It’s been five years in the making, two years since ground was broken, and one year since the first classes began, but the new facility that will house the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN) at the Gateway University Research Park, South Campus, on East Lee Street was worth the wait.

JSNN is an academic and technical institution created by North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, with the support of the North Carolina General Assembly and technology leaders in the community. One of the few degree-granting schools in the world focused exclusively on nanoscience and nanoengineering, JSNN’s objective is to become a world class educational and research institution, serving as an engine for economic growth in the Greensboro/Triad area. (Degrees in nanoscience are being offered by UNCG and nanoengineering by A&T.)

The chilly, intermittent and at times torrential rains couldn’t keep Gov. Bev Perdue and other distinguished guests from across the state—and as far away as France—from participating in the facility’s much anticipated grand opening on Wednesday evening (Dec. 7). Ed Kitchen, chairman of Gateway’s board of directors and a former Greensboro city manager, presided over the event.

The point that was made repeatedly on Wednesday is that the collaboration behind the JSNN is much larger than the building it calls home. The partnerships between A&T, UNCG and Gateway University Research Park with educational institutions, business and industry around the world will increase the universities’ collective credibility of the Triad as a research community and enhance the regional, national and international reputation. It also will serve as a pipeline for job creation at the highest level.

According to research conducted by the National Science Foundation, there is a projected need for more than two million nanotechnology savvy workers by the year 2014. Of those employees, 20 percent are expected to be scientists, and the remaining 80 percent will encompass a range from highly skilled engineers to skilled workers.

Perdue said that because North Carolina is the epicenter for research and advancement in nanoscience and nanoengineering, it is anticipated that a lot of that job creation will start at the Joint School and will impact other related industries as well.

N.C. A&T Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. said, “The JSNN provides a great academic and commercial model and will help universities assume a greater role in partnership with business leaders throughout the Triad—in making our region more appealing. By combining our respective strengths, we can ensure the continued success of preparing outstanding graduates to be competitive in the professional workforce and also maintain our standing as a region of economic competitiveness in the areas of research and development.”

The nanoengineering research program already has generated almost $4 million in external research funding in its first year and a half of existence. The work involves a broad range of areas, including nanotechnology tools for disease diagnostics and regenerative medicine, components of photonic nanosystems for sensor/detection systems and other security applications, and the performance characteristics of materials such as nanoengineered concrete.

To date, the Army Research Office is a major funder of this research, which will have both defense and civilian applications. JSNN also has received a letter of intent from Horiba Scientific of Chilly-Mazarin, France, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of analytical and spectroscopic systems and components dedicated to scientific research.

The Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering is led by Dr. James G. Ryan, who has served at the Joint School since July of 2008. Prior to joining JSNN as the founding dean, Ryan was an associate vice president of technology and professor of nanoscience in the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany, one of the world’s leading colleges of nanotechnology. He served as principal or co-principal investigator for contracts totaling more than $1.7 billion while at CNSE.

Engineering isn’t the only discipline in which North Carolina A&T State University leads the nation in awarding bachelor’s degrees to African Americans. The university is also first in two other disciplines, second in two and in the top 12 in seven more.

N.C. A&T ranks second in the total number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to African Americans, up from third last year.

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education ranks the Top 100 Degree Producers each year, based on the universities’ reports to the U.S. Department of Education. This year’s lists reflect figures for the 2009-10 academic year.

Rankings for A&T undergraduate degree programs are first place in engineering, engineering technologies and engineering-related fields, and parks, recreation, leisure and fitness studies; second place in communication, journalism and related programs, and marketing; third place in agriculture, agriculture operations and related sciences; fifth place in accounting and related services, and visual and performing arts; eighth place, psychology; ninth place in liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities; 11th place in family and consumer sciences/human sciences; and 12th place in computer and information sciences and support services.