The Center for Nanomaterials Research at Dartmouth

History

The Molecular Materials program at Dartmouth College began in 1997, when four faculty representing Thayer School of Engineering and the Departments of Chemistry and Physics met to discuss common interests in the development of nanoscale sensors. This collaborative effort led to several joint proposals and eventual support from the Dean of the Faculty and the Provost to start the Dartmouth Molecular Materials Group (DMMG). The size of the DMMG expanded as other faculty in the participating disciplines found colleagues with complementary interests. The DMMG inaugurated an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program five years ago and a graduate program, with partial funding from the Department of Education via a Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need award in 2000. An annual one-day symposium was begun in 1999 and has attracted an array of international renowned experts in various areas of nanoscience as lecturers. Attendance at this event has steadily increased and participants now include faculty from institutions within a radius of approximately 400 miles of Hanover.

In 2002, a group of engineering faculty with interests in nanomagnetic materials secured a large grant from the National Institute for Standards and Technology for a collaborative effort in this intriguing area of nanotechnology. The Provost, also in 2002, initiated the Center for Nanomaterials Research at Dartmouth as an umbrella institute for the two molecular-level materials efforts. The two entities became the Center described in this site.