Aug 29, 2007 - Claremont, Calif. - Harvey Mudd College (HMC) will participate in the new National Institute for Nano-Engineering (NINE) created by Sandia National Laboratories in partnership with colleges, universities and industries around the country. HMC is the only exclusively undergraduate college or university that will participate in the project.

Shenda Baker, HMC professor of chemistry and director of the Global Clinic Program, said, “We are excited to be part of this innovative program that will bring together the best minds in academia, government and industry. Like our Clinic Program, the programs offered by NINE take an interdisciplinary, team-based approach to the projects and will provide our students with challenging and scientifically important opportunities for learning and networking in leading-edge fields of research and development. A special emphasis will be placed on understanding innovation in all aspects of bringing an idea to fruition.”

According to Sandia’s announcement:

This partnership has been driven by concerns over the health of America’s science and engineering education and innovation engine, as highlighted in the 2005 report “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” from the National Academies. NINE is anticipated to be a national hub for engineering education and innovation. The recently enacted America COMPETES Act supports the establishment of Innovation Institutes to address science and engineering discovery and education.

The goal of NINE is to broaden student’s education through a unique team research experience by engaging multi-disciplinary teams working on pre-competitive research in leading-edge technical areas. Breakthrough discoveries in nano-engineering are anticipated and students will gain rich technical experience and breadth by collaborating with top institutions around the country.

NINE will also expose students to other key aspects of science and engineering, including business, legal, political and social issues. “NINE will help develop the next generation innovations and innovators,” said Duane Dimos, Sandia director of materials science and engineering and lead for NINE.

This summer marked the beginning of the pilot NINE technical projects and an initial education program at Sandia. The program spans the range from freshman engineering students to senior graduate students. Outreach to teachers and pre-college students will also be part of the NINE program.

The initial NINE members include Intel Corporation, ExxonMobil Corporation, IBM, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Corning, Goodyear Tire and Rubber, University of Wisconsin, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of California at Davis, University of Florida, Yale University, Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Illinois, Rice, Notre Dame, University of New Mexico and Harvey Mudd College. The partnership was recently made official through the execution of a memorandum of understanding.

“This group came together based on a sense of urgency and recognition that academia, American industry and government need to work together to develop a new partnering model that will lay the foundation for the nation’s future in science and engineering,” said Richard Stulen, Sandia vice president of science and technology.

NINE brings together the strong science and engineering capabilities of Sandia, the hub for NINE, leading research and teaching universities, and industrial companies that are among the world’s technology leaders.

Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Sandia has major research and development responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.