New Kavli Institute at CU to explore future of nanoscale science

By Roger Segelken

NEW YORK A $7.5 million grant to Cornell from Fred Kavli and the Kavli Foundation of Oxnard, Calif., will endow the newly established Kavli Institute for Nanoscale Science, foundation and university officials announced March 10 in New York City.

The institute will be based on the Cornell campus in Ithaca, where there is a nationally recognized concentration of nanoscale-related research. The Kavli think tank will aim to address the major challenges and opportunities for science at the atomic and molecular scale; to bring together the world's seminal thinkers in nanoscale science; to foster a collaborative, multidisciplinary research community at Cornell; and to define a path for progress in creating significant new science.

Richardson

"When you're working at the forefronts of science -- as our faculty, researchers and students are in the Cornell Center for Materials Research, the Nanobiotechnology Center, the Center for Nanoscale Systems and the Cornell Nanoscale Facility -- there's not always time to step back and look to the future," said Robert C. Richardson, Cornell vice provost for research, who will serve as founding director for the new Kavli Institute at Cornell. "This institute will give us the opportunity to engage multidisciplinary groups in exploration of emerging themes in nanoscale science and technology -- at this institution as well as nationally and globally. It is a testament to the wisdom and foresight of Fred Kavli and the Kavli Foundation that they chose to focus significant resources in this important scientific field."

Announcing several new institutes at a March 10 news conference in New York's Carlyle Hotel, philanthropist Kavli said: "My goal in establishing these institutes is to support research at the frontiers of science. I feel that it is especially important to pursue the most far-reaching opportunities and challenges and to seek answers to the most fundamental questions." He said the Kavli Institutes will pursue science at astronomical scales -- the universe; at the most infinitesimal scales -- atoms and molecules; and in the most complex of all things -- the human brain. "I have selected these three areas of emphasis," Kavli added, "because I believe they provide the greatest opportunity for major scientific breakthroughs and will have long-range benefits for humanity."

The foundation was created in December 2000 by Kavli to advance science for the benefit of humanity and to promote increased public understanding and support for scientists and their work. Kavli is the founder and former chairman and CEO of Kavlico Corp., a major supplier of sensors for aeronautics, automotive and industrial applications. After selling the company four years ago, Kavli established two philanthropic entities, the Kavli Foundation and the Kavli Operating Institute. An international program of prizes, symposia, research institutes and endowed professorships is being established to address some of the most fundamental unanswered scientific questions of our time.

The new institute at Cornell joins eight other Kavli research institutes at leading universities worldwide. These include research institutes in neuroscience at Columbia, Yale and the University of California-San Diego; in nanoscience at the California Institute of Technology and Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands; in cosmology at Stanford University and the University of Chicago; and in theoretical physics at the University of California-Santa Barbara.

At Cornell, the new institute will work to define the directions and scope of the fields of nanoscale science by sponsoring seminars, symposia and related activities, said Richardson. He noted: "We aim to provide leadership to the scientific community regarding current and future directions of research in nanoscience." He said the institute will develop a flexible mix of programs, based on an annual research theme, to explore fertile research avenues in nanoscale science.

In addition, the institute intends to encourage increased interaction among nanotechnology researchers at Cornell and to bring to the university scientists from leading institutions worldwide to work and study with research groups. An executive council, consisting of the director and up to 12 members, will be responsible for implementing institute programs at Cornell.