2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

From microscopy to materials synthesis, the demand for expertise in nanotechnology spans multiple disciplines and encompasses a variety of jobs. The requisite education and training typically occur at the graduate level which limits undergraduates’ access to cutting-edge jobs and many companies’ workforce options. Meaningful nanotechnology undergraduate education is difficult to achieve because: (1) science and engineering curricula are already full; (2) practical, hands-on experiences require extensive training on complex, expensive equipment; and (3) necessary fundamental concepts and knowledge – if taught at the undergraduate level at all – are taught late junior and senior years. We tackle these challenges with an undergraduate Nanotechnology Fellows Program. The program uses an interdisciplinary practicum approach to prepare undergraduates for careers in emerging technologies.

The Nanotechnology Fellows Program includes a summer program with tutorials and hands-on training, in-person and online seminar courses during the academic year, long-term, interdisciplinary research projects, nanotechnology equipment specialization projects, and mentorship and training with graduate students, professors, research scientists, and equipment vendors. The program creates cohorts of nanotechology ambassadors who communicate their work and learning to the university, local, and grades 6-12 educational communities. Key features make the program effective. The program targets freshmen and sophomores to influence students early in their academic careers, establish program longevity, and enable scaffolded learning. The program is highly interdisciplinary with students and professors from multiple departments and schools across the university; topics include fabrication, characterization, and commercialization. The program uses the university’s nanotechnology teaching laboratory which is designated exclusively for student teaching and training purposes. The fellows program is integrated into the nanotechnology teaching and research facilities’ staffing and mission thus demonstrating a deep level of commitment from the university administration. The curricular requirements are minimal. They do not overburden students during the academic year, and they integrate nanotechnology examples directly into students’ core (major) curricula, thus linking emerging technologies to fundamental concepts. In each of its components, the program uses scaffolding as well as active, problem- and project-based, and peer learning to make graduate-level knowledge and skills accessible to undergraduate students.

The program components are designed to work individually or in tandem, so other universities, and even high schools, can implement one or multiple aspects at their own sites. The program evaluation tools track the program’s impact on students’ choice of major, career interests, and confidence in master of nanotechnology knowledge and skills. Nanotechnology experts (research scientists, professors, industry scientists and engineers, and graduate students) evaluate portfolios of students’ work to assess the program efficacy.