ROCHESTER, NY - University of Rochester officials marked the opening of the Integrated Nanosystems Center (URnano) dedicated to researching and fabricating materials on a microscopic level.

The new center will bring together experts in physics, optics, chemistry, biomedicine and bioengineering to expand the research and technology commercialization of fuel cells, biosensors and other high-tech devices important to industry, medicine, national security and the economy.

The Integrated Nanosystems Center consists of a 1,000-square-foot metrology (measurement) facility and a 2,000-square-foot clean room fabrication facility. The clean room lab was designed and equipped in a way that ensures it is virtually free of dust, foreign particles and chemical vapors.

"URnano will complement nanotechnology research at other New York State universities, such as Albany, Cornell and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute," said Nicholas Bigelow, the Lee A. DuBridge Professor of Physics, Department Chair and Director of URnano. "The nanosystem programs at the University of Rochester are unique because they allow for the production of high-temperature nanomaterials and incorporate the university's expertise in optics and optical device technology."

URnano is part of the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.