THE GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY in Atlanta is committed to building one of the most sophisticated nanotechnology research facilities in the country.The proposed facility will be made up of labs, offices, and a 30,000 square foot cleanroom. When completed, it will be a showcase; the most advanced center of its kind in the southeast United States. The new nanotech R&D facility will further Georgia Tech’s plans to be a competitive player on the level with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University, University of California,Berkeley, and other nationally renowned institutions.

This extraordinarily large and complex project at Georgia Tech focuses on the “science of the small,” as nanotechnology is commonly called, dealing with materials measured in a billionth of a meter, allowing manipulation at the molecular and atomic levels.

The Potential Rewards
The potential rewards for research and development at the atomic scale is already beginning to be realized. Nanotechnology, for example, was integral to developing highly stain resistant clothing and super hard, non-fading, auto body paint. However, scientists see the possibilities for much more significant outcomes at the boundary of the human imagination, including implants for drug delivery,and potentially repairing damage to the human body at the cellular level.

The Challenging Specifications
Georgia Tech’s goal was clear—to design an extremely flexible facility and cleanroom, distinguished by its cutting-edge capability of simultaneously processing both organic and inorganic materials. And this newly defined cleanroom must feature the capability to expand or reduce room sizes without significantly affecting ongoing research workflow.

In explaining one of the reasons for this innovative design, Mike Patterson, Director of Design and Construction at Georgia Tech said, “We wanted a ‘hotel’ style design where different researchers could come in from around the country and experience the best working atmosphere possible.” While many scientists at Georgia Tech receive grant funding for specific projects with finite time frames, the institute also boasts a world class faculty. Dr. Uzi Lanman, for example, won the Feynman Prize in 2003, which honors Robert Feynman, the “father of nanotechnology.”