Midsize Facilities The Infrastructure for Materials Research (2006) / Chapter Skim
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From page 1... ...
In no small way, the advent of these capabilities brought about the enthusiasm and excitement of nanoscience and nanotechnology. However, these developments come at a price -- literally: today's sophisticated tools for materials research have become so expensive and complex that individual investigators often cannot own or adequately operate or maintain them.
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As the role of midsize facilities has expanded, the need for a systematic and careful assessment of best principles for successful operation has grown, especially in a fiscally constrained era. In response to this need, the National Research Council formed the Committee on Smaller Facilities in 2003, with support from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, to examine the broader issues of optimizing current and future investments in the facility infrastructure of materials research.
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Shared experimental facilities in the form of midsize multiuser facilities are a key component in maintaining the nation at the leading edge of materials research, education, and training. Midsize facilities are everywhere in the materials research landscape, and they offer unique capabilities and benefits, especially when compared with current small-scale and large-scale facilities.
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Preferential support should be provided to midsize facilities that are regionally based; that have the attributes of good management, organization, and potential for sustainability; and that are large enough to offer professional staff training and career prospects. In order for the United States to develop and sustain a leadership role in materials research, the committee makes the recommendations presented below.
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Midsize facilities in materials research depend on many different programs, agencies, and organizations to gather enough funds to make investments in capital costs and to finance operating expenses. There is no single program agency that oversees their long-term viability.
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IMPROVING EFFECTIVENESS Recommendation 3: LONG-TERM INFRASTRUCTURE Host institutions and supporting agencies should give high priority to maintain ing the long-term viability of midsize facilities, including long-term infrastructure such as resident staff, normal operating costs including maintenance contracts, user training and support, education and outreach, and in-house development of instrumentation and techniques. Midsize facilities that are successful in the context of teaming should be provided with improved support.
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A midsize facility should include technical and Ph.D.-level professional staff members who are offered opportunities for career development and/or participation in ongoing facility research. Operating plans for midsize facilities should explicitly address this issue.
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* In closing, the committee emphasizes again the pivotal and invigorating role that midsize facilities have played in materials research.
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From page 9... ...
It is now time to acknowledge the need for the next phase of transition, from a system of loosely connected independent facilities to a networked effort of coordinated facilities. By leveraging such opportunities, the materials research enterprise will continue to offer a transformative and effective path to the future.
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