(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently awarded more than $123 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants to support the construction of new scientific research facilities at 11 universities and one nonprofit research organization.
With ultimate research targets ranging from off-shore wind power and coral reef ecology to quantum physics and nanotechnology, the 12 projects will launch more than $250 million in new laboratory construction projects beginning early this year.
“These awards will create jobs by helping to fund 12 major, shovel-ready construction projects,” says U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. “These new, state-of-the-art facilities will help keep the United States at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation and will support economic growth.”
As part of it's $123 million investment, NIST has awarded $28.8 million to the following institutions for nanonscience metrology:
University of Pittsburgh ($15 million) for new laboratories for nanoscience and experimental physics
University of Nebraska – Lincoln ($6.9 million) for a nanoscience metrology facility
Georgetown University ($6.9 million) for The Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology
In addition to satisfying the core objectives of the Recovery Act—creating and saving jobs, and investment in infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits—the projects were chosen on the basis of the scientific and technical merit of the proposals, the need for federal funding, design quality and suitability for the intended purpose, and the strength of the project-management plan.
The new facilities also support research goals of the Commerce Department, NIST, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including the study of advanced materials, coral reefs, hurricanes, quantum physics, nanoscience, and metrology.
As a nonregulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.
Information on other NIST activities under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is available on the web at www.nist.gov/recovery.
Founded in 1901, The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a nonregulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, NIST’s mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.
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