Impacting undergraduate nanoscience and nanoengineering education at North Carolina A & T State University

Abstract

In this paper, we report our three-pronged efforts toward enhancing undergraduate nanoscience and engineering education, with an emphasis on devices and systems. We are using the practical approach of direct engagement of the students in ongoing research in our advanced materials laboratories. These efforts have been primarily supported by two successive NSF Nano Undergraduate Education (NUE) projects. Our first activity for enhancing nanoscience and nanoengineering education was to introduce simple concepts of nanoscience and technology into existing required undergraduate engineering courses. These modules covered the core concepts of nanomaterials and unique phenomena at the nanoscale. Introducing the concepts of nanoscience and engineering at this early stage of undergraduate education was found to positively impact student interest in registering for a technical elective nanotechnology course that we developed as our second initiative. An interdisciplinary 3-credit nanotechnology course (Nanotechnology I) with a significant hands-on laboratory component was developed as a tech elective course for senior undergraduates and has attracted enrollments of 20-30, primarily from our graduating classes of approximately 50 mechanical engineers per year. The course offers a fundamental perspective related to the structure, stability and functional characteristics of nanoscale materials and systems, and also trains students in the application of available theoretical models in the interpretation of results. Under our third initiative, a limited number of undergraduates well-imbued with this foundational perspective were recruited and financially supported to engage in a semester-long research project related to nanotechnology. The course (Nanotechnology- II) was classified as "Independent Study" course under the department's existing curriculum. Students were assigned to work for the entire semester with individual faculty members drawn from the Senior Personnel for the NUE project. The students of this class (Nanotechnology -II) were required to submit a final written report and make one mid-semester and one end-of- semester power point presentation. The students' performance was evaluated by a panel of examiners consisting of all the NUE PIs. In brief, our three-pronged approach appears to have enabled and empowered the students very effectively with the knowledge of the fundamentals of nanoscience and engineering and proficiency to conduct research and develop economically-viable nano-devices with innovative applications. © 2012 American Society for Engineering Education.