Nanotechnology joins moves into the classroom and public eye

George B. Adams III

Nanotechnology is a crossroads for science, engineering, technology and education.

The molecular size of the nanoscale was once the domain of chemists alone, studying molecules and reactions.

Then, physicists learned that the nanoscale is the transition size between classical physics, that is the behavior of matter in pieces we can see, and quantum physics, that is the behavior of isolated atoms.

Through nanotechnology biologists began to study life at the nanoscale - DNA, proteins and structures within a living cell.

These three sciences come together at the crossroads defined by the nanoscale.

Engineers and technologists working with scientific nanoscale knowledge are designing and producing today's smaller-than-micro nanoelectronic processor and flash memory chips.

Nanotechnology promises improvements extending far beyond electronics. For example, at Purdue University three teams of faculty, students and staff are developing nanostructured metals with outstanding properties, sensors to quickly detect food contamination and systems to rapidly scan for cancer cells.

Each of these teams has members from at least three academic departments. More than 140 faculty, representing 27 academic departments, are members of the Birck Nanotechnology Center in Purdue's Discovery Park, a hub of research and engagement with Indiana.

The interdisciplinary nature of nanotechnology is changing the way we teach. A few institutions are offering degrees in nanotechnology, but most are taking the approach that nanotechnology enlarges the scope of existing disciplines. In the latter case, as at Purdue, existing courses now take a deeper look at the nanoscale aspects of their topics. Also, more courses address the nanoscale intersections among disciplines. For example, many biologists delve deeply into chemistry and quantum physics to better understand living organisms.

Nanotechnology education is reaching our public schools as well. The National Science Foundation funded a four-year project pairing Virginia high school teachers with research faculty at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Va. Teachers prepared lessons in nanoscale physics and math and applied it to biology, physics, mathematics, chemistry and earth sciences lessons.

On the West Coast, the California Nanosystems Institute in Los Angeles is bringing experiments with nano-structured materials to high school teachers and students in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The Indianapolis Public Schools, Indianapolis business community and Purdue partnership Science Bound have implemented programs reaching out to high school, junior high and grade school students to interest them in science and engineering, preparing them to study nanotechnology.

The informal study of nanotechnology is also moving increasingly into the public eye. This past October, a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation established the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network. Lead by the Museum of Science in Boston, the project will include creating interactive programs and exhibits, visualization labs, a media network, and public forums of discussion and debate and seeks also to foster collaborations between researchers and educators.

As part of the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network, the New York City Hall of Science recently displayed artist Julie Newdoll's exhibit "Brush With Science." The project was to help visitors visualize the concept of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology will be key to growth in many sectors of Indiana's economy in the years and decades ahead. We should encourage all of our students to stay involved with math and any of the sciences. This will prepare them for advanced study and careers in nanotechnology if they choose. It will also help them better understand their, and our, future. They and we will need this clarity when we discuss and debate the social and ethical issues of how we will use nanotechnology to our benefit.

Nanotechnology is one of the crossroads where today meets tomorrow. With its energy, intelligence and heart for the journey, Indiana can become a nanotechnology leader.

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