BY JUDY LIN-EFTEKHAR
UCLA Today Staff
Gov. Gray Davis, UC President Richard C. Atkinson
and Chancellor Albert Carnesale joined other dignitaries and
the campus community Feb. 14 in groundbreaking ceremonies for
the new California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) building in
the Court of Sciences.
A collaboration between UCLA and UC Santa Barbara,
CNSI is one of Davis’ four UC Institutes for Science and
Innovation to expand California’s role as the leader in
technical invention. Evelyn Hu, UC Santa Barbara professor of
electrical and computer engineering and of materials, is acting
director and Fraser Stoddart, the Saul Winstein professor of
chemistry at UCLA, is acting co-director.
“In the world of nanoscience, the tiniest
of particles have the power to cure disease, change lives and
push back the frontiers of knowledge,” Davis said. “California
already leads the nation in nanotechnology. With this, we take
a giant step forward, proving once again that California is
the source of technological innovation for the entire world.”
CNSI’s location in the Court of Sciences
is ideally suited to collaboration among physicists, molecular
biologists, chemists, engineers, medical scientists and other
scholars. Designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, the facility
will span Parking Structure 9 and will include a large data
center, a 260-seat theater, indoor and outdoor interactive spaces
and numerous laboratories, including some housed below ground
to remain impervious to vibrations and acoustic and low electrical
noise.
“California and the world will benefit
from the scientific breakthroughs fostered by this innovative,
interdisciplinary endeavor,” said Carnesale.
The chancellor also acknowledged in the audience
students and their teacher from Dorsey High School in Los Angeles,
who had created an experiment conducted by the astronauts on
the space shuttle Columbia.
“These are young visionaries,” said
Carnesale. Added Davis: “It would be my great pleasure
if one or more of you ended up working here, contributing to
the future of mankind.”
The CNSI building is scheduled for completion
in fall 2004. For details, see: www.cnsi-uc.org/.
