Nanotechnology Partnership for Rural Education Pathways (NANOprep)

农村教育途径的纳米技术合作伙伴关系（NANOprep）项目是建立在明尼苏达州立大学东南技术（MSC-ST）的NANOredi倡议的成功基础上的一项努力。 有一个强大的合作伙伴关系，与ATE NanoLink，明尼苏达大学纳米纤维中心，和ATE NACK，这将有助于促进计划的开发和实施。 NANOprep的目标是创建一个新的文化模式，以提高公众意识，增加学生在纳米科学的入学率和保留率，从而使他们成为熟练的纳米技术人员。 创建该项目的基础是解决纳米技术劳动力的挑战。 据专家介绍，纳米技术发展的关键挑战是教育和培训新的技术工人，以满足新兴领域的需求。 这将需要采取有效的招聘和留用战略，特别是从农村和其他代表性不足的社区招聘和留用学生。 为了迎接这一挑战，NANOprep实施了新开发的纳米调查课程的设计，该课程针对学生和教师（高中及以上），在职工人和公众的广泛受众。来自NANOprep调查的模块也嵌入到通识教育STEM课程和技术课程中，使其成为MSC-ST提供的22学分纳米科学技术员证书要求的一部分。每年至少提供三门调查课程，超过225名学生入学，其中许多是女性和其他少数民族。 每个25名学生的部分招收4-5名高中和大学教师和4-5名在职工人，高中学生有双学分选择。该项目还与拉什福德市和RINTEK合作，提供了一个社区宣传活动，作为提高社区对纳米技术和相关职业机会的理解的一种手段。NANOprep是纳米科学项目开发和实施的可复制模式，也是具有类似招聘挑战的其他技术项目的战略。

The Nanotechnology Partnership for Rural Education Pathways (NANOprep) project is an effort that builds on the success of Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical (MSC-ST)'s NANOredi initiative. There is a strong partnership with ATE NanoLink, the University of Minnesota Nanofabrication Center, and ATE NACK that will help facilitate program development and implementation. The goal of NANOprep is to create a new cultural model to improve public awareness and increase enrollment and retention of students in nanoscience leading to their development as skilled nanotechnicians. The basis for the creation of the project is to address the nanotechnology workforce challenge. According to experts, the key challenge for nanotechnology development is the education and training of new, skilled workers to meet the demands of the emerging field. This will require effective strategies for recruitment and retention, especially of students from rural and other underrepresented communities. To meet this challenge, NANOprep implements the design of a newly developed nano survey course that targets a broad audience of students and faculty (high school and beyond), incumbent workers, and the general public. Modules from the NANOprep survey are also embedded in general education STEM courses and technical courses, making them part of the requirements for the 22 credit Nanoscience Technician certificate offered by MSC-ST. A minimum of three survey courses are offered each year with more than 225 students enrolled, many of which are female and other ethnic minorities. Each section of 25 students enrolls 4-5 high school and college faculty and 4-5 incumbent workers, with dual credit options for high school students. The project also provides a community awareness event in partnership with the City of Rushford and RINTek as a means of improving community understanding of nanotechnology and associated career opportunities.NANOprep serves as a replicable model for the development and implementation of nanoscience programs, as well as a strategy for other technical programs that have similar recruitment challenges.