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Director's Message
I moved to the CFN building a few days ago. As I reflect on these first days in my new home at work, I realize how lucky I am. A luminous, comfortable and spacious office; a beautiful building in which everything is new and modern; the most advanced tools; and, most important, an incredible staff: smart and all working together towards the CFN mission. What else could a music conductor ask for? We keep adding new players to the orchestra. David Starr, in the nanocatalysis group, and Fernando Camino, in the nanofabrication facility, have recently joined the CFN, and two more staff members will do so in October. We are hoping to complete soon a search for a theorist, and we are now opening new positions for electron microscopists, technicians, and computer-support personnel. We continue installing state-of-the art instruments, including an aberration-corrected, dedicated STEM, which during its testing phase has already shown incredible resolution, a nanoimprinter capable of advanced lithography, and a low-energy electron microscope, on which our first external user has already obtained his first results (see the user highlight by Peter Bennett, from Arizona State University). We are receiving many calls from scientists who are potentially interested in using the new CFN facilities. A number of them have visited us in the last few months and started discussions with our staff about possible collaborations. And on November 13, 2007 we will have a workshop on Nanoscience and the High Tech Industry, aimed at showing regional companies how useful the CFN might be for them and discussing their technical needs and scientific challenges. Since the ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 21, most of the staff, including Grace Webster, the User Program & Outreach Coordinator, has moved to the CFN. We are on schedule to complete the transition into full operations by April 2008. But there is no need for you to wait until then -- you can already submit your proposals to start working from the beginning of the year in some of the new facilities. In short, we have made a lot of progress since last spring and are expecting to make much more in the next six months. I hope by then you have witnessed it for yourself. ------ > Next article: Ribbon Cutting at the CFN |
The Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) at Brookhaven National Laboratory
provides state-of-the-art capabilities for the fabrication and study of nanoscale materials,
with an emphasis on atomic-level tailoring to achieve desired properties and functions.The
overarching scientific theme of the CFN is the development and understanding of nanoscale materials
that address the Nations' challenges in energy security, consistent with the Department of Energy mission.
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Emilio Mendez, Director, Center for Functional Nanomaterials