National Center for Nanotechnology Applications and Career Knowledge

该项目旨在建立一个国家ATE纳米技术应用和职业知识中心(NACK)，该中心建立在目前的区域纳米制造教育中心的基础上。该区域中心成立于2001年，致力于满足宾夕法尼亚州工业对各种微米和纳米制造应用领域熟练技师级工人的需求。宾夕法尼亚州区域中心开创了向全国各地的社区和技术学院学生提供纳米技术教育经验的方法。2006年，区域中心设立了一个教学净化室，以分析这种设施的成本和能力。因此，成本得到了很好的理解，并开发了在这种设施中使用的课程。教学洁净室现场模式可用于转移到该国其他地区。有明确的证据表明，对具有微米和纳米制造技能的工人的需求强劲且不断增长。几乎所有没有继续深造的现有副学士学位微型和纳米制造专业的毕业生都受雇于微型和纳米技术公司。美国最近的许多地区和国际研究表明，对这些工人的需求强劲。宾夕法尼亚州立大学区域中心已帮助30所宾夕法尼亚州机构开发纳米技术教育项目，也一直是社区和技术学院、大学以及全国各地寻求建立纳米技术教育项目的其他合作伙伴的援助来源。自2005年以来，该地区中心已协助其他州的100多所社区大学开展项目开发工作。微米和纳米技术教育项目现在开始在全国各地的社区和技术学院激增。2006年底，宾夕法尼亚州区域中心的领导人开始就计划中的Nack中心提案与全国各地正在进行的微纳制造教育工作的对应领导人进行磋商。在这些讨论的基础上，拟议的NACK中心的核心使命是为微和纳米制造劳动力发展计划和活动提供国家协调和传播。为实现这一使命，NACK中心确定了十项补充和必要的活动。NACK中心的智力优势体现在社区和技术学院学生获得的先进纳米制造和表征设备的实践经验中，以及结合了合作伙伴研究密集型大学正在进行的先进纳米科学和工程研究的课程中。Nack中心预计将对美国科学和工程劳动力的质量和多样性以及美国工业的全球竞争力产生深远而广泛的影响。Nack中心的管理计划仿照成功的宾夕法尼亚州区域中心的结构。NACK中心由首席调查员和联合首席调查员管理，由负责中心所有主要活动的八个监督委员会提供指导。每个监督委员会由社区或技术学院的一名代表担任主席，使这些机构在中心的管理中发挥明确的作用。

This project for a National ATE Center for Nanotechnology Applications and Career Knowledge (NACK) builds upon the current Regional Center for Nanofabrication Manufacturing Education. The Regional Center was established in 2001 and is dedicated to meeting Pennsylvania industry needs for skilled technician level workers across the full range of micro- and nanofabrication applications. The Pennsylvania Regional Center has pioneered methods for delivering nanotechnology educational experiences to community and technical college students anywhere in the nation. In 2006 the Regional Center established a teaching cleanroom in order to analyze the costs and capabilities of such a facility. As a result, the costs are well understood, and curriculum for use in such a facility has been developed. The teaching cleanroom site model is available for transfer to other regions of the country. There is clear evidence of strong and growing demand for workers with micro- and nanofabrication skills. Virtually all of the graduates of existing associate degree micro- and nanofabrication programs who are not pursuing further education are employed by micro- and nanotechnology companies. Numerous recent U.S. regional and international studies document strong demand for these workers. The Penn State Regional Center has assisted 30 Pennsylvania institutions to develop nanotechnology education programs and has also been a source of assistance to community and technical colleges, universities, and other partners across the nation seeking to establish nanotechnology education programs. Since 2005, the Regional Center has assisted more than 100 community colleges in other states with program development efforts. Micro- and nanotechnology education programs are now beginning to proliferate at community and technical colleges across the nation. In late 2006, leaders of the Pennsylvania Regional Center began consulting with counterpart leaders of micro- and nanofabrication education efforts taking place across the country with regard to the planned NACK Center proposal. Based on these discussions, the core mission of the proposed NACK Center is to provide national coordination and dissemination of micro- and nanofabrication workforce development programs and activities. Ten complementary and essential activities have been identified to be undertaken by the NACK Center to achieve this mission.The intellectual merit of the NACK Center is imbedded in the hands-on experience with advanced nanofabrication and characterization equipment that community and technical college students receive, and in the curriculum which incorporates advanced nanoscale science and engineering research underway at partner research intensive universities. Profound broad impacts are expected from NACK Center on the quality and diversity of the nation's science and engineering workforce, and on the global competitiveness of U.S. industry. The management plan for the NACK Center is modeled on the structure of the successful Pennsylvania Regional Center. The NACK Center is managed by the Principal Investigator and the Co-Principal Investigators with guidance from eight oversight committees addressing all major activities of the Center. Each oversight committee is chaired by a representative of a community or technical college, giving these institutions clear roles in the management of the Center.