The CNS-ASU Network

Arizona State University  

The lead institution in the Center for Nanotechnology in Society, ASU is committed to becoming a “New American University” “that directly engages the challenges of its cultural, socioeconomic, and physical setting, and shapes its research initiatives with regard to their social outcomes.” The Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes (CSPO), which has been involved in NSE-and-society activities since 2000, is a keystone in ASU’s comprehensive evolution away from a traditional, discipline-centered university and toward one organized around broad themes and problems that connect scholarship, social engagement, and societal outcomes. For the CNS-ASU, CSPO has assembled scholars from more than 15 units across ASU. One of those units, the Biodesign Institute (total investments > $200M in the next five years), focuses on research at the nano-bio interface, and researchers there are key collaborators in CNS-ASU. The Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) provides the infrastructure for surveys and focus groups. The Center for Research on Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (CRESMET), three NSF IGERT programs, the Western Alliance to Expand Student Opportunities, and Minority Access to Research Careers provide the foundation for integrative educational programs and the active involvement of underrepresented groups. CNS-ASU is not an outlier but a signature program in the university’s evolutionary design.