Our understanding of ultra-small objects and how to manipulate them, known as nanotechnology, is not only revolutionizing fields like medicine, personal electronics, and national security, but it is also deepening our insights into how the Earth works and sustains life. The air one breathes, the soil in which crops are planted, the metals from minerals that build industries, and the contaminants that can cause profound harm (from arsenic to dangerous bacteria and viruses), are all related to and/or influenced by the vast store of nanomaterials that make up the planet. Despite the technical challenges inherent to studying these ultra-small nanomaterials, there is an urgency to understand the roles they play in the health of air, water, and soil, the sustainability of Earth’s natural resources, and even the transmission of diseases and toxic agents. The Virginia Tech National Center for Earth and Environmental Nanotechnology Infrastructure (NanoEarth) will accelerate the progress that Earth scientists and engineers have made in studying, understanding, explaining, and utilizing Earth for the well-being of all. Our facilities and expertise will be shared broadly to help maximize the societal impacts of user projects and queries into the nanoscale systems that sustain life on Earth. NanoEarth users are welcomed from across the US and around the world. Not only do we serve leading scientists and engineers, but we also serve diverse users from small to large companies, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and students from K-12, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and minority-serving institutions. (245)
NanoEarth provides an NNCI site to specifically support researchers who work with nano Earth/environmental science and engineering at local, regional, and global scales, including the terrestrial, atmospheric, hydrological, and biological components of these fields. The national presence of NanoEarth is significantly enhanced by a close partnership with the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). We provide substantive support and capacity-building for multiple NSF 10 Big Ideas, such as “Understanding the Rules of Lifeâ€, “Growing Convergence Research", and “Navigating the New Arcticâ€. We strive for a comprehensive understanding of nanosystems in complex natural or manmade environments by providing holistic and interdisciplinary expertise, from hydrogeology to mineralogy to environmental engineering. Our approach of scaling from a single molecule to entire ecosystems will provide next-generation models for inspiring engineering innovation in a broad range of fields, such as electrochemistry, biochemistry, biomechanics, and biomedical engineering. NanoEarth facilities include a broad array of high-end, state-of-the-art electron-, ion-, and X-ray-based characterization tools, sample preparation laboratories, extensive nanomaterials synthesis facilities (in aqueous, soil/solid media, and atmospheric environments), characterization tools, experimentation/reactor systems, and meeting and office space for visitors. NanoEarth also provides broader impact initiatives including substantial funding for supporting multicultural and underserved populations, and outreach programs with high school science teachers and rural agricultural students. The overall contribution of this NNCI site will be to accelerate the growth of a field that is revolutionizing the understanding of Earth and environmental sciences and engineering. (246)
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
