IGERT: Terahertz Science and Technology - A Studio-Based Approach

Terahertzs科学与技术是21世纪最耐人寻味和最具挑战性的研究领域之一。在不到十年的时间里，这一之前隐藏在电磁频谱中的部分吸引了世界各地科学家的想象力。太赫兹研究将改变未来的计算和通信系统，同时为生物医学成像提供前所未有的机会。Rensselaer的研究人员在探索太赫兹辐射的科学和使用方面发挥了主导作用。在这个IGERT项目中，物理学家、计算机科学家、生物学家、电气和生物医学工程师将专注于太赫兹电子学、太赫兹数据传输和网络系统以及太赫兹光谱和成像方面的研究。除了坚定地致力于研究之外，还将同样致力于教育。Rensselaer凭借其革命性的以工作室为基础的本科教育方法赢得了许多奖项。该研究所目前正在调整和推广在该计划下成功实施的教学原则，以适用于在科学技术前沿工作的学生的博士教育。IGERT项目将把用于断层扫描的太赫兹材料、器件、辐射、光子学、成像学、光谱学和计算机算法整合到太赫兹课程中，这些课程将由伦斯勒的跨学科教员以及国内和国际合作者在互动的工作室环境中授课。我们将为学生提供行业和国际实习机会。这将创造一个环境，让学生从学生与学生之间的互动、校园内的研究人员以及我们的行业和国际合作伙伴那里学习，同时形成一个全球合作者和联系人网络。领导力、道德、生活技能和全球公民身份方面的特别课程将为学生提供频繁的机会来展示和辩护他们的研究。外展计划将以本科生和K-12学生为重点。该项目的学术价值是培养出高质量和多样化的太赫兹科学和技术博士毕业生，为最先进的行业、政府实验室和学术机构的研究和领导需求服务。潜在的影响范围更广，从以更快的速度发送信息的计算机，到改进乳腺癌和皮肤癌的检测，再到对武器和毒素的安全搜索。我们将积极向其他寻求在新兴科学技术领域创建跨学科研究生课程的研究型大学传播这种工作室模式。IGERT是一个NSF范围的项目，旨在应对培养具有跨学科背景、对选定学科的深厚知识以及未来职业需求所需的技术、专业和个人技能的美国博士科学家和工程师的挑战。该项目旨在通过建立创新的研究生教育和培训新模式，在超越传统学科界限的合作研究的肥沃环境中，催化研究生教育的文化变革。在该计划的第六个年头，由NSF支持的共同跨越科学和工程领域的项目将被授予机构奖项。

Terahertzs science and technology is one of the most intriguing and challenging research fields to emerge in the 21st Century. In less than a decade, this previously hidden section of the electromagnetic spectrum has caught the imagination of scientists around the world. THz research will transform future computing and communication systems while providing unprecedented opportunities for biomedical imaging. Rensselaer researchers have played a leading role in the quest to understand the science and the use of THz radiation. In this IGERT program, physicists, computer scientists, biologists, electrical and biomedical engineers will focus on research in THz electronics, THz data transfer and networking systems, and THz spectroscopy and imaging.In addition to the strong commitment to research, there is an equal dedication to education. Rensselaer has won numerous awards for its revolutionary studio-based approach to undergraduate education. The Institute is now adapting and extending the pedagogical principles successfully implemented under this program to doctoral education for students working at the leading edge of science and technology. The IGERT program will integrate THz materials, devices, radiation, photonics, imaging, spectroscopy, and computer algorithms for tomography into THz courses that will be taught in an interactive studio setting by interdisciplinary faculty from Rensselaer and by national and international collaborators. We will provide industrial and international internships opportunities for students. This will create an environment, in which students learn from student-to-student interactions, on-campus researchers, and our industrial and international partners, while forming a global network of collaborators and contacts. Special programs in leadership, ethics, life skills, and global citizenship will provide students with frequent opportunities to present and defend their research. Outreach programs will focus on undergraduates and K-12 students. The intellectual merit of this program is to produce top quality and diversified Ph.D. graduates in THz science and technology to serve the research and leadership needs of the most advanced industries, government laboratories, and academic institutions. Potential broader impacts range from computers that send messages orders of magnitude faster, to improved detection of breast and skin cancer, to security searches for weapons and toxins. We will proactively disseminate this studio model to other research universities that seek to create interdisciplinary graduate programs in emerging areas of science and technology.IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, 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 this sixth year of the program, awards are being made to institutions for programs that collectively span the areas of science and engineering supported by NSF.