With $350M Research Center, MIT Bets Big On Nanotechnology
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is betting big on small. The school recently unveiled plans for a new $350 million research center, called MIT.nano.
When finished in 2018, MIT.nano will provide state-of-the-art facilities for thousands of scientists studying nanotechnology.
And by manipulating subatomic particles, researchers believe they can transform the world.
Nanotechnology At Work
Forget microscopic, that’s way too big. Shrink down to the world of atoms, where scientists measure things in nanometers — a billionth of a meter. To get your head around something this small, MIT professor Vladimir Bulovic offers an example: “A typical house is about 100,000 times wider than a strand of hair. Alright. Nanometer is 100,000 times smaller than a strand of hair.”
