This Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education (NUE) in Engineering program entitled, "NUE: Integration of Nanoscale Devices and Environmental Aspects of Nanotechnology into Undergraduate Engineering and Science Curricula", at the University of Cincinnati (UC) under the direction of Dr. F. James Boerio, will enhance undergraduate education at UC by introducing two new courses entitled Nanoscale Devices and Environmental Aspects of Nanotechnology into the undergraduate engineering and science curricula. The new courses will build on the background that students have gained in two existing NUE courses entitled Introduction to Nanoscale Science and Technology and Experimental Nanoscale Science and Technology to provide students at UC with outstanding eudcation in nanoscale science and engineering. All four courses will be offered yearly, forming the basis for a minor focused on interdisciplinary nanoscale science and technology that UC will develop subsequently, and will be cross-listed by the Colleges of Engineering and Arts and Sciences, making them readily available to students in many different disciplines.
The broader impact of this project will include adapting the experimental modules for presentation to students in grades 4-12 through an extensive outreach program; addressing the need for a technologically advanced workforce in Ohio in the area of nanomaterials and nanotechnology; addressing the need for an educational enterprise that creates such a workforce; and making the experimental modules associated with the new courses available to all universities participating in the Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Revolutionizing Metallic Biomaterials in which UC partners.
The goal of this NUE project was to enhance undergraduate education at the University of Cincinnati (UC) by introducing two new courses entitled Nanoscale Devices and Environmental Aspects of Nanotechnology into the undergraduate engineering and science curricula. Nanoscale Devices addresses important contemporary issues including design, construction, and emerging applications of nanoscale devices, while Environmental Aspects of Nanotechnology discusses environmental applications of nanotechnology as well as the environmental impact of nanotechnology. Each course includes three laboratory modules providing hands-on experience for students on topics that include synthesis and characterization of nanoparticles and nanotubes, assembling devices for the separation and quantification of nanoparticles in environmental media, and active nanosystems for magnetic separation and destruction of environmental toxins. The new courses build on the background that students have gained in existing NUE courses entitled Introduction to Nanoscale Science and Technology and Experimental Nanoscale Science and Technology to provide students at UC with outstanding education in nanoscale science and engineering. All four courses are offered yearly, forming the basis for a minor focused on interdisciplinary nanoscale science and technology that will be developed subsequently, and are cross-listed by the Colleges of Engineering and Arts and Sciences, making them readily available to students in many different disciplines. The intellectual merit of the project consisted of developing the two new courses and related experimental modules; educating a diverse group of students in the science, engineering, and environmental implications of nanoscale phenomena; supporting UC students participating in the new Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Revolutionizing Metallic Biomaterials in which UC partners with lead institution North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the University of Pittsburgh; integrating classroom and laboratory education with engineering practice through UC’s mandatory co-operative engineering education program; and integrating research results from the ERC into the two new courses. The broader impact of the project included adapting the experimental modules for presentation to junior high and high school students through an outreach program centered on UC's Summer Institute; addressing the need for a technologically advanced workforce in the State of Ohio in the areas of nanomaterials and nanotechnology as expressed by the Third Frontier Project, the Deloitte Study, and by employers in UC’s co-op engineering program; addressing the need for an educational enterprise that creates such a workforce as outlined by the Science and Mathematics Education Policy Advisory Council of Ohio; making the experimental modules associated with the new courses available to all universities participating in the ERC for use in their outreach programs; and disseminating our results through publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national meetings. Students enrolled in Nanoscale Devices were very positive about the impact of the course on their ability to apply their knowledge of math, science, and/or engineering; design and conduct experiments; analyze and interpret data; identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems; and use techniques, skills or modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice. Students enrolled in Environmental Aspects of Nanotechnology strongly supported the statement that the course made them interested in learning more about nanotechnology and environmental engineering. Junior high and high school students participating in Summer Institute were very positive regarding the hands-on experience that they got while completing the experimental nanotechnology modules. The students were especially positive regarding the way that faculty and teaching assistants explained the subject of each nanotechnology module and answered their questions. Students responded that they learned a lot from the experimental modules and that the modules made them interested in learning more about engineering.
