that very funny.

Re:The University of Alberta

Grandinous isn't even a word o.O I'll admit the U has a bit of trouble playing up its strengths. Look at the old Nanofab lab in the basement of ETLC.You wouldn't know it was there if someone didn't tell you. In spite of that, that lab houses millions of do

Re:The University of Alberta

I'd say they hyped the existence of the Nanofab pretty extensively, and even if you're an undergrad in Engineering or a few of the Sciences (Physics comes to mind) you've probably heard of the existence of the Nanofab. It's been overshadowed by NINT, but

Re:The University of Alberta

Good to hear that V-wing is finally being torn down. I had a locker in the basement. Those steam pipes made for a rather inhospitable environment. Hot as hell, that is.

Quietest place in Canada

Apparently it is Canada's quietest space and engineered that way to minimize vibration and acoustical noise.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNew s/20060523/reporters_harper_060523 [www.ctv.ca]

I thought, the quietest place in Canada was Stephen Harper givi

Re:Quietest place in Canada

Actually since becoming single again my bedroom was the quietest place in Canada!

Knowing one of our governments just pissed away another $52.2 million on something
that a private business should've built & paid for.
My bedroom won't so quiet anymore, no

I saw the building a few months ago...

I saw the new nanotechnology building a few months ago... and its a lot bigger than I expected.

Nanoscience requires low vibration environs

For example, looking at atomic level resolution of material surfaces using an Scanning Tunneling Microsope [wikipedia.org] which is fairly routine for a nanoscience experiment requires very low vibration so that the ultra fine tip does not drift with time. Usually this i

Re:Nanoscience requires low vibration environs

FYI:

requires very low vibration so that the ultra fine tip does not drift with time

The vibrations have absolutely NOTHING to do with drift. The drift is caused by temperature gradients in the microscope. One part of the microscope thermally expands

Re:Nanoscience requires low vibration environs

You are right. thanks-

Oldest science

God is a nanotechnologist.

Georgia Tech has a center under construction

Its 160,000 sq ft with 30,000 sq ft of clean rooms. Of course it won't be done till the summer of 2008 and cost $80M. The biggest private contribution has been from Bernie Marcus, one of the founders of Home Depot, for $15M.

Georgia Tech Nanotechnology Re [gatech.edu]

Re:Georgia Tech has a center under construction

I can't find the link right now, but I beleive my university (Univeristy of Waterloo) and Georgia have signed a nice little deal. Both are investing huge amounts of money into nanotechnology (our Centre for Nanotechnology and Quantum computing is supposed

the website

err, perhaps a link to the actual Nanotech Institute website would be helpful? http://nint-innt.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/home/index_e.html [nrc-cnrc.gc.ca]

Open for now...

It's interesting to note that this center was built using "soft money", i.e. limited time funding that is actually expiring at more or less the same time that it is opening. There are other things of concern with this center, such as how the investment is