CNSI's mission is to create a collaborative, closely-integrated, and strongly interactive environment that will foster innovation in nanosystems research and education. The vision of the CNSI is to establish a coherent and distinctive organization that serves California and the nation, and that is embedded on the UCSB and UCLA campuses. The CNSI will be a world-class intellectual and physical environment, a collaborative center that will generate ideas, discoveries and the talent that will continue to fuel innovation in Nanosystems. CNSI believes that major breakthroughs in 21st-century science and technology will arise from an understanding of how to manipulate, control & manufacture at the nanometer scale. The rewards of such understanding will lie in the formation of engineered materials with exceptional strength, elasticity, sensitivity, and intelligence. Control of material at the nanometer scale will ensure the creation of compact, complex, and multifunctional systems at the macro-scale that will dramatically augment the capabilities of present-day communications, computation, medical therapies, and environmental remediation. Our institute's mission is to create a collaborative, closely-integrated, and strongly interactive environment that will foster innovation in nanosystems research and education.