NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin and Rice University President Malcolm Gillis are to sign a statement of collaboration outlining the proposed agreement in a ceremony at Rice on Thursday, October 15, 1998. The event is open to members of the news media.
Fullerene fibers are so small they can only be seen with the most powerful microscopes.
They have a number of desirable qualities, including potential tensile strength higher than any known fiber and electrical conductivity similar to metals. The proposed Rice-NASA effort will establish collaboration in research and applications for these tiny fibers. Dr. Richard Smalley, who received the Nobel Prize in 1996 for his discovery of fullerenes, will lead the Rice participation. Smalley is also director of Rice's Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, which studies structures on the scale of a billionth of a meter. The effort will combine the expertise of NASA and a pioneering research group at Rice University to establish a world-class research team in this field.