Penn State Ranked Top Nanotechnology Research University in Magazine Survey

For the second time, Penn State has achieved the #1 ranking among research universities responding to a survey conducted by Small Times Magazine, the leading provider of news and analysis for the micro- and nanotechnology industry.  Penn State received high marks across nearly every category surveyed, including facilities, staff, funding, students, degrees conferred, and papers presented.  Penn State was previously rated #1 in Research in Small Times’ 2007 university rankings.  In 2009, Penn State also squeezed into the top 10 in the category of Nano Commercialization, which takes into account patents, startups, and number of companies using university facilities, coming in at #10.    

Nanotechnology, the science and engineering of matter at the atomic and molecular scale, is the subject of wide interest for its commercial promise, as well as its impact on areas such as computation, communications, medicine, energy, and the environment.  Penn State has been a leader in nanotechnology research and education for well over a decade. Noteworthy achievements include being a charter member of the NSF sponsored National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) - one of 13 such university hubs today ; developing the Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization, one of the nation’s first and most successful training programs for the nanotechnology workforce; and establishing the multidisciplinary Center for Nanoscale Science, an NSF-sponsored Materials Research Science and Engineering Center.

Penn State’s Millennium Science Complex, now under construction and expected to open in Summer 2011, will be one of the nation’s preeminent research facilities for nanotechnology, nanobiology, and advanced materials.  For more information, visit the Materials Research Institute online at www.mri.psu.edu.