In recent years the demand has been growing rapidly for non-silicon miniature devices with highly-precise features. At the same time, commercialization of these devices is hindered by a great need for novel molecular engineering and miniaturization techniques. Progress will require highly interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers, chemists, physicists, and biologists. Four centers at OSU have organized an inter-center IGERT program uniting the broad range of expertise necessary to foster new manufacturing technologies. These technologies will be achieved by integrating molecular self-assembly with micro/nano-manufacturing of polymeric and ceramic materials. A unifying molecular engineering protocol will be developed and applyed to the design, fabrication, and testing of devices in two major areas: (a) polymer- and ceramic-based biomedical devices (i.e. BioMEMS), and (b) high performance ceramic sensors, sensor arrays, and membranes for transportation and environmental applications. Although a few inter-center research projects have been conducted among these four centers, they are isolated cases having limited scope. The technical breadth and complexity of this integration, to our knowledge, has not been previously attempted on this scale. A natural outgrowth will be the development of a broad-based, cross-center educational program. The vision is to integrate the latest research developments into a practical student curriculum, and to impart to doctoral students the necessary multidisciplinary skills and global awareness needed to catalyze broader impacts on society. The key elements of the inter-center education and training program include four to five new MEMD courses (multipurpose seminar course, overview course, sensor technology, nanotechnology and/or membrane science and technology); an interdisciplinary curriculum; dedicated research at two or more centers; industry internships and internships at national laboratories; travel to national and international meetings; tours and visits to research labs in the U.S. and abroad; and a web-based dissemination plan. The recruitment and retention of minorities and women will be emphasized in the award of thirty IGERT-MEMD fellowships. Each institution will commit to providing the necessary infrastructure, including appropriate laboratory and/or clean room and common space and sharing of equipment, in support of an external user community.
IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the multidisciplinary backgrounds and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. In the fifth year of the program, awards are being made to twenty-one institutions for programs that collectively span the areas of science and engineering supported by NSF.
