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Ten years ago, in late 1993, Rice University initiated a development effort in nanoscale science and technology. This effort was based on the pioneering work of Dr. Richard Smalley and Dr. Robert Curl. The collaborative effort to expand nanoscale research is directed by the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology. The goal of the Smalley Institute is to maintain its leadership role in noanoscale science and engineering, which is the creation, investigation, and application of functional structures with nanometer dimensions.
Over the past ten years the Smalley Institute has expanded to meet those goals. In April 1997 Dell Butcher Hall was dedicated to aid in research development. Furthermore, the number of faculty members associated with the Smalley Insitute has grown to over 80; these faculty are the most distinguished researchers and professors in their fields. In 2002, the Smalley Institute expanded further by naming Dr. Wade Adams as Director. Dr. Adams retired from the US Air Force senior executive ranks in January 2002, as the Chief Scientist of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Under his leadership, the Smalley Institute has identified four areas of focus:
- Creating an outstanding environment for undergraduate and graduate education
- Enhancing research infrastructure
- Creating novel opportunities by interdisciplinary cooperation
- Communicating scientific and technical knowledge to K-12 students and the public
Nanoscience encompasses many different fields, and Rice’s unique interdisciplinary environment nurtures the research efforts of faculty members. The Smalley Institute is affiliated with the following academic departments:
- Bioengineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Computational and Applied Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
- Statistics
- Biochemistry and Cell Biology
- Chemistry
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Earth Science
- Mathematics
- Physics and Astronomy
- Economics
- Religious Studies
- Philosophy
- Jones Graduate School of Management
Our world focuses on research, designing new ideas, and expanding the possibilities around us. The Smalley Institute's focus includes Nano-Vivo, single walled nanotubes, nano in energy, social and ethical issues, and nanoengineering. The Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) is one of six centers created by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2001. CBEN focuses on research at the interface between “dry” nanomaterials and aqueous media such as the environment developing the nanoscience workforce of the future, and transferring discoveries to industry.
Our faculty members are among the most prestigious in the world and number more than any other university. The faculty includes two Nobel Prize winners, Dr. Richard Smalley and Dr. Robert Curl. Dr. Smalley and Dr. Curl share the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery and characterization of C60 (Buckminsterfullerene), a soccer ball-shaped molecule which, together with other fullerenes such as C70, now constitutes the third elemental form of carbon (after graphite and diamond).
Our world impacts the whole world. The Smalley Institute encompasses many different divisions of academia, from biology to philosophy. Our faculty members have testified before Congress and won Nobel Prizes. The research at Rice will bring new ideas and new pioneers.
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