The Nanotechnology Partnership for Rural Education Pathways (NANOprep) project is an effort that builds on the success of Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical (MSC-ST)'s NANOredi initiative. There is a strong partnership with ATE NanoLink, the University of Minnesota Nanofabrication Center, and ATE NACK that will help facilitate program development and implementation. The goal of NANOprep is to create a new cultural model to improve public awareness and increase enrollment and retention of students in nanoscience leading to their development as skilled nanotechnicians.
The basis for the creation of the project is to address the nanotechnology workforce challenge. According to experts, the key challenge for nanotechnology development is the education and training of new, skilled workers to meet the demands of the emerging field. This will require effective strategies for recruitment and retention, especially of students from rural and other underrepresented communities. To meet this challenge, NANOprep implements the design of a newly developed nano survey course that targets a broad audience of students and faculty (high school and beyond), incumbent workers, and the general public. Modules from the NANOprep survey are also embedded in general education STEM courses and technical courses, making them part of the requirements for the 22 credit Nanoscience Technician certificate offered by MSC-ST. A minimum of three survey courses are offered each year with more than 225 students enrolled, many of which are female and other ethnic minorities. Each section of 25 students enrolls 4-5 high school and college faculty and 4-5 incumbent workers, with dual credit options for high school students. The project also provides a community awareness event in partnership with the City of Rushford and RINTek as a means of improving community understanding of nanotechnology and associated career opportunities.
NANOprep serves as a replicable model for the development and implementation of nanoscience programs, as well as a strategy for other technical programs that have similar recruitment challenges.
