In 1977 the National Science Foundation established the National Research and Resource Facility for Submicron Structures (NRRFSS) at Cornell University. During the past decade, this national facility has made advance resources for microfabrication available to researchers from universities, industry and federal laboratories across the nation. Several hundred research programs from ten different fields of science and engineering have utilized the submicron facility, more than fulfilling the vision expressed by the founders at several workshops between 1976 and 1978. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the NRRFSS it is appropriate to hold a symposium both commemorating the accomplishments in microscience and technology made possible by the NRRFSS and looking forward to the next decade of research in small structures. Whereas submicron dimensions were the focus of research in the past decade, nanofabrication, that is concentrating on dimensions less than a tenth of a micrometer, will be the focus of the next decade. Distinguished researchers from academia and industry will assess the opportunities made possible by nanofabrication in many fields of science and technology. The day-long symposium will set forth a vision for the future of nanofabrication research and the partnership of universities, industry and federal agencies in fulfilling that vision.
