NUE: Development of a Nanotechnology Laboratory Course for First-Year Undergraduates

佛罗里达理工学院(FIT)在詹姆斯·G·曼托瓦尼博士的指导下，开展了一项名为“为一年级本科生开发纳米技术实验室课程”的纳米技术本科教育(NUE)项目，该项目由工程总局工程教育和中心部门(EEC)资助。该项目的总体目标是为佛罗里达理工学院的一年级本科生开发一门新课程，这门课程将有助于培养美国未来的纳米技术工作者。由此产生的课程将为理工科一年级学生提供独特的实用实验室体验。而且可能会影响那些发现自己对纳米技术感兴趣的参与学生的职业选择。新实验室课程的四个目标是：1)介绍当今在纳米技术中使用的实验技术；2)激励学生在学术生涯早期选择材料科学和工程的技术选修课，当他们是大三和大四学生；3)减少培养本科生成为教师指导的研究项目中富有成效的研究助理所需的时间；以及4)为国家培养一支更有生产力、懂纳米技术的劳动力的目标做出贡献。

This Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education (NUE) program entitled, "Development of a Nanotechnology Laboratory Course for First-Year Undergraduates," at Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), under the direction of Dr. James G. Mantovani, is funded by the Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) in the Directorate for Engineering.The overall goal of this project is the development of a new course designed for first-year undergraduate students at Florida Tech that will contribute to the training of future nanotech workers in the U.S. The resulting course will offer a uniquely practical laboratory experience to first-year students of science and engineering, and can potentially influence the career choices of participating students who discover that nanotechnology interests them. The four goals of the new laboratory course are: 1) to introduce experimental techniques used in nanotechnology today; 2) to motivate students early in their academic careers to take technical elective courses in materials science and engineering when they are juniors and seniors; 3) to reduce the amount of time needed to train an undergraduate student into becoming a productive research assistant in faculty-mentored research projects; and 4) to contribute to the nation's goal of developing a more productive workforce that is literate in nanotechnology.