Notre Dame Hopes to Score Technology Touchdown with Construction of Nanotech Research Center

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). The revered "Fighting Irish" nickname has proudly served the University of Notre Dame (UND) and its football team dating back to the 1890's. Today, the school is determined to make its mark in another field, one borne of this century--nanotechnology. Proponents of a comparatively modest $6 million Nanotech Research Center project are out to show the world that they can handle a nanoparticle just as well as they do a pigskin.

College campuses in virtually every state in the union are sprouting "nanotech" centers as fast as funding can be found. The nascent field has the added attraction of being interdisciplinary by nature, incorporating a number of academic fields ranging from engineering to bioscience. Reminiscent of the 'dot.com' era, it doesn't hurt fund-raising efforts to have a hot buzzword crowning a capital project request.

Catch phrase aside, the practical use and promise of nanotechnology or nanoscience is not to be underestimated. The word itself is a combination of nano, from the Greek nanos (or Latin nanus), meaning "dwarf", and the word "science. Simplified, a nano is one billionth of a meter, or a nanometer, which is on the scale of atomic diameters. For comparison, a human hair is about 100,000 times thicker than a nanometer. Practical applications and current fields of study include instruments that are able to "see" and "touch" at this scale, as well as nanoparticles, which consist of a variety of compounds including alumina, zinc oxide, magnesium, and titanium dioxide. Nanopowders are used for everything from sunscreen that scatters ultraviolet rays to fabrics that resist stains and destroy bacteria.

The S/L/A/M Collaborative (Cambridge, Massachusetts) served as the architect for the 27,000 square foot Notre Dame project. The two-story building will include research laboratories as well as office and conference space. With site preparation now underway and Gibson Lewis LLC (Mishawaka, Indiana) serving as construction manager, the Nanotech Research Center at Notre Dame is scheduled to be complete in mid-2006.

A number of stories exist as to exactly why the then small and rather obscure school chose the name "Fighting Irish". One popular theory was offered in the 1929 issue of the Notre Dame Scholastic: "The term 'Fighting Irish' has been applied to Notre Dame teams for years. It first attached itself years ago when the school, comparatively unknown, sent its athletic teams away to play in another city... At that time, the title 'Fighting Irish' held no glory or prestige... "The years passed swiftly and the school began to take a place in the sports world... 'Fighting Irish' took on a new meaning. The unknown of a few years past has boldly taken a place among the leaders. The unkind appellation became symbolic of the struggle for supremacy of the field. ...The team, while given in irony, has become our heritage... So truly does it represent us that we unwilling to part with it ..."

Despite the relatively modest capital cost of the new Nanotech research center, UND has every intention of making a serious impact upon nanotechnology. Founded in 1842 by a Catholic priest, the school has an undeniable history of success both on and off the football field, often trumping bigger schools and even bigger odds. With its reputation as one of the nation's most selective universities, one that admits fewer than half of its freshman applicants and boasts an impressive alumni roster filled with major players in politics and business, there is little doubt that the "Fighting Irish" will score once more.

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