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The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) is a nanotechnology based research institute in California on the campuses of UCLA and UCSB. The California NanoSystems Institute is a California government funded, wide-ranging research venture. The CNSI was created by Governor Gray Davis as part of a science and innovation initiative. Both campuses of the CNSI house world class staff and cutting-edge nanotechnology research groups. Each campus has partnerships with corporations leading the fields of which the corresponding campus is conducting research. The CNSI also extends educational opportunities to the community and the students on each campus.

History

On December 7th, 2000, California Governor Gray Davis announced the location of the federally sponsored California NanoSystems Institute section of the California Institutes for Science and Innovation (Cal ISI’s) initiative over satellite feed. The California legislature put forth $100 million for three research facilities to advance the future of the California economy . The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) was selected out of the proposals along with three other Cal ISI’s: California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Cal-(IT)2), and Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS). In August, 2000, CNSI was founded on both campuses of UCSB and UCLA. Martha Krebs, the former director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, was named the founder.

Active Leaders

UCSB

The people in charge of UCSB CNSI fall into 2 categories: the administrative staff and the faculty.

Administrative Staff

• David Awschalom-Acting Director
• Matthew Delaney-Executive Assistant
• Eva Deloa-Financial Manager
• Bob Hanson-Building Manager
  • The building manager is responsible for the maintenance, facility resource leads, and infrastructure of CNSI. The building manager oversees any changes in infrastructure or maintenance to the labs or the building as a whole.

UCLA

The people that oversee CNSI at UCLA are broken down into 4 groups: Leaders(group of head directors), Governing Board, Executive Committee, and Advisory and Oversight Board.

Leadership

• Leonard H. Rome, Ph.D.-Interim Director
• Kang Wang, Ph.D.-Associate Director
• Ric Kaner, Ph.D.-Associate Director
• Fuyu Tamanoi, Ph.D.-Research Director

Governing Board

The Governing Board was created to advise the leaders in all scientific issues including operations and research guidance of CNSI. Also, the Governing Board helps in creating objectives for researchers to strive for in the future. Today, the Governing Board consists of 6 Deans from UCLA's schools of medicine, engineering and sciences.

Executive Committee

The CNSI Executive Committee overlooks all business policy related matters. Also, the Executive Committee governs and manages any and all CNSI issues like the Governing Board. CSNI bylaws only recently created the Executive Committee on December 13, 2007.

Advisory and Oversight Board

The Advisory and Oversight Board only advises the Institute Director and Co-Director. Also, the board sets performance objectives for CNSI as well as overlooks reviews made by the Director and Co-Director. Most importantly, the board seeks out partnerships to enhance CNSI both financially and scientifically. Without this aspect, CNSI would not have the required funds to continue its operations. The Advisory and Oversight board meets with the Director and Co-Director twice a year for reviews of progress and operations.

Current Research

Current nanotechnology research being conducted on the UCSB campus is organized into three differing fields.

UCSB

Biology and Biomedical

The research fields of nanobiology(nanobiotechnology) and biomedicine show promise in the connection of nanoscale science to biological/nonbiological matter. New diagnostic methods as well as new ways to administer increasingly efficient disease specific treatments are also being researched and developed.

Energy Efficiency

Nanotechnology has promise to help fight global warming. Global warming is of current interest, as concerns over climate change have shifted from a focus on global cooling in the 1970s (when NASA scientists indicated global temperatures could be reduced by 3.5°C and “trigger an ice age”) to the current focus on global warming (defined as the increase in average global temperatures of 0.74±0.18°C over the last 100 years). Nanoscale research can promise more efficient, less wasteful technologies. Also, nanoscale allows to control, transform and store energy more efficiently.

Information Technologies

Both UCLA and UCSB CNSI labs show potential to develop upgrades in the processing, storage, and transmission of information as well as increases in the speed of information processing.

UCLA

Biotechnology and Biomaterials

Recent developments in the fields of nanobiotechnology and biomaterials have already shown that CNSI can create more efficient polymers for industrial and consumer use. Using nanoscale to create particles to help fight tumors and other medical problems is also being researched.

Electronics, Architectonics, Photonics

Current research in the fields of nanoelectronics, nanoarchitectonics, and nanophotonics have the potential for development of many new technologies that will contribute to the California economy. Nanosystems research has the potential to develop such things as:

• nanoradios
• upscale molecular electronics
• nanotubes
• one-dimensional nanowires

Partnerships

The California NanoSystems Institute depends on the partnerships with technological companies to help fund and run its research facilities. Partnerships fund the operation and expansions of CNSI in addition to the $250 million government research grants received in 2000. Increasing numbers of partnerships were created due to budget cuts by the state.

UCSB

• Applied Materials
• Hewlett-Packard Labs
• Intel
• Microsoft Research
• Sputtered Films / Tegal Corporation
• SUN Microsystems
• VEECO

UCLA

UCLA has international partnerships with companies in Singapore, Korea, and Japan.

Founding Partners

Partners that joined when the institute was originally created:

• Abraxis Bioscience
• BASF The Chemical Company
• Intel
• HP

Associate Partners

Partners that joined after creation:

• NEC
• Solarmer Energy, Inc.
• Keithley Instruments Company

Educational Opportunities

K-12

Both campuses offer several educational opportunities including hands-on laboratory research experience for junior high students and their teachers. These activities are done in collaboration with graduate students doing research in similar fields. In addition, UCSB scientists and researchers run family science nights at local junior highs to give families the opportunity to participate in scientific activities with their children. Also, CNSI runs after-school engineering and science club for grades 3-8 to explore science with UCSB undergrad club leaders. Finally, also CNSI hosts research opportunities for high school juniors and local Santa Barbara teachers on UCSB campus.

Undergraduate

Both UCLA and UCSB contribute to various scholarships for incoming freshman. Also, both campuses offer undergraduate courses that give insight to all fields and majors of math and science. Furthermore, undergraduates have the opportunity to act as club leaders and mentors to younger ages in K-12. Undergraduates also have extensive research opportunities in several fields during the year and through summer on either campus.

Graduate

Graduate opportunities are limited to:

• Mentoring
  • community college students
  • incoming freshman
  • high school juniors
  • high school teachers
  • undergraduates
• Assisting researchers in the lab

External Links

• http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/ -CNSI UCSB chapter.
• http://cnsi.ucla.edu/ -CNSI UCLA chapter (main)

References

1. California Launches Major Nanotechnology Research Initiative”. Foresight Update 43.December 20, 2000. <http://www.foresight.org/Updates/Update43/Update43.2.html>. 13 October 2008.
2. Foust, Brenda. “The California Institutes for Science and Innovation”. January, 2005. The Senate Source. <http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate/news/source/Calisi.pdf>. 13 October 2008.
3. “Administrative Staff”. <http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/people/staff/>. 13 October 2008.
4. "Leadership”. <http://cnsi.ucla.edu/staticpages/leadership>. 13 October 2008.
5. "Governing Board". <http://cnsi.ucla.edu/staticpages/board/governing>. 25 October 2008.
6. "Executive Committee". <http://cnsi.ucla.edu/staticpages/exec-committee>. 25 October 2008.
7. "Advisory and Oversight Board". <http://cnsi.ucla.edu/staticpages/board/oversight>. 25 October 2008.
8. "Biological and Biomedical". <http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/research/biology/index.php>. 13 October 2008.
9. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/173/3992/138?ck=nck
10. "Energy Efficiency". <http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/research/energy/index.php>. 13 October 2008.
11. "Information Technologies". <http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/research/information/>. 13 October 2008.
12. "Research". <http://cnsi.ucla.edu/staticpages/research-main>. 13 October 2008.
13. "Partnerships". <http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/partnerships/>. 13 October 2008.
14. "Partners". <http://cnsi.ucla.edu/staticpages/industry-partners>. 13 October 2008.
15. "K-12". <http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/education/programs/k12/>. 13 October 2008.
16. "Undergraduate". <http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/education/programs/ugrad/>. 13 October 2008.
17. "Graduate". <http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/education/programs/grad/>. 13 October 2008.

• Governor Gray Davis Institutes for Science and Innovation
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of California, Santa Barbara