The University of Minnesota is lobbying during this year's state legislative session for funding for a new $83 million nanotechnology and physics lab on its Minneapolis campus.
Gov. Mark Dayton has made it a priority in his bonding bill this year, following in the footsteps of former Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Last year the legislature ended up dedicating $4 million for planning for the lab, according to Steven Crouch, who is the dean of the university's College of Science and Technology.
Even though it's not officially a bonding year, some university officials hope the funding will come through. "If funding was available through the session we could start construction this summer," Crouch says. "It's ready to go."
He says the lab will allow the university to expand its research capabilities in the nano science and engineering areas.
The university's plan includes 40 new research laboratories that would accommodate 200 faculty, graduate students, and visiting researchers, according to
project information. It would also have 43,000-square-feet for physics labs and support space with 15,000 square feet devoted specifically to nanotechnology.
Crouch says a couple examples of everyday products that were developed through nanotechnology include fast drying, extra-durable paints and machine tools that are "tougher and harder."
A new 5,000-square-foot "clean room," where conditions such as dust, temperature, humidity, and vibrations are tightly controlled, would enable the university to work with soft and biological materials, providing opportunities for collaboration with medical school researchers.
"We're talking about working with living cells and materials that help for targeting drug delivery, including ways to deliver vaccines and stave off infections and tumors," says Crouch, adding that nanotech is about "manipulating matter at the molecular level."
Its existing 20-year-old "clean room" is restricted to work with hard materials.
Additionally, the lab will help attract top talent to the school and help it secure research dollars.
"This is an important thing for keeping Minnesota in the innovation hunt with other states around the country," he says. "We're optimistic and very enthusiastic about the prospects."
Source: Steven Crouch, dean of the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Technology.
Writer: Anna Pratt