Beyond the Bridges “If you visited 15 years ago, nobody would have been here,” remarks Dean Fuleihan, executive vice president for strategic partnerships at the College for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) in Albany. Founded as an affiliate of the State University of New York in 2002 and recently authorized to become an independent entity, CNSE is many things—but underpopulated isn’t one of them. With 3,100 people on site and 140,000 square feet of clean room, the world’s only college devoted to nanoscience operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week doing some of the world’s most advanced semiconductor research and fabrication and revitalizing the manufacturing workforce in the Capital Region. A research image of induced pluripotent stem cell neuron precursors from The New York Stem Cell Foundation.
Two of the city’s premier science museums, the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and New York Hall of Science collectively host more than a million pairs of exploring young hands each year, drawing school groups and families with programs that are now, more importantly than ever, helping turn curiosity into careers. AMNH’s much-lauded science-enrichment initiative, the Urban Advantage Network, started in New York middle schools and is now serving as a model for schools across the country to partner with local science institutions. Taking in the many vibrant organizations comprising New York’s current science scene, it’s clear that what began as an experiment among an elite group of New York’s research institutions has spawned a contagious collaboration that has touched every sector of the city, changing it for the better. This drive toward togetherness has inspired members of the scientific community to see the limitless possibilities for invention in this extraordinary city. Today, the subway token has been replaced by the Metrocard, and much like the transit system that runs beneath them, New York’s science players are more connected than ever. As Appel says, in a sentiment that also characterizes New York itself, “in science, you can’t sit still for half a second.”
Hallie Kapner is a freelance writer in New York City.
“If you visited 15 years ago, nobody would have been here.” For a site engaged in proprietary work with some 300 corporate partners around the world, CNSE is surprisingly, literally, transparent. The clean rooms, home to new techniques that stand to dramatically increase chip efficiency, are surrounded by glass walls. Nothing is hidden to those who visit the facility, whether dozens of middle and high school girls who participate in the college’s five-year STEM enrichment program, or President Obama, who made his first-ever clean room visit shortly after taking office. This openness is characteristic of the college’s approach to education. “We don’t have traditional departments,” Fuleihan says. “Our students see engineers working with physicists and biologists, and they witness real-world partnerships with industry and the private sector. The end users for the technologies we develop are all here. There’s no better way to learn.” CNSE students have plenty of opportunities to do just that—in addition to serving as a research testbed for global nanotech leaders including IBM, Intel, GlobalFoundries, Toshiba, and Applied Materials, the college is engaged in its own projects. Among them is the largest Department of Energy grant ever awarded— $57 million over five years to advance the efficiency of solar cells. “You can see why we’re 24/7,” jokes Fuleihan.