Duke to lead new NSF, EPA center to study the environmental implications of nanotechnology

According to Lowry, another significant goal of the center is to develop the human capital needed for the U.S. to be competitive in the global nanotechnology marketplace. "CEINT will prepare undergraduate and graduate students for careers in technology, and will use nanotechnology as a platform to promote science, technology, engineering and math to primary and secondary school students,'' he said.

Additional investigators including those at Clemson, and North Carolina State Universities, as well as U.S. government labs and foreign institutions will coordinate their own resources to bolster the CEINT effort. These partners include the Environmental Protection Agency, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Army Corps of Engineers; and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

International institutions collaborating with the center include the European Center for Research and Education in Geosciences and the Environment; Sciences Po; Buenos Aires Institute of Technology; Nankai University; Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research; Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; and the Institute of Occupational Medicine, United Kingdom.

NSF and EPA are also funding a sister center based at the University of California system called UC-CEIN.

About Duke University: Duke University is a private research and liberal arts university located in Durham, NC. Younger than most other prestigious U.S. research universities, Duke University consistently ranks among the very best. Its graduate and professional schools — in business, divinity, engineering, the environment, law, medicine and nursing — are among the leaders in their fields. For more see www.duke.edu.

About Carnegie Mellon: Carnegie Mellon is a private research university with a distinctive mix of programs in engineering, computer science, robotics, business, public policy, fine arts and the humanities. More than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation. For more, see www.cmu.edu.