The primary objective of the workshop is to take the next step in developing an effective regional collaboration among nanoscience and nanotechnology researchers from North Dakota (ND), South Dakota (SD), Nebraska (NE) and Wyoming (WY). An inevitable second objective is the experiential development of a regionally distributed nano-science and engineering center that works for the researchers, for each campus, for the science, and for the nation. To familiarize participants with specific existing project work in the four-state region, a poster session will be maintained either within or immediately adjacent to the workshop room. The researchers will be encouraged to use the poster presentations to learn, argue and discuss precise and detailed points of possible joint work during breaks in the rest of the workshop. Some of the poster projects may become the nuclei for agreed-upon follow-up to the workshop itself.
Following the workshop a dedicated web site will be created and administered to disseminate results, facilitate continued regional development, and provide a forum for discussion among participants. An e-mail list of regional researchers interested in furthering the goals may be integrated into the web site as a hosted bulletin board. Ultimately, six such researchers will be recruited from each participating state. They and the conveners will be the core of the workshop. Some from other surrounding states have expressed interest to the organizing committee, although not as a statewide level, and local Tribal Colleges may have an interest in associating their faculty into a region-wide competitive effort. Thus, the primary broader impact of the workshop will be the integration of a regional group of researchers having a variety of interests, both technical and cultural.
