Speeches

Inauguration of Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing Education in Nanofabrication

We've all seen the bumper sticker urging us to "Think globally, act locally." Eric Drexler, a pioneer in the nanotechnology field, said a companion to that thought should be "Think of the future, act in the present."

Today, we are doing just that.

The inauguration of this Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing Education in Nanofabrication at Penn State has placed Pennsylvania and its institutions of higher education at the forefront of what many believe will result in the world's second industrial revolution. You have already heard from some of our associates in the Nanofabrication Manufacturing Technology Partnership, which involves 30 Pennsylvania institutions of higher education, vocational-technical schools, private industry and others. Through this innovative partnership, we are educating the highly skilled workforce that will be needed for Pennsylvania to lead this emerging new technology. In addition to sharing resources, this partnership has collaborated with industry leaders to design the curriculum, labs and lectures that will best prepare Pennsylvania's future workforce and make the Commonwealth more attractive to high-tech companies.

Public understanding of nanoscale science and technology is growing and questions continue to be answered through research -- much of it done here at Penn State's world-class Nanofabrication Facility. Every year, more than 300 researchers from around the country come to Penn State to examine and manipulate matter in our Nanofabrication Facility, helping us better predict where this new technology might take us.

This Regional Center for Manufacturing Education in Nanofabrication that we inaugurate today is the next step in our continued commitment to Pennsylvania and its people. Through this center, Penn State, the State System of Higher Education, and 14 community colleges in Pennsylvania will continue to keep the Commonwealth on the leading edge of nanotechnology by providing our students with necessary skills, expanding our outreach to high school students and underrepresented groups, and increasing our professional development programs for educators.

It is our hope that this center will serve as a model of institutional engagement and collaboration that is needed in higher education.

I'd like to thank the Commonwealth for its support of this initiative. Since 1998, state support has been critical to both our research and education initiatives involving nanoscale science. Sustained support remains an essential key to the success of this endeavor. I'd also like to thank our other higher education partners for their ongoing cooperation and the National Science Foundation for its continued assistance. The NSF has played a key role in Penn State's nanofabrication program from the beginning and again has provided needed funding for this center to become a reality.

By working together, we have placed Pennsylvania in an excellent position to lead the nation and the nanofabrication industry. I am thrilled that so many of you are taking part, not only in this celebration, but also in this annual conference. There's much to learn and share.