NIST launches new nanotech center

The Department of Commerce has created a new center at the National Institute of Standards & Technology that will focus on measurement and manufacturing at the nanoscale. The goal of the new unit, the Center for Nanoscale Science & Technology (CNST), is to overcome technical obstacles to cost-effective manufacturing of products made with nanoscale components. "The national CNST will help the private sector develop innovative products like more efficient batteries, lighter weight and higher performing materials for aircraft and autos, and smaller computer chips to power digital devices," noted Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez at the center's launch. The center, based in NIST's Advanced Measurement Laboratory in Gaithersburg, Md., will have a multidisciplinary research staff that will collaborate with universities, companies, and other government bodies to build infrastructure in this area. Funding for the center will come from part of the $20 million proposed in the 2007 budget for nanotechnology research at NIST under the American Competitiveness Initiative.