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