NUE: Introducing Nanoscience to Education and Student Research at Jackson State University

Jackson State University, Jackson MS

Investigators

Abstract

This Nanotechnology in Undergraduate Education (NUE) award to Jackson State University supports Professors Shahbazyan, Hagelberg and Walters to lead a collaborative interdisciplinary effort to integrate nanoscience research and education in Jackson State University. The main educational component of the project involves a development of Nanotechnology Laboratory course with accompanying comprehensive manual, which will complement the already established Introduction to Nanoscale Science and Engineering lecture course for the first and second year undergraduates. The new interdisciplinary laboratory course will be open to undergraduate students from all departments of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, and will bridge the gap between students' education and research activities by providing opportunities for hands-on training in advanced materials research. The research component of the project will also include computational and theoretical studies of nanostructured materials such as carbon nanostructures, encapsulating metal atom clusters and metal nanoparticles with molecular adsorbates. The outreach activities will include Nanotechnology Seminar and Nanotechnology Summer Program. The proposal for this award was received in response to the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Education announcement, NSF 03-044, category NUE and was jointly funded by the Divisions of Materials Research and Physics in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences and the Directorate for Engineering.