Jordan Valley Innovation Center, nanotechnology firm continue collaboration

Collaboration is key to the innovative research and development taking place at Missouri State University’s Jordan Valley Innovation Center (JVIC). Lockheed Martin Nanosystems, which has been a senior corporate affiliate at JVIC since the building opened in 2007, recently renewed their commitment to the collaborative work by signing a five-year lease with additional space at JVIC, the cornerstone of IDEA Commons.

“Lockheed Martin recognizes the critical importance of nanotechnology to its current and future portfolio of products and services,” said Allen Kunkel, associate vice president of economic development and director of JVIC. “Through partnerships like Missouri State University, Lockheed Martin is leveraging its investment in nanotechnology to develop innovative solutions for the most demanding technological challenges. We are very pleased that Lockheed Martin has reaffirmed and extended their partnership with Missouri State University.”

Mike Beck, recently appointed director of Lockheed Martin Nanosystems, was pleased to renew the contract and proud that the company was one of the original corporate affiliates.

“We look forward to many more years of fruitful collaboration and innovation in this excellent environment provided by Missouri State University,” said Beck. Dr. Rob Smith, the previous director for Lockheed Martin Nanosystems, is also pleased with the collaboration. “Even though I have moved from Nanosystems to another assignment in the Lockheed Martin Corporation, I look back fondly on what we’ve accomplished at JVIC, and am excited that this important work will continue there with our exceptional colleagues at Missouri State University,” said Smith.

One of the technologies developed at the Jordan Valley Innovation Center by Lockheed Martin in collaboration with Missouri State University is NRAM™ (high-density nonvolatile random access memory). This computer memory remembers where the user left off, even after powering down, and can be manufactured for both stand alone or embedded memory applications.

A radiation-resistant version of NRAM™ carbon-nanotube-based memory was tested on the May 2009 Space Shuttle Atlantis mission that successfully serviced the Hubble Space Telescope. The mission represented an important first step in the development of high-density, non-volatile, carbon-nanotube-based memories for spaceflight applications.

Lockheed Martin Nanosystems, a business unit of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, occupies 4,376 square feet of the 75,000 square foot facility.

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http://news.missouristate.edu/2010/12/06/jvic-nanotechnology-collaboration/