Interfaces and defects have played the most important roles in determining the performance of modern electronics. The rapid progress of nanoscience and technology further amplifies the critical roles of interfaces/defects since, in nanostructures, the volume ratio of interfaces and defects grows significantly with the size reduction. This IGERT proposal establishes an interdisciplinary doctoral training program on Atomic and Molecular Imaging of Interfaces/defects in Nanostructured Materials. This program integrates nanostructure fabrications, atomic scale characterizations, and materials theory into a comprehensive education and research training program for graduate students, including six different departments in the colleges of Natural Sciences and Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. The underlying research goal is to obtain atomic level understanding of how interfaces and defects impact the local electronic structure and functionality of nanoscale electronic, spintronic, and organic/inorganic materials, and how they impact the performance of devices based on these materials. Students trained in this research program will be provided great breadth in their perspectives toward solving important scientific problems, a key and necessary characteristic for the future generation of leaders in nanoscience and technology. The key education and training features include development of a nanoscience and technology core curriculum with a seamless transition to interdisciplinary research programs. Career development opportunities for students will be provided through internships at high-tech industry and national labs. The community educational outreach program is aimed at enhancing nanoscience education at all levels, from pre-K to high school. In addition, by partnering with the International Center for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials (ICNAM) at the University of Texas, this program is aimed at increasing the participation of under-representated groups, especially Hispanic students, in graduate education. 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.
The IGERT at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has had a truly transformative impact on research and education at UT, connecting diverse specialties through the unified theme of atomic and molecular imaging of interfaces and defects. The program has mediated new collaborations between faculty and students in disparate fields, and has led to the development of new courses whose interdisciplinary approach breaks down traditional academic barriers. It has also fostered a major outreach initiative that has impacted middle and secondary school students and teachers throughout Texas. Three new interdisciplinary courses were developed specifically for this IGERT, focusing on atomic and molecular imaging and providing students with a fundamental background in principles of synthesis, characterization, and computational methods for studying nanoscale materials. The courses have provided trainees with an interdisciplinary background beyond what they would have received from any individual department. Registrants in the courses include, in addition to IGERT trainees, many students from outside the IGERT program, so there are broader educational impacts on the University of Texas student body. An annual "Ethics and Professional Development Seminar" was also developed for this IGERT, featuring discussion and case studies in ethics, as well as career training. Topics included intellectual property, entrepreneurship, time management, leadership skills, responsible research and authorship, interpersonal skills, grant writing, and ethics in research settings. The workshop introduced students to important ethical issues that arise in research, and gave them tools to address these issues; through active discussion and debate among students and faculty it cultivated a climate of greater ethical sensitivity and engagement among trainees. Among the most important outcomes of the IGERT was the empowerment of students as drivers of activities and as active participants in the direction of the program. Each year, two trainees sat on the UT IGERT Executive Committee. Moreover, trainees organized IGERT seminars and hosted external speakers at least twice a year. They chose top scientists and researchers, invited them to visit, arranged their meeting schedules, introduced them at the seminars, and hosted trainee/visitor dinners. In this way, the trainees performed functions that are typically reserved for faculty. Through the seminar program they networked with leaders in the field and developed professional skills they will use in the future to host colleagues in professional settings. An annual grant-writing competition honed trainees’ grant writing skills: an external committee judged proposals, and winning proposals were given funding. This competition seeded two cross-disciplinary research projects, leading to collaboration among research groups in diverse areas of study, and one of the collaborations produced a peer-reviewed publication in a major journal. In addition, trainees sponsored the "Inter-IGERT Nanoscience and Professional Development Workshop" in 2010 on the UT Austin campus. The trainees conceived the project, wrote the NSF proposal, secured funding, and organized the event in its entirety, all the while gaining valuable organizational and grant-writing experience. The event hosted 20 student representatives from ten nanoscience-related IGERT programs nationwide, and five senior researchers from companies and national labs. Student participants learned about aspects of professional life beyond graduate school from experts in their fields, shared research results in a poster session, and participated in lab tours, workshops, and panel discussions. Aside from the direct benefits that accrued to trainees through professional development, educational enrichment, and networking, indirect benefits of the workshop rippled outward to IGERT efforts around the country, as participants exchanged ideas about how to make their own IGERTs more successful and gained new enthusiasm for the nationwide IGERT program. The UT IGERT also had a statewide impact on secondary education through the annual Summer Nanoscience Academy. This free three-day annual summer camp provided middle and high school teachers and students from 28 counties across Texas with a better understanding of nanoscience and with hands-on experience in the field. Highlights were tours of UT labs and facilities, demonstrations, lectures, and a chemistry lab project in which campers made solar cells. Many of these activities, including the chemistry lab, were organized and led by trainees. Trainees took a leading role in organizing all aspects of the camp, and gained not only organizing experience but also valuable experience in K-12 outreach. The State Board of Education approved additional "Advanced Academic Training" for teachers at the Summer Nanoscience Academy: in an annual day-long workshop, participating teachers were brought together for dialogue, professional development, and lesson planning to incorporate nanoscience-related concepts into their curricula. IGERT trainees took leading roles in organizing and leading this teacher training workshop. Teachers received professional certification for participating in the program, and were given classroom aids and curriculum materials to bring back to their classrooms. Thus, the impact of the program was extended beyond direct participants to benefit students and faculty in the teachers’ home districts.
