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Krishna P. Singh pays visit to the Singh Center for Nanotechnology

Vijay Kumar, Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Dr, Krishna P. Singh, CEO, Holtec International, SEAS Board of Advisors, Mark G. Allen, Scientific Director, Krishna P. Singh Center for Nanotechnology – Photo by Lamont Abrams

On Tuesday, September 17, 2018, Dr. Krishna P. Singh, Founder, President and CEO of Holtec International, visited the Krishna P. Singh Center for Nanotechnology Center on the University of Pennsylvania campus.  This was Dr. Singh’s first visit since the Center opened its doors in 2013.

The four-hour meeting was coordinated to provide Dr. Singh with an opportunity to engage with the Penn engineering community, including Dr. Vijay Kumar, Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Dr. Mark Allen, Scientific Director, the Center for Nanotechnology. Several faculty members from the School of Engineering also met with Dr. Singh and shared details of their scientific accomplishments in nanoscience research. “We’re delighted to welcome Dr. Singh’s return to spend time with our faculty and staff, and to take part in discussion in support of the Center’s development,” said Mark Allen, Scientific Director, Singh Center for Nanotechnology.

Dr. Singh, who received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in 1972, and a master’s in engineering mechanics from Penn, is a major benefactor to the university, donating $20M to the Singh Center for Nanotechnology, the largest single gift in the history of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania. “We’re in a wonderful position to show our family of alumni how their investments have benefited this Center, our university, and students in a variety of ways. Our growth, the research conducted in this Center, and the programs we’ve created couldn’t have been achieved without the continual commitment and support from alumni like Kris,“ said George Hain, Vice Dean, Development and Alumni Relations, School of Engineering.

A tour of three multi-purpose facilities in the Center was provided by the staff to Dr. Singh, most notably two new microscopes, the JEOL F200 and the JEOL NEOARM, being the first NEOARM installed in North America. “The acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment continues to be crucial in the development of our center to remain at the cornerstone for education, research and innovation. This is extremely important in that we provide tool and equipment access to the 12 schools at Penn, our local universities, regional industry users and startup companies. We’re providing access to incredibly innovative equipment that’s new in the marketplace,” stated Matthew Brukman, Manager, Local and Scanning Probe Facility.

As the meeting came to a close and Dr. Singh made his exit, Noah Clay, Director of the Quattrone Nanofabrication Facility commented, “For Dr. Singh to generously invest his time to listen to the achievements of the center, its faculty, and to provide insight into our strategic growth, demonstrates the ever-growing bond of Penn family, the impact of that relationship and the continued confidence we maintain in knowing that support is close at hand.“

Professor Eric Stach discusses the JEOL NEOARM microscope with Dr. Kris Singh, Dr. Mark Allen, Dr. Douglas Yates,  and Dr. Vijay Kumar. Photo by Lamont Abrams