Universities Break Ground for JSNN Research Facility

By Dan Nonte, University Relations

Contact: (336) 334-4314

Posted 11-10-09

GREENSBORO, N.C. — UNCG and N.C. A&T broke ground Monday for a 100,000-plus-square-foot research facility for the Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering at the South Campus of Gateway University Research Park.

“Our ability to navigate the current economic challenges and to continue to excel in the future will not be based on one individual’s success, one project’s success, or the success of one campus,” said Hannah D. Gage, chair of the UNC system’s Board of Governors.

“It will be our collective efforts and our spirit of collaboration that usher us into an era of achievement for higher education.”

Other speakers included UNC President Erskine B. Bowles; Rep. Joe Hackney, speaker of the N.C. House of Representatives; and Chancellors Linda P. Brady and Harold L. Martin Sr., of UNCG and N.C. A&T, respectively.

“Nanoscience and nanoengineering represent our future and the future of this community in terms of economic development,” Brady said. “We’re delighted to be partnering with N.C. A&T in this enterprise.”

The JSNN, a collaboration between UNCG and N.C. A&T, will train students to conduct basic and applied research, and will work closely with the Piedmont Triad community to promote economic development. It will initially offer professional master of science and Ph.D. degrees in nanoscience and develop degree programs in nanoengineering.

The school’s founding dean is Dr. James G. Ryan, who joined the project in July 2008, coming from the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University at Albany. There, he was associate vice president of technology and professor of nanoscience.

Gateway University Research Park is a collaboration between N.C. A&T and UNCG, and it will serve as a bridge to successful commercial applications for the scientific research being performed at Greensboro’s two high research activity universities. University officials expect that over the next 20 years, the research park will contribute $250 million to the economy of the region.

John R. Merrill, executive director of Gateway University Research Park said, “The nanoscience and nanoengineering industries are a direct pathway to the future of major technological breakthroughs in the areas of nanobiology, nanometrology, nanocomposite materials and bioelectronics. Gateway University Research Park is once again making history by positioning the Triad region for growth in these arenas.”

Gateway University Research Park is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit entity created to manage and operate the collaboration between N.C. A&T and UNCG for the purposes of research and economic development within the Triad. The park is expected to attract, establish and/or retain businesses and organizations driven by the discovery of new knowledge and technologies.