IGERT: Nanoscale Engineering and Science: One Campus, Two- University Approach

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The motivation for this IGERT project is to educate a new class of engineers and scientists who will participate in multi-disciplinary, team-based research projects that are at the forefront of the emerging field of nanoscale engineering and science. Research in this area will lead to the ability to manipulate matter at the molecular and atomic levels in order to produce materials and devices with unique and controllable properties. Undertaking a timely response through an integrated and cohesive program of education and training in the area of nanoscale engineering and science will provide the IGERT Fellows with the unique opportunity of being at the forefront of the developments in this exciting platform. Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania will support 14 doctoral students (7 at each university) through the NSF IGERT program every year. The unique opportunities, capabilities, and strengths of each institution will be enhanced through an integrated graduate educational program. IGERT Fellows enrolled at Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania will have access to about 30 faculty members representing disciplines encompassing chemistry, physics, chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and education. IGERT Fellows will be encouraged to select topics of research that are co-advised by faculty members from both institutions. There are four major activities that comprise this IGERT project: (1) interdisciplinary research and training; (2) new courses and seminars; (3) internships in industry, federal research laboratories and leading universities in Europe, Asia and South Africa; (4) career-integrated education. The pooling of talent, resources, and efforts from the two institutions will result in a one-campus, two-institution approach that effectively integrates education and research training. The proximity of the two contiguous campuses is ideal for developing and delivering joint courses on nanoscale engineering and science and allowing for reciprocal use of laboratory facilities.IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the multidisciplinary backgrounds and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. In the fifth year of the program, awards are being made to twenty-one institutions for programs that collectively span the areas of science and engineering supported by NSF.