Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 14, 2009

SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE FINAL CONGRESSIONAL PASSAGE FOR $500,000 FOR UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY'S COLLEGE OF NANOSCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Funding Would Further the Development and Deployment of New Nanoscale Fabrication and Measurement Strategies

Funding Is Part Of House And Senate Omnibus Appropriations Bill Passed By House Last Week And Senate Over The Weekend

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that both houses of Congress have passed the FY 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill which includes $500,000 for the University at Albany’s College of Nanoscience and Engineering. The funding was included as part of the FY2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill. The bill passed the House last week and the Senate over the weekend and now awaits the President’s signature.

"It is critical that we continue to support the groundbreaking research at Albany NanoTech," said Schumer. "This federal funding will ensure that Albany will continue to be a global leader in nanotechnology. This funding will help support Albany as a leader in global research, attracting companies and creating jobs in the Capital Region.”

“This is a great investment for the state of the art research at our world class facility at University at Albany,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Nanotechnology research and development is a critical part of the Capital Region’s economic growth. I will continue to work with Senator Schumer to ensure that New York receives its fair share of federal dollars.”

The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany established the New York Center for National Competitiveness in Nanoscale Characterization (NC)3 as a partnership with the National Institute for Science and Technology (NIST) to assemble the synergistic intellectual assets and cutting edge physical resources necessary to complement, support, and promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, sensitive traceability, and accurate technological and industrial standards under the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI). Funding for (NC)3 will also support the concurrent research and development of new nanoscale measurement strategies supporting the emerging “bottom-up approach” in nanotechnology fabrication protocols based on controlled self-assembly of atomic device building blocks to be used in a broad array of applications including advanced nanoelectronic devices in addition to clean energy, defense, biomedical, transportation and communications. Collaborative interactions between NIST and CNSE focusing on the “bottom-up approach” will focus more on nanoscale characterization of energy related materials and devices including solar cells, solid state lighting, optical sensors for harsh environments, fuel cells and energy storage devices.

The appropriation was originally included in the Senate FY2010 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. Last week that bill was combined with 5 other appropriations bill into the FY 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill. The omnibus bill passed the House last week and the Senate over the weekend.

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