The National Science Foundation (NSF) is funding Purdue University for the operation and advancement of nanoHUB.org, a national nanotechnology infrastructure. Two other independent NSF grants to Indiana University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will advance nano-manufacturing and nano-bioengineering while using nanoHUB to engage a global community.
The NCN cyber platform plans to expand its widely used nanoHUB online science and engineering gateway, developing a virtual society that shares simulation software, data, and other innovative content that provide engineers and scientists with the fundamental knowledge required to advance nanoscience into nanotechnology. The NCN cyber platform is led by Gerhard Klimeck, principal investigator and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University.
Annually, over 1.7 million visitors participate in nanoHUB, an online meeting place for simulation, research, collaboration, teaching, learning, and publishing. The nanoHUB provides a library of over 700 simulation tools, free from the limitations of running software locally. Over 21,700 people annually use simulation tools on nanoHUB in the scientific computing cloud.
nanoHUB provides over 7,400 resources for research and education, including courses, tutorials, seminars, discussions, and facilities to foster nano-research collaboration.
NCN founding director Mark Lundstrom, the Don and Carol Scifres Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue, launched the effort in 2002 with a five-year, $10.5 million NSF grant. The NSF funding was distributed among six partner universities to seed the infrastructure creation and develop nanoHUB content.