NNCI: Northwest Nanotechnology Infrastructure (NNI)

NNCI西北纳米技术基础设施（NNI）网站是太平洋西北地区及其他地区纳米技术研究人员和工程师的主要资源。NNI由位于西雅图的华盛顿大学（UW）和位于科瓦利斯的俄勒冈州州立大学（OSU）的世界级设施组成，并由能源部太平洋西北国家实验室（PNNL）的独特能力以及新成立的西北纳米技术实验室联盟提供补充。NNI位于UW，位于充满活力的生物技术和创业场景中，为多样化的用户群提供最先进的工具和专业培训，特别关注光子学，量子，清洁能源和生物医学领域。NNI的使命由核心服务组成，可以概括为三大支柱：制定-衡量-指导. Make and Measure构成了网站的物理基础，Mentor反映了教育工作的协调，包括那些在科学界之外具有广泛影响的教育工作。NNI的物理基础设施包括华盛顿纳米纤维工厂（WNF，西雅图）、材料合成表征工厂（MaSC，Corvallis）和先进技术与制造研究所（热海，Corvallis），以及分子分析工厂（MAF，西雅图）、俄勒冈州工艺创新中心（OPIC，Corvallis）和环境压力表面表征实验室（APSCL，Corvallis）。无论是新手还是经验丰富的工程师或科学家，无论是本科生、研究生、博士后还是社区学院的学生或教师，所有用户都可以灵活地访问NNI设施，从对本地用户的全面培训到操作员辅助的工具访问，再到远程执行项目。技术描述：NNI作为一个基础广泛的纳米技术资源，尽管该网站将提供领导的三个主要研究重点领域突出：（i）光子和量子器件，旨在实现大规模集成光子网络和量子信息系统，预计将克服当前电子电路速度和带宽的限制。除了信息处理之外，医疗设备中光子学的小型化和集成正在促进新的微创健康诊断的开发; ㈡先进能源材料和设备，旨在为清洁能源解决方案提供科学和工程基础，包括为太阳能发电创造更好的电池或可扩展和环境友好的材料;及（iii）生物纳米界面及系统，为生物医学应用的新装置的发明及示范提供基础设施及专业知识，促进蛋白质模型、药物输送、传感器、生物支架及生物电子学的发展。NNI的教育活动面向广泛的受众，旨在产生倍增效应。提供三个标志性的居住方案：㈠当地部落学校的居住教育工作者获得实验室实践技能，用于K-12课程的教学; ㈡青年科学和工程暑期经验使来自STEM代表性不足的群体的学生能够从事工程职业;及（iii）校内及亲身学习经验鼓励本地及地区K-12学区的学生走上大学之路。此外，NNI通过在诸如华盛顿大学的工程发现日和西雅图太平洋科学中心的国家纳米技术日等高调活动中的展览吸引更广泛的公众。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

Non-Technical Description:The NNCI Northwest Nanotechnology Infrastructure (NNI) site serves as the prime resource for nanotechnology researchers and engineers in the Pacific Northwest region and beyond. The NNI consists of world-class facilities at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle and Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis, complemented by unique capabilities available at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and through the newly established Northwest Nanotechnology Laboratory Alliance. Anchored at the UW and located in the midst of a vibrant biotech and startup scene, the NNI offers state-of-the-art tools and specialized training to a diverse user base with particular attention to the photonics, quantum, clean energy and biomedical fields. The mission of NNI consists of core services that can be summarized by the pillars Make - Measure - Mentor. Make and Measure form the site’s physical foundation and Mentor reflects the coordination of educational efforts, including those with broad impact beyond the scientific community. The NNI’s physical infrastructure consists of the Washington Nanofabrication Facility (WNF, Seattle), the Materials Synthesis & Characterization Facility (MaSC, Corvallis) and the Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Institute (ATAMI, Corvallis) for making, and the Molecular Analysis Facility (MAF, Seattle), the Oregon Process Innovation Center (OPIC, Corvallis) and the Ambient Pressure Surface Characterization Laboratory (APSCL, Corvallis) for measuring. Whether novice or seasoned engineer or scientist, whether undergraduate, graduate, postdoc or community college student or teacher, all users are offered flexible access to NNI facilities, from comprehensive training of local users to operator-assisted tool access to remote execution of projects. Technical Description:The NNI serves as a broad-based nanotechnology resource, though three principal research focus areas highlighted in which the site will provide leadership: (i) Photonic and Quantum Devices, which aims at enabling large-scale integrated photonic networks and quantum information systems that are expected to overcome current limits in speed and bandwidth of electronic circuits. Beyond information processing, the miniaturization and integration of photonics in medical devices is facilitating the development of new, minimally invasive health diagnostics; (ii) Advanced Energy Materials and Devices, which aims at providing the scientific and engineering basis for clean energy solutions, including the creation of better batteries or scalable and environmentally benign materials for solar power; and (iii) Bio-Nano Interfaces and Systems, which provides the infrastructure and expertise for inventing and demonstrating new devices for biomedical applications, enabling advances in protein modeling, drug delivery, sensors, bio-scaffolds and bioelectronics. NNI educational activities are geared towards a broad audience and designed to have a multiplier effect. Three signature residence programs are offered: (i) Educators-in-residence from local tribal schools gain hands-on laboratory skills for use in teaching their K-12 classes; (ii) Summer Experiences in Science and Engineering for Youth (SESEY) expose students from groups underrepresented in STEM to careers in engineering; and (iii) on-campus and in-person learning experiences encourage college-going paths for students from local and regional K-12 school districts. In addition, the NNI engages the broader public through exhibits at high-profile events such as Engineering Discovery Days at UW and National Nanotechnology Day at the Seattle Pacific Science Center.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.