Terahertzs science and technology is one of the most intriguing and challenging research fields to emerge in the 21st Century. In less than a decade, this previously hidden section of the electromagnetic spectrum has caught the imagination of scientists around the world. THz research will transform future computing and communication systems while providing unprecedented opportunities for biomedical imaging. Rensselaer researchers have played a leading role in the quest to understand the science and the use of THz radiation. In this IGERT program, physicists, computer scientists, biologists, electrical and biomedical engineers will focus on research in THz electronics, THz data transfer and networking systems, and THz spectroscopy and imaging.
In addition to the strong commitment to research, there is an equal dedication to education. Rensselaer has won numerous awards for its revolutionary studio-based approach to undergraduate education. The Institute is now adapting and extending the pedagogical principles successfully implemented under this program to doctoral education for students working at the leading edge of science and technology. The IGERT program will integrate THz materials, devices, radiation, photonics, imaging, spectroscopy, and computer algorithms for tomography into THz courses that will be taught in an interactive studio setting by interdisciplinary faculty from Rensselaer and by national and international collaborators. We will provide industrial and international internships opportunities for students. This will create an environment, in which students learn from student-to-student interactions, on-campus researchers, and our industrial and international partners, while forming a global network of collaborators and contacts. Special programs in leadership, ethics, life skills, and global citizenship will provide students with frequent opportunities to present and defend their research. Outreach programs will focus on undergraduates and K-12 students.
The intellectual merit of this program is to produce top quality and diversified Ph.D. graduates in THz science and technology to serve the research and leadership needs of the most advanced industries, government laboratories, and academic institutions. Potential broader impacts range from computers that send messages orders of magnitude faster, to improved detection of breast and skin cancer, to security searches for weapons and toxins. We will proactively disseminate this studio model to other research universities that seek to create interdisciplinary graduate programs in emerging areas of science and technology.
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. In this sixth year of the program, awards are being made to institutions for programs that collectively span the areas of science and engineering supported by NSF.
