U.T. Dallas Agrees to Nanotechnology Collaboration
With Canadian Research Council, University
RICHARDSON, Texas (Dec. 6, 2001) – The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) has agreed to explore ways to collaborate on nanotechnology research with the National Research Council of Canada and the University of Alberta.
UTD signed a letter of intent to foster academic cooperation with the two organizations following a Canadian trade mission to Dallas on Nov. 28 headed by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. The agreement is similar to one reached last month between UTD and Jilin University in China, which also emphasized cooperative research and other academic efforts in the field of nanotechnology.
The Team Canada West trade mission was composed primarily of top government and business leaders from four western provinces and the Northwest Territories. As part of its visit to Dallas, the group, in conjunction with the North Texas Technology Council, conducted a panel discussion on the future of nanotechnology, which included researchers and officials from the National Research Council of Canada, the University of Alberta, UTD and Rice University.
Following the Dallas meeting, UTD and Canadian officials signed a letter of intent to foster the exchange of scientific and technical knowledge about nanotechnology, identify opportunities for collaborative research and technology transfer and develop scientific and technical capabilities in nanotechnology applications in energy, computers and life sciences.
“UTD’s new affiliation with the University of Alberta and Canada’s National Research Council links UTD with two key players in the burgeoning worldwide network of nanotechnology research and developments,” said Dr. Hobson Wildenthal, executive vice president and provost of UTD. “Faculty researchers at UTD will benefit from increased levels of scientific dialogue. In addition, we and the rest of Texas higher education will benefit from working more closely with the National Research Council, which has a deservedly outstanding reputation for creative and far-sighted support of important research.”
“Collaborations like this, in the areas of research and technology, can accelerate discoveries and provide far-reaching benefits in the development of emerging sciences like nanotechnology,” said Cynthia de Lorenzi, chief executive officer of the North Texas Technology Council. “To further the collaborative efforts between North Texas and Canadian companies, the NTTC is helping organize a delegation of North Texas researchers and executives to travel to Edmonton, Alberta, in 2002 to see first hand the cutting-edge technology being developed there and to form alliances to further develop such technology.”
This fall, U.T. Dallas established the UTD NanoTech Institute on its campus in Richardson to conduct research in the promising field of nanotechnology. Heading the institute is Dr. Ray Baughman, a globally recognized expert in the field. In addition, serving as chairman of the institute’s advisory board is Dr. Alan MacDiarmid, the 2000 Nobel laureate in Chemistry.
Canada recently announced the establishment of a national nanotechnology center at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, with the collaboration of the National Research Council.
Nanotechnology is emerging as one of the next frontiers of scientific discovery, exploring the study and application of science on a nanometer scale. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. Still in its infancy, nanoscience has the potential to revolutionize such disparate fields as electronics, medicine, communications and manufacturing.
About The North Texas Technology Council
The North Texas Technology Council promotes and drives recognition to North Texas as a leading and premier technology region, addresses issues pertinent to the growth of the region and unifies the North Texas technology community.
About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 7,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.