Named after its founder, the Nobel prize-winning discoverer of the buckyball, the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology has placed Rice eternally “on the map” in nanotechnology. Known around the globe, it has spawned the formation of 12 nano companies in the past eight years, and shows no signs of slowing down.
One of four interdisciplinary institutes in the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice University is devoted to nurturing science and technology at the nanometer scale
Over 120 faculty and research faculty in 16 different departments across campus are members of the Smalley Institute. Together, their areas of expertise span energy, health, nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes, computational nanotechnology, nanoelectronics, and nanophotonics. The programs of the Smalley Institute strive not only to pursue research in this emerging area but also to address issues in social, ethical, economic nanotechnology, nurture nanotechnology entrepreneurism, and teach others via its educational outreach efforts.
Founded in 1993, the Smalley Institute hosts the following centers: the NSF-supported Center for Biological and Environ¬mental Nanotechnology (CBEN), the Shared Equipment Authority (SEA), and the Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP). The Smalley Institute mission is “to enable researchers from all disciplines to share ideas, increase fundamental knowledge, and implement discoveries in nanoscience, nanoengineering, and nanotechnology.”
Dr. Wade Adams | Director | 713.348.6028 | wadams@rice.edu
Dr. Vicki Colvin | Co-Director | 713.348.5741 | colvin@rice.edu
The Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) at Rice University. Aiming to transform nanoscience into a field with the impact of a modern-day polymer science, CBEN focuses on research at the interface between "dry" nanomaterials and aqueous media such as biology and the environment, developing the nanoscience workforce of the future, and transferring discoveries to industry.
Other Nanotechnology Affiliations
The following organizations, made up of Texas-based universities, industry leaders, investors, and government officials, foster communication, collaboration, and resource sharing in order to augment nanotechnology growth and practical applicability. These organizations include:
Texas Nanotechnology Initiative
Nanotechnology Foundation of Texas, Inc.
Alliance for NanoHealth