The premier of an additional minor will be celebrated by the National Science Foundation’s offer of two-year scholarships to 15 engineering juniors who study this minor.
‘The students will use the same tools we as researchers use to gain more experience and education,’ head of the nanotechnology program Dmitri Litvinov said.
Litvinov said he and colleagues were touching on the subject, but did not have classes concentrating solely on nanotechnology.
‘The program is several course works, lab works and research oriented course works,’ Litvinov said.
The minor consists of four courses: Introduction to Nanotechnology, Introduction to Nanomaterials Engineering, Design and Fabrication at Nanoscale and a special research project class.
The research project portion is a significant part of the program. Litvinov said the project may lead some students to medical programs around Houston.
Nanotechnology is the study of the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, it deals with things that measure smaller than 100 nanometers.
The program will touch on subject matter such as nanobots, which are microscopic robots that are designed to target viruses in the body. The robots are cleaned when their job is done.
Litvinov said other nanotechnology applications include making tires stronger and treating various diseases and injuries. The National Nanotechnology Initiative states on its Web site that the gadgets unlock new potential in many industries, from aerospace to energy.
Litvinov said 15 students will start the program this fall. The program could not hold any more students this year because of limited resources.
‘Beyond 15 students, it will be difficult because of our limited resources. To get more than 15 students will require us to expand our resources. I think that is a good number to work with, but it can definitely expand,’ Litvinov said.
For more information about the nanotechnology minor, visit http://www.egr.uh.edu/nemo/curriculum.html
