As the ability to create faster and smarter silicon based devices approaches its finite limits, the world has turned to nanoscience to continue the information processing evolution. Nanoscience involves the study and observation of phenomena on the dimensional scale of nanometers, a unit measuring one billionth of a meter (3 - 4 atoms wide). Mastery of this field is essential in order to create smarter, faster and cheaper computer based products beyond the next decade.

With this important task in mind, The Columbia University Nanocenter's goal is to establish new paradigms for information processing using the characteristics of electron transport unique to nanoscale molecular structures. Founded in 2001, the Nanocenter draws upon years of experience in chemical synthesis to design molecular structures with carefully crafted properties. This work has the potential to impact major disciplines in addition to electronics including photonics, biology, neuroscience and medicine.

This website is based on work supported primarily by the NSEC Program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Award Numbers CHE-0117752 and CHE-0641523 with additional support provided by the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR). Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF or NYSTAR.

NSEC Announcements

January 30, 2009
Prof. Chee Wei Wong receives 3M Faculty Award
Prof. Chee Wei Wong of the Columbia University Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Columbia Nanocenter received the 2009 3M Faculty Award for studies on controlling photons in thin-film nanostructures, examining energy transport and nonlinear dynamics.

December 15, 2008
Nuckolls receives a 2008 ACS Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award
Colin Nuckolls, CU Chemistry Professor and NSEC PI, received a 2008 ACS Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award. This award is designed to recognize and encourage excellence in organic chemistry. The Arthur C. Cope Scholar Awards were established in 1984 by the ACS Board of Directors, on recommendation of the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry, under the terms of the will of Arthur C. Cope.

December 13, 2008
SuperChemiLuminescenceExplodiAlidocious
Colin Nuckolls, CU Chemistry Professor and NSEC PI, co-hosted SuperChemiLuminescenceExplodiAlidocious, a holiday science program for children sponsored by Columbia Univeristy and the Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science, and Engineering.

October 15, 2008
NSEC PI Latha Venkataraman awarded Packard Fellowship
Latha Venkataraman, Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, has been awarded one of the 20 prestigious 2008 Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering.

October 10, 2008
NSEC PI Tony Heinz awarded Julius Springer Prize
Dr. Phaedon Avouris of IBM and professor Tony Heinz of Columbia University were presented with the 2008 Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics.

October 01, 2008
NSEC PI Aron Pinczuk awarded Diversity Award
Prof. Aron Pinczuk has been named the 2008 recipient of the Janette and Armen Avanessians Diversity Award. Nominations were received from both undergraduate and graduate students noting his encouragement of women scientists in the classroom and laboratory. He will be honored with this award during the Class Day ceremony on Monday, May 19, 2008.

May 28, 2008
NSEC PI Louis Brus awarded Kavli Prize
Columbia University Professor Louis Brus has been announced as co-recepient of the Kavli Prize for Nanoscience.

March 16 , 2008
NSEC PI Latha Venkataraman awarded NSF Career Award
APAM faculty member Latha Venkataraman has been awarded an NSF Career Award to distinguish her work in early career-development activities that reveal and understand properties of single molecules attached to metal electrodes while educating students about the interplay of physics, chemistry and engineering at the nanoscale.

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