Scientists and engineers working in the Washington Nanofabrication Facility (WNF) have been busy over the past few months. In August, the WNF hosted the biannual Northwest Nanotechnology Laboratory Alliance (NWNLA) with generous support from Montana State University and the Molecular Analysis Facility. The goal of the biannual conference is to build partnerships between labs and foster community collaboration between lab users and vendors. This year, vendors and lab staff attended a variety of presentations, round table discussions, and a unique reception at UW’s Intellectual House. Details of the next conference will be available in the upcoming newsletter and on the WNF website.
Intel, a leading manufacturer of central processing units and semiconductors, recently awarded the WNF a grant for a short course for University of Washington Pathways for Inclusive Excellence (PIE) students. PIE provides specialized curriculum and individualized support for talented students who benefit from additional STEM courses and college preparation before they begin their engineering or computer science career. The WNF short course gives students hands-on laboratory sessions in the cleanroom, coupled with lectures on fabrication technologies. Intel is also sponsoring three undergraduate research assistants to conduct research in the lab throughout the academic year.
Additionally, Micron, a leading producer of computer memory and computer data storage, through the Micron foundation, also gifted the WNF funds to support the cleanroom for the short course for PIE students. Micron’s funding enabled the WNF to accelerate the first course to begin in March of 2023 and it was the first such funded course for us. We are grateful we received additional funding for a repeat course in 2024.
