The Kentucky node of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure program was recently renewed through 2025 by the National Science Foundation with an additional $3.5 million of support.
The node, named KY Multiscale and founded in 2015, provides state-of-the-art infrastructure and expertise in nanoscale science and engineering to a broad population of researchers, educators, and students. The node addresses the inevitable convergence of nanotechnology with emerging advanced manufacturing (AM) technologies, such as 3D printing. This approach enables the rapid integration of nanoscale devices into human-scale systems.
KY Multiscale harnesses two decades of investment by the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky in human and physical infrastructure and supports four core facilities at each institution. The node includes U.K.’s Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Electron Microscopy Center, Center for Advanced Materials, and select facilities from the Center for Applied Energy Research.
The leadership team consists of faculty from both universities. Professor and Associate Dean Kevin Walsh (UL) serves as principal investigator, and Professor J. Todd Hastings (UK) serving as co-principal investigator. Academic and industrial researchers within Kentucky and from across the country employ these resources to advance knowledge in areas as diverse as computing and communications, energy and the environment, and biology and medicine. The node also conducts a broad range of educational and outreach programs to broaden the understanding of nanoscale science and engineering at all educational levels.