from the be-careful-when-choosing-grandparents dept.
According to an MIT press release (13 March 2002), the U.S. Army has selected the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to be the host institution for a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) for the U.S. Armyís Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN). A brief press release was also issued by the Army. Competition was keen among a number of universities across the United States to host the ISN, which will be a five-year, $50 million program in which MIT will receive $10 million annually for research "to create lightweight molecular materials to equip the foot soldier of the future with uniforms and gear that can heal them, shield them and protect them against chemical and biological warfare." The Army release adds the program will provide the U.S. military with "expertise in the development and application of nanotechnology for the soldier; including the creation of uniforms and materials that could help heal soldiers, protect against bullets, chemical agents or monitor a soldier's life support processes."
According to the MIT press release, the ISN will be staffed by up to 150 people, including 35 MIT professors from nine departments in the schools of engineering, science, and architecture and planning. The ISN will also include specialists from the Army, DuPont and Raytheon, and physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, which are members of the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology
For more information about the ISN, see the Nanodot posts on 28 June and 1 November 2001.
Read more for additional information and press coverage of the announcement. MIT has posted an FAQ regarding the announcement to located the ISN at MIT, the intent of the program, and other details. The questions and responses were provided by the U.S. Department of the Army.
Coverage in the online mass media includes:
- An extensive article appears on the Small Times website ("Army choose MIT to help create the new, nano-equipped U.S. solider", by Candace Stuart, 13 March 2002).
- An article from United Press International ("MIT to design futuristic Army battlesuit", by Dave Haskell, 13 March 2002).
- An article from the Associated Press ("MIT Grant to Design Battle Uniform", 13 March 2002), reposted on the New York Times website (free, but requires registration).
- An article from the CNET news service also appears on the NYT site.
