Teaching Nanoscience

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Physics (13) Nearly forty years ago Richard Feynman issued an invitation to students of science and engineering to enter a new field called nanotechnology. The mission of this new field was the study of nanometer-sized materials, with the long-term goal of establishing the technology needed for future electronic and optoelectronic devices. The new field would enable lighter, stronger, faster, smarter, cheaper, and cleaner products. Today we can see that many students in the different disciplines of both science andengineering have accepted Feynman's invitation. University research in the field of nanotechnology is on an exponential rise. There is little doubt of either the beckoning need to successfully compete internationally or the exciting contribution this field will make in the years ahead. It is possible for us to envision a new generation of materials that will result in lighter transportation vehicles, surgical instruments that could operate on cells, tiny nanometer-size machines and faster, smaller computers. Despite the early pervasiveness of this field little has been done to "bridge" the educational experience that we offer to our students, to this new dynamic science. This is unfortunate, since the study of nanostructures is a beautiful way to learn many old and new concepts in bulk and surface material science. As teachers, we are moved when we see the gleam in a student's eye while controlling and observing structure on a nanoscale. This project helps to build this "bridge" as a new educational approach to teaching the science of materials. Students are participating in an educational experience built around a new molecular beam epitaxy -scanning tunneling microscope facility at the University of Arkansas. The goal is to educate undergraduates who are prepared to contribute to the advancement of nanostructures and their applications as the next generation of electronic and photonic devices.