This Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education (NUE) in Engineering program at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) entitled "NUE: Nanoengineering Education in an Under-Represented Minority University", under the direction of Dr. Syed I. Omar, aims at developing an undergraduate nanotechnology education program in a minority serving institution that lacks access to some of the cutting-edge resources available at larger universities. A nanotechnology education program in electrical engineering will be developed which will lay the foundation for a broader multidisciplinary nanotechnology education effort at the University level. Specifically, 1)Development of a first course in nanoengineering, 2) Development of modules of elements of nanoengineering that will be incorporated into relevant courses, 3) Development of students' skills in nanoengineering design and development work and in research through senior level projects, and 4) development of sutiable metrics, concept inventories, and teaching methodology for an undergraduate nanotechnology course.
TAMUK, a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), recently ranked by ASEE as ninth in the country in producing Hispanic engineers, provides a unique opportunity to develop such a program. During this two year project it is anticipated that over 20 students from underrepresented groups will be directly affected and many of them may be encouraged to pursue a career in conducting research at the forefront of technology. TAMUK will also work with other universities in South Texas to encourage development of a similar program and disseminate it to minority serving institutions across the U.S.
