Cornell University has received a grant from the National Science Foundation and the National Research Initiative to support graphene- based research programmes and to encourage the presence of women in the field of nanoelectronics.
The $1.4 million grant will cover a four year period for a research programme from Cornell University in the field of interdisciplinary electronic scaling devices with the use of graphene nanoribbons. The research team will include Diane M. Bodman, Samuel W and Paulette Clancy from Biomolecular Engineering, William Dichtel , assistant professor of chemical biology and chemistry and Lynn Loo, professor of biological and chemical engineering at the Princeton University.
While Dichtel will take care of accurate design and synthesis of nanoribbons using controlled chemistry procedures, Loo will use the nanoribbons to create the devices and Clancy will be responsible for developing new methods to functionalise these nanoribbons, which includes treatment of nanoribbon edges with specific chemical groups and using computational methods to enhance charge transfer within the devices. A portion of the grant will also be used to develop a website for a national organisation named Women in Nanoelectronics, whose focus is to encourage women in the field of nanoscience. Organisations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science have also encouraged the participation of women in nanoscience
Source: http://www.cornell.edu