Our mission is to be the global leader in chemical engineering education and research. We train students to be the best in shaping and solving complex problems, particularly the translation of molecular information and discovery into products and processes. Our programs are enriched by an emphasis on leadership; fundamental understanding of physical, chemical, and biological processes; engineering design and synthesis skills; and interdisciplinary perspectives on technological, economic, and social issues.

The Department of Chemistry at MIT is recognized as one of the top chemistry departments in the world. The Department has an illustrious history in sharing the MIT tradition of excellence, and has provided national leadership in chemical education and research. The Department's strong record of achievement is based on its pioneering advances in chemical research, its success in incorporating these advances into teaching and research programs, and its close relationship to government and industry. Many fundamental discoveries made in our Department have found their way into practical applications ranging from polymer synthesis to medical imaging. The Department's program of teaching and research spans the breadth of chemistry. General areas covered include biological chemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry. Specialized areas such as environmental chemistry, materials chemistry and nanoscience are also covered.

The Plasma Science & Fusion Center (PSFC) is recognized as one of the leading university research laboratories in the physics and engineering aspects of magnetic confinement fusion.

The general goal of the Molecular & Electronic Nanostructures (M&ENS) main research theme is to develop a fundamental understanding of chemical and physical processes involving structures on the nanometer scale. Biomolecules, mesoscopic semiconductor-based systems, and macromolecular assemblies are studied with emphasis on future electronic or optoelectronic applications. Another goal is to develop powerful tools for serving this (and other) research within the Beckman Institute. For example, one of the world's most advanced scanning tunneling microscopy systems, and facilities for scanning force microscopy and near-field scanning optical microscopy, enable researchers to observe and even create new forms of nanostructures.

The nanophotonics theme is dedicated
to the understanding of nanoscale interactions in structures that offer the ability to control the propagation of photons below the diffraction limit and the use of nanostructured building blocks to create new photonic materials. Our research encompasses the generation, characterization, and theory of nanophotonic structures.

Sandia Labs continues to enhance its proficiency in many fields, all in keeping with its Department of Energy mission to unite science and engineering to serve national needs. Aalong with world class capabilities in materials science, micro fabrication - including 40,000 square feet of clean room space - high performance computing and systems engineering - Sandia is uniquely positioned to be the integrating center for new discoveries in nanoscience.

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy, is a recognized leader in nanomaterials and nanobiology. Together with our colleagues at other Battelle managed labs, Brookhaven National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we represent a diverse collaborative team in nanoscience, nanoengineering and nanotechnology. We are significant contributors to the nanorevolution of this Century. At PNNL we are committed to the discovery of fundamental phenomena and the application of this knowledge to develop commercial products. Our mission is to make revolutionary strides in putting nanotechnology to work for the benefit of humanity.

NASA Ames nanotechnology effort started in early 1996 and has steadily grown to establish a Center for Nanotechnology. The research work focuses on experimental research and development in nano and bio technologies as well as on a strong complementary modeling and simulation effort that includes computational nanotechnology, computational nanoelectronics, computational optoelectronics, and computational modeling of processes encountered in nanofabrication. The Center has about 55 scientists working on the above aspects; in addition, graduate students, faculty on sabbatical or summer visits, undergraduate and high school students work at the Center through various internship programs. The Center vision is: To develop novel concepts in nanotechnology for NASA's future needs on electronics, computing, sensors, and advanced miniaturization of all systems; To develop highly integrated and intelligent simulation environment that facilitates the rapid development and validation of future generation electronic devices as well as associated materials and processes through virtual prototyping at multiple levels of fidelity.

The National Center for Electron Microscopy is a U.S. Department of Energy user facility providing scientific researchers with essential resources for electron beam microcharacterization of materials. Located in Berkeley, California, east of the University of California, Berkeley campus, NCEM operates as part of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Established in 1983, NCEM houses several of the world's most advanced microscopes and tools for microcharacterization. Since its inception, the Center has played a key role in supporting vital research efforts carried out by hundreds of visiting national and international scientists. {keywords: nanotechnology, carbon nanotubes, thin films}

The mission of National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) is to enable rapid advancements in science, engineering and technology at the nano-scale by efficient access to nanotechnology infrastructure.

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) provides a multi-agency framework to ensure U.S. leadership in nanotechnology that will be essential to improved human health, economic well being and national security. The NNI invests in fundamental research to further understanding of nanoscale phenomena and facilities technology transfer.

C-PCS focuses on research problems that require an integrated approach involving scientific, engineering, and modeling disciplines in physical chemistry and applied spectroscopy. We perform basic and applied research in support of our national security mission. We serve a wide range of customers including DOE, DoD, other federal agencies, and private industry.

The Radiotracer Chemistry and Neuroimaging Program is a core element of the Brookhaven Center for Imaging and Neurosciences. It is dedicated to the development of radiotracers labeled with the short lived positron emitters as scientific tools for Positron Emission Tomography (PET). PET is a tracer method which uses compounds labeled with the short lived positron emitters to visualize and quantitate biochemical processes as well as the distribution and movement of drugs in the living human and animal body. PET research centers on the use of four short lived positron emitters.

Carbon materials, which have such excellent properties and adapt to the environment easily, are the objects of our studies in the Research Center for Advanced Carbon Materials. The aim of our research center is to establish the new science of the nano-space of carbon materials; to investigate the structures and the functions of nano-scale materials; to develop new carbon materials whose properties surpass those of current materials; to reveal new applications in various fields of applications like super-tribomaterials; and to develop the technique of the nano-scale characterization for carbon materials.

Our current research focuses on the electronic and optical properties of semiconductor, quantum-confined nanoparticles and nanoscale assemblies built from them. Using colloidal chemical syntheses, such nanoparticles, or nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs), can be prepared with sub-nanometer precision having sizes from 10 to 100 ?. NQDs can be viewed as ?quantum boxes? with precisely controlled dimensions and boundary conditions. They can be chemically manipulated like large molecules and can be coupled to each other or can be incorporated into different types of inorganic or organic matrices. The ease of manipulating both the dimensions of the individual particles as well as their arrangement in a complex interacting structure makes colloidal NQDs well-suited for studies of size/structure-dependent quantum-mechanical interactions and as ideal building blocks for nanoscale engineering.