Dear BNC member: The end of the calendar year is an appropriate time to pause to reflect on the events and accomplishments of the past twelve months. Although it has been a challenging year overall, the nanoscale science and engineering community at Purdue has had a banner year by most measures. At the recent NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Grantee's Conference, Mihail Roco, Senior Advisor for Nanotechnology at NSF, presented the attached slides, showing that Purdue ranks #1 in active awards (100) in nano across all agencies for FY2009, and #2 (just behind Northwestern) in award dollars. These rankings reflect both the investment made in nano at Purdue by a wide range of stakeholders over the past eight years, and the tremendous efforts and talent of the faculty, staff, and students who perform and enable the research. Congratulations to all. Best wishes for a restful holiday season with family and friends, Tim -- Timothy D. Sands Mary Jo and Robert L. Kirk Director, Birck Nanotechnology Center Discovery Park, Purdue University www.nano.purdue.edu & Basil S. Turner Professor of Engineering School of Materials Engineering & School of Electrical and Computer Engineering http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/nanotechnology/research/sands.php Birck Nanotechnology Center 1205 West State Street West Lafayette, IN 47907-2057 phone: (765) 496-6105 fax: (765) 496-8383 e-mail: tsands@purdue.edu