Institutions for Simulations: The Case of Computational Nanotechnology

Computational nanotechnology is a simulation science; that is, a way of producing
scientific knowledge dependent upon computer simulations because, for a variety
of reasons, current experimental set-ups do not answer crucial questions. The resource
needs of simulation science have often been obscured by two assumptions –
that simulations are a ‘cheap’ alternative to experiment and that they are closely connected
to theory – though not simply synonymous with or simple extensions of
theory. This paper challenges both notions by exploring the resources - human, financial,
and computational – needed to perform computational nanotechnology
and by showing the close coupling between empirical data and the construction of
simulations. I look specifically at three U.S. computational nanotechnology sites and
projects: the NASA-Ames Research Center, the Network for Computational
Nanotechnology at Purdue University, and the Chemical Industry’s Roadmap for
Nanostructured Materials as a protocol for nanotechnological development that
specifically addresses the role of simulations.

Keywords: Nanotechnology; Computational Nanotechnology; simulations