Canada's Quietest Space to Open on June 22

Nanotechnology Institute to house research into the very, very, very small

June 20, 2006 – Edmonton, AB — One of Canada's most technologically advanced building projects will be on display at the official opening of the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) on Thursday, June 22, 2006. Designed and engineered to provide the optimal conditions for the microscopes and equipment needed for nano-scale research, provisions in this new building make its ground floor laboratories the quietest research space in Canada. For scientists, "quiet space" refers to lab space with ultra-low vibration and minimal acoustical noise or electro-magnetic interference. 

Event details:

What:             

• Official Opening of the National Institute for Nanotechnology

When:            

• 10:00 a.m. MDT, Thursday, June 22, 2006

Where:           

• 11421 Saskatchewan Drive
• University of Alberta campus
• Edmonton, Alberta

Who:              

• Hon. Maxime Bernier, Minister, Industry Canada
• Hon. Victor Doerksen, Minister, Alberta Innovation and Science
• Dr. Indira Samarasekera, President, the University of Alberta
• Dr. Pierre Coulombe, President, National Research Council
• Mr. Preston Manning, Chair, Board of Trustees, NINT

Why:               

• Opening of Canada's flagship nanotechnology institute

Pre-event photo opportunity:

• Immediately prior to the Official Opening ceremony there will be a photo opportunity in the quiet lab space with Minister Bernier, Minister Doerksen, President Coulombe and President Samarasekera. Photographers should come to the registration desk for directions.

Note to editors: 

• Images of the building, laboratories and researchers are available.
• Pre-event access can be arranged for photographers or videographers.
• Pre-event interviews can be arranged with researchers and architects.

Backgrounder

• The new building is 20,000 square metres; the NRC National Institute for Nanotechnology will occupy 13,000 square metres. The building will have seven stories of occupied space, the first five for the nanotechnology institute and the top two for University of Alberta nanotechnology-related research activities.

• Exacting technical specifications make this facility Canada's quietest research space. Features of the first floor laboratory space include ultra low vibration, minimal acoustical noise and electro-magnetic interference, and constant temperature and humidity.

• The cost of designing and constructing the NINT portion of the building is $53 million. It will house more than $40 million of leading edge microscopes and other instrumentation.

• The National Institute for Nanotechnology conducts advanced research and fosters innovation in support of a new generation of nanotechnology-based firms. Canada's flagship nanotechnology institute has created a unique multidisciplinary environment which integrates National Research Council (NRC) and the Universityof Albertaresearchers from numerous disciplines. Established in 2001, NINT is a joint initiative of the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the NRC and the Universityof Alberta. 

• Nanotechnology is defined as the application of science to developing new materials and processes by manipulating molecular and atomic particles. A nanometre is a billionth of a metre, that is, about 1/80,000 of the diameter of a human hair, or 10 times the diameter of a hydrogen atom.   Nano comes from the Greek word 'nanos' for dwarf.

For more information, please visit the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca, or contact:

Shannon Jones
National Institute for Nanotechnology
National Research Council
Tel: (780) 641-1626
E-mail: shannon.jones@nrc.gc.ca  

Sarah Mangione
Media Relations, NRC
Tel.: (613) 990-6091
E-mail: media@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

Sandra Halme
University of Alberta
Tel: (780) 492-0442
E-mail: sandra.halme@ualberta.ca  

Anne Douglas
Alberta Innovation and Science
Tel: 780) 422-1562
E-mail: Anne.Douglas@gov.ab.ca