Nanoscientist scores 'Tar Heel of the Year'

Misspellings and grammatical errors aside, this writer to the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer makes a great point about what our culture values from our universities.

Athletes are admired and nanoscientists ... not so much.

But, thanks to N&O newspapers, UNC-Chapel Hill nanotech researcher Joseph DeSimone is being recognized for his work on a new class of nanoparticles that can take any shape, with the goal of making chemotherapy easier for cancer patients.

The N&O named DeSimone "Tar Heel of the Year". And while I am not entirely certain what exactly a Tar Heel is, I can only suppose that it is a good thing to be named the best one of the year.

Not sure what his rushing record was for the 2008 season. Nor do I care.

Backgrounder
Nano Carolina
Not your father's 'shop' class
Teen Meets The Nano Clumps

Don't end up like me; take online nanotech courses

Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands is offering two new nanoscience courses on its OpenCourseWare site: Advanced Solid State Physics and Quantum Information Processing.

While I am certain my readers can take advantage of these free online courses, it all sounds too difficult for an undereducated writer like me.

Just this morning, I learned that I left my kids' lunchboxes at their preschool and I had failed to properly read a bottle of baby soap, mistaking it for baby lotion -- thus drying out my two young sons' skin even more during this cold winter.

Quantum information processing? I'd be happy with any information processing in my 43-year-old, ancient senile brain.

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Nanotech for undergrads
High School Nails Nano
Penn State's Little Recruiting Video

Teen Meets The Nano Clumps

Discover magazine profiles 17-year-old Philip Streich of Platteville, Wis., in its 5 Promising Scientists Under 20 feature. The homeschooled kid started playing with carbon nanotubes in ninth grade, when he met James Hamilton, a chemistry professor at the University of Wisconsin–Platteville.

Streitch and Hamilton tried to crash through one of the main barriers to marketing nanotubes -- the little buggers tend to clump together. The two tried different kinds of solvents to keep the nanotubes separated without the little guys losing all those superstrong superpowers we all read about. The solution, according to Discover:

Streich custom-built a spectrometer to probe the chemical characteristics of the nanotubes. Using these data, he discovered that the solvent N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidinone would indeed dissolve nanotubes. Streich then went on to find more solvents with the aid of the spectrometer. The project won him more than $100,000 in scholarship money, and he and Hamilton published their results [subscription required] last spring. By June Streich was celebrating an additional $50,000 victory at a state business-plan competition for a nanotech start-up called Graphene Solutions, which he had cofounded with Hamilton. "I never dreamed any of this would be possible," Streich says. “I really credit my parents’ support for allowing me to try homeschooling. If I had been in the regular school system, I doubt any of this would have developed." More here

I'm not so certain I agree with his comments about homeschooling vs. public schools, but I'm impressed with the rest. Gosh, when I was 17 I was reading a lot of Philip Roth and Cervantes, and wondering whether I would grow up to become the world's first Jewish celibate monk.

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Nanotech for undergrads
Nano Nerd 2.0
High School Nails Nano

Penn State's Little Recruiting Video

My daughter's a senior in high school and has already chosen a college. I don't know how many of these videos she's had to sit through. Penn State's Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization (say it five times fast, and you've passed half the entrance exam) has a recruiting video out on YouTube. Students, feel the nano love. Parents, grip your wallets. Enjoy.

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NanoVlog
Jim Carrey and Conan talk quantum physics: Part III
Welcome, Rice University students

Site, and students, devoted to nanomedicine

Hello Mr. Lovy,

My name is Samir and I am one of the editors at NanomedicineCenter.com, a website dedicated to nanomedicine and bionanotechnology. We are a group of students interested in nanotechnology in general, but especially in it's medical division. I came across your website and was wondering if you could include a link to our site there? It would mean a lot to us.

Thank you in advance.

Looking forward to your reply.

Best regards,

Samir

The Great State Of Nanosota

Up in the desolate, frozen wastelands of Minnesota, there arises a small ray of hope for the future at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, where students study for a big future in nanotech.

They have a blog that chronicles their struggles, large and ... small, including a sample class schedule in their two-year nanoscience degree program.

Maybe these smart engineers can help with the recount up there and finally send Al Franken to Washington. Perhaps a little nanoscale gerrymandering, Minnesota style?

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High School Nails Nano

High School Nails Nano

The "NanoAnalogy" above comes from the Web page for a nanotech course offered at Ballston Spa High School in New York, where visionary biology teacher John Balet understands the important role nanotech will play in his students' future employment opportunities, not to mention the pervasive role it will play in their lives no matter what their future careers.

And that reminds me, it's been months since I've clipped my nails ...

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Nanotech for undergrads
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HP teaches us the 'n' word

Hey, kids. What are some of the things "n" is for? Well, "n" is for "nemployed" (without the "u," since we're talking about me), "n" is for "navel contemplation" and, of course, as Hewlett-Packard informs us in the entertaining video above, "'n' is for Nanotechnology."

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Jim Carrey and Conan talk quantum physics II
Government Created Killer NanoRobot Infection
Kids grill scientist dad (with ketchup and mustard)

The great little balls of Britain

Yes, yes, men. You are correct. Buckminsterfullerenes are strong, and so are you. But I hate to say this, guys, since you seem so ... um ... confident. But in real life, those buckyballs are really, really ... yeah, really ... tiny. Still, you blokes should go have a pint in celebration of your ... erection ... of the tip of the new Bristol (UK) Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information. Watch the whole Flickr here.

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A little story about drugs, bass and balls
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My plural marriage with Utah students

My contribution to higher education for the coming semester: My rescue and reposting of a video clip of Jim Carrey and Conan O'Brien teaching drummer Max Weinberg a thing or two about quantum mechanics has made it onto the syllabus for Physics 3740: Introduction to special relativity and quantum mechanics at the University of Utah. Not bad for a former English and Journalism major.

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Government Created Killer NanoRobot Infection
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PBS station gives us nanoriches

KQED-TV goes on a Nanoquest and comes up with pages and pages of great information, video and photos. Watch, enjoy, learn.

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Info in a nanoshell
NANO on NewsHour

Nano U

Youngsters explore future in nanotechnology (Mercury News)

The nano world that Annie Cheung inhabited for a few hours Saturday morning was so small it was measured in the billionth fraction of an atomic particle.

But as the Milpitas High School senior learned from Silicon Valley high-tech experts and leaders, nanotechnology -- the relatively new world of everything super small -- is a vast, uncharted territory for young students exploring a career in engineering and the sciences.

Cheung was one of 24 high school and college students who gathered Saturday morning at the San Jose offices of Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) for a reunion of graduates of "High Tech U," a camp started by semiconductor companies to encourage students from underserved communities to pursue careers in science and technology. More here (registration required)

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Overachieving undergrads

NNIN Research Experience for Undergraduates (National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network)

NNIN conducts one of the largest and most sucessful Research Experience for Undergraduates programs. Over 100 positions will be available in 2005 at the 13 NNIN research sites. Due to the high level of interest in nanotechnology, over 550 applications were received for our program last year.

Students are assigned to a specific research project and will make a meaningful research contribution to their research group. Each project involves hands-on nanotechnology research with state-of-the-art equipment. Each student will be working on an individual research project, with support from faculty, student mentors, and facility staff.

Further information as well as past REU program reports are available here. Extensive additional information is available here. The online application is available here.

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Texas ropes young nano herd
Learning a living with Luna
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Learning a living with Luna

Luna offers students a glimpse of the future (Danville, Va., Register & Bee)

Sixteen-year-old Carrie Crews feels confident that when her education is completed, she will be able to remain in Danville and find work.

A student at the Piedmont Governor’s School for Mathematics, Science and Technology and an 11th-grader at Langston Global Village, Crews was one of the 132 Governor’s School students from the Danville and Henry County sites and a dozen instructors and school administrators who attended Luna Innovation’s nanotechnology presentation at the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research on Wednesday.

“Yes, this would entice people to stay here and make a life in Danville,” Crews said. The Governor School sites usually meet twice a year, allowing the community to showcase what it can offer the students after they complete their education, according to Brian Pace, director of the Piedmont Governor’s School for Mathematics, Science and Technology.

“This was a practical application for something going on at your own front door,” Pace said. “We want to encourage the students to do great things right here in this community.” Since Luna Innovations has decided to locate its nanomanufacturing facility in Danville, the area’s students will face new technological education and employment opportunities. Luna Innovations is investing over $6.4 million to renovate an area of the Danville Tobacco Warehouse District to produce carbonaceous nanomaterials for research to use in health care for cancer tumor therapy and in telecommunications by having faster computers. Luna also researches the use of nanomaterials in biotechnology and military defense.

“There is a huge initiative in biotechnical areas of cancer, therapeutics and imagery,” said Charles Gause, vice president of Luna Innovations’ Danville Division. “There is a lot of chemistry involved, but it is a different way of thinking.” Gause said Danville’s strong manufacturing capabilities and technological initiatives lured the company to the area. Luna hopes to begin operations by first quarter and Gause said he expects 54 jobs for local people within the year, then increasing to 150 jobs within the next two or three years. Job qualifications include a minimum of an associate’s degree in manufacturing or a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, he said. More here

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Texas ropes young nano herd

TSTC Waco gets nano-grant (AP, via The Miami Herald)

Texas State Technical College in Waco is getting a 500,000 dollar grant to encourage students to pursue careers in nanotechnology.

Gov. Rick Perry today announced the federal funds will be used to launch the Nanotechnology Workforce Development Initiative.

T-S-T-C will partner with Baylor University, Del Mar College of Corpus Christi and Zyvex Corporation of Richardson.

The grant will provide internships and apprenticeships for engineering students at T-S-T-C and Del Mar College to work in advanced nanoscale manufacturing environments at Zyvex. More here

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Westinghouse finalist caught nano bug

Staples High senior makes strides in science (The Stamford Advocate)

When Staples High student Shane Mulligan visited a leading nanotechnology laboratory at New York University two years ago, he was expecting a routine tour.

The sophomore was taken aback when Nadrian Seeman, the lab director, asked whether he would like to do research under his tutelage.

"I was sort of caught off-guard," said Shane, 17, now a senior.

Then a first-year student in Staples' three-year science research program, Shane saw it as the chance of a lifetime. He has a keen interest in nanotechnology and accepted without hesitation.

He is now one of five New England regional finalists in the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology, one of the most prestigious science competitions in the nation. He will present his project to judges at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this weekend. The student who takes first place will compete in the national finals for a $100,000 grand prize. More here

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¡Venezuelan Nano Champ!
Not your father's 'shop' class
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Not your father's 'shop' class

Vocational ed embraced by college-bound (The Charlotte Observer)

... voc-tech has gone high-tech. As school districts educate for a new economy, the stereotypical shop class is being replaced by courses in digital communication, bioengineering and nanotechnology.

The word "vocational" has become taboo -- it's now called career and technical education -- and with the new name has come a more advanced curriculum.

... In South Carolina, Fort Mill High is one of about 100 high schools offering engineering courses for high school and college credit. Next month, students at 10 S.C. schools will watch a live broadcast of heart surgery. And starting next year, S.C. officials hope to offer classes in bioengineering, aerospace engineering and nanotechnology. More here

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I got Study Hall, PhysEd, Shop, then ... Nanoscience? Whaaaa!?
The children are our nano future
Hey kids, wanna be cool?

I got Study Hall, PhysEd, Shop, then ... Nanoscience? Whaaaa!?

Nanoscience to be taught to high school students (San Francisco Business Times)

Menlo Park-based SRI International, an independent research and development organization, said it's received a four-year, $925,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to teach high school students the principles of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

... The relatively new field of nanotechnology offers new markets, products, and applications in areas such as medicine, materials, and environmental management, according to SRI. Now that there are nanoscale science and engineering programs at undergraduate and graduate levels, there is a strong need in earlier grades to increase students' scientific literacy and prepare them for further study, it said. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
A Liberal Nano Education
The children are our nano future
A bright future ... in Europe

A Liberal Nano Education

Research push needs a liberal arts bedrock (Chris Toumey, The State -- South Carolina)

Good research universities still offer a solid liberal arts education, but the liberal arts ethos never will recapture the prominence it once had. Those days are gone for good.

Still, there are ways to make the best of this. Many scientists are shockingly unaware of the societal implications of their work. The laws that shape the Human Genome Project and the National Nanotechnology Initiative recognize this problem by requiring research on the ethical, legal and societal implications of genomics and nanotech.

This is an invitation for the liberal arts faculty to turn their attention and their wonderful gifts to these problems. Indeed, Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine Studies, as this is called, is an exciting interdisciplinary liberal arts field with good faculty, important research questions and access to federal research funds. Some universities have taken advantage of this by institutionalizing such programs.

I see this because I am on a USC team that uses liberal arts perspectives to study societal implications of nanotechnology. My home discipline is cultural anthropology, and my colleagues come from art, English, philosophy, history, communications and other liberal arts fields.

Because of our work, USC is recognized as the leading school for research on societal implications of nanotech. We honor the liberal arts teaching ethos by including nine undergraduate Nano Scholars in our team, and this spring we will offer the Nano Semester, a package of six liberal arts courses on nanotech.

Nanotechnology is exciting; the liberal arts are invaluable. Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine Studies projects, such as our work on nanotech, represent a way for the liberal arts to secure a future at the heart of a research university. When a university recognizes this, the tension between scientific research and the liberal arts is transformed from pain to creativity. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
Welcome, Rice University students
Nano Carolina
Nanoscience writers as lab rats

Nano Carolina

Forsyth Technical Community College has received approval to establish an Associate in Applied Science degree in nanotechnology (nanotechwire.com)

Forsyth Technical Community College has received approval from the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges to establish an Associate in Applied Science degree in nanotechnology. This is the first nanotechnology degree program offered in the North Carolina Community College System. The first course, introduction to nanotechnology, will be offered during the spring 2005 semester.

"This is an exciting opportunity for the members of our community. Great appreciation is extended to Wake Forest's Center for Nanotechnology and especially Dr. David Carroll and Dr. Richard Czrew who have guided us and offered a wonderful ongoing collaboration with their adjunct faculty and labs," said Dr. Cynthia Bioteau, vice president of Instructional Services at Forsyth Tech. Forsyth Tech will collaborate with the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials at Wake Forest University in the areas of atomic-force microscopy and electron microscopy. More here

Related News
Introductory nanotechnology course offered at Texas State University Nanomaterials Applications Center (nanotechwire.com)
Educators Opening High Tech Corridor (Citizen Press -- Tennessee)

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