National Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN) REU Program

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9987915TiwariThe National Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN) is a national partnership of user research facilities providing unparalled opportunities for researchers from many disciplines and organizations. The facilities are used to fabricate structures based on advanced nano- and micro-fabrication technology. Initiated by NSF in 1994 NNUN serves as a useful model for linking expensive facilities to gain synergy and minimize duplication. Approximately 1000 active users take advantage of one of the five NNUN facilities each year. NNUN established a network-wide REU site in 1997, involving 42 students per summer for 10 weeks at 5 campuses: Cornell, Howard University, Penn State, Stanford, and University of California-Berkeley. The intent of this REU program is to capitalize on the extensive interrelated infrastructure of NNUN to provide a much broader and richer REU experience than any one site could provide. Students have access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and expertise in nanofabrication. A large pool of faculty, collectively from all 5 campuses, is available to advise the students. The REU program is individual project-based, with each student individually responsible for a research project. An REU convocationis held at the end of each summer at one of the 5 campuses; all 42 students meet to present their results in a conference setting. Other features of this REU include multi-site collaborative opportunities by delivery of training through streaming video and by expanded cooperative projects involving students at multiple sites working on similar or related projects.