This IGERT integrates graduate research and education toward understanding and exploiting macroscopic manifestations of nanoscale phenomena. Research will focus on: i) nanoscale materials: assembling and engineering nanomaterials with integrated functionality; (ii) nanotechnology tools and devices: developing tools to integrate biological or synthetic nanoscale building blocks into devices; and (iii) nanomedical applications: studying, diagnosing, and treating the roots of diseases at the nanoscale. Education will focus on increasing the diversity of discipline, venue (e.g., academia, industry, government laboratories) and culture to which students are exposed, enhancing their ability to lead an increasingly diverse workforce. The goal is to produce highly qualified Ph.D. graduates who will make seamless transitions into productive careers as leaders in myriad aspects of nanotechnology. In addition the program will benefit many other students who use the educational programs created; these include a dual degree option enabling students in any of ten departments to obtain a Ph.D. in "Home Department" and Nanotechnology. Moreover, the program strengthens ties among participating departments in Natural Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine through encouraging student-centered interdisciplinary research projects. Coordination with other IGERTs and interdisciplinary programs on campus will focus on common issues of (i) overcoming institutional barriers to interdisciplinary education and (ii) recruiting a diverse student body. Impact will extend beyond the local campus through publication and public presentation of research and educational innovations, and collaboration with emerging regional undergraduate nanotechnology education programs. IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, 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.
" at the University of Washington (UW) primarily supported graduate student trainees to pursue interdisciplinary graduate training and research in nanotechnology for periods up to two years. The project was jointly supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Cancer Institute Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer. Nanotechnology is a burgeoning field lying at the intersections between traditional disciplines. The IGERT award supported and nourished aspects of educational infrastructure for the interdisciplinary training required for success in the nanotechnology workforce. Our educational program involves ten departments in Engineering, Medicine, and Arts and Sciences wherein graduate students may obtain a dual PhD degree in "Home Department" and Nanotechnology by satisfying both the requirements of their home department and additional interdisciplinary course work, seminars and research experience. This dual degree program remains in place after the completion of the grant, with over 50 students currently enrolled. It also inspired UW’s new undergraduate option program in Nanotechnology and Molecular Engineering, currently available in four departments. A total of forty graduate students from twenty-six research groups in nine departments were supported with IGERT Traineeships over the six-year award period. The competitive selection of IGERT trainees was based on the combined strength of the trainee and his or her proposed research, with an overall requirement of an interdisciplinary approach to nanoscale science and technology. Selection was highly competitive, with only about 20% of the applicants funded in a given year. Since 2006, over 250 students have participated in the interdisciplinary educational programs established through this award, including applying for a traineeship, participating in our core interdisciplinary course, giving a presentation at one of our workshops or enrolling in the dual PhD program. This IGERT also had an international component. Several trainees were supported to pursue collaborative research abroad while expanding their cultural and scientific training in this highly global field. In addition, the University of Washington and Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Tsukuba established a Joint Graduate Program. In June 2009, UW’s IGERT hosted a joint symposium with NIMS, to which NIMS sent nearly a dozen researchers at their expense. This has led to extended collaborative interactions between UW and NIMS. The IGERT award successfully catalyzed and sustained interdisciplinary collaborations on campus that will continue beyond the award. Many student-initiated projects have led to new funding and interdisciplinary grants aimed toward understanding and exploiting macroscopic manifestations of nanoscale phenomena. Student-initiated research focused on: i) nanoscale materials: assembling and engineering nanomaterials with integrated functionality; (ii) nanotechnology tools and devices: developing tools to integrate biological or synthetic nanoscale building blocks into devices; and (iii) nanomedical applications: studying, diagnosing, and treating the roots of diseases at the nanoscale. The trainees were co-authors on over 170 peer-reviewed publications about their research in the past six years. Former trainees have joined the workforce at the forefront of nanotechnology. This includes not just "traditional" nanotechnology jobs at Intel, but also at a local venture capital firm and at local companies started by current or former UW students and faculty; one recent graduate is starting his own company. Other former trainees are pursuing research and development efforts in companies throughout the US. A number of our early trainees are now assistant professors at institutions ranging from a local community college to major Research I institutions, where they in turn are developing interdisciplinary curricula and training the next generation of students. More recent graduates with academic career goals are pursuing postdoctoral research at major universities, national laboratories and medical research centers, while some of our most recent trainees are still finishing up their PhDs at the University of Washington. The interdisciplinary training is reflected in two other trainee career paths: one is pursuing an MBA at Harvard while another received her MD/PhD and is practicing medicine. One trainee who will graduate in 2012 is planning a career in science policy. While these former trainees will make their impact across the world, the longest lasting impact of this award on the University of Washington is the interdisciplinary cooperation and culture it catalyzed. Concrete examples include graduate courses aimed at and taken by dual PhD degree students from multiple home departments, the new Molecular Engineering and Science Institute, which will move into its new building in 2012, an NIH-supported training grant for applications of nanotechnology to cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, and the recent joint hiring between the College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences of three assistant professors who do interdisciplinary research in nanotechnology.
