Integrating Micro/Nanofluidics in the Undergraduate Electrical Engineering Curriculum

University Of Cincinnati Main Campus, Cincinnati OH

Investigators

Abstract

Engineering - Electrical (55) This project is exposing undergraduate students to the rapidly emerging field of micro/nanofluidics and providing them with an integrated learning experience that cuts across traditional course boundaries. Topics include pressure driven microflows, electroosmotic microflows, mixing and diffusion on micro- and nanoscale, fabrication of micro/nanochannels, device packaging, and fluorescent flow characterization. This course builds on a successful pilot project where a collaborative team of undergraduate senior students followed a typical iterative microsystem design cycle from concept creation to simulation, fabrication, and testing. The laboratory tutorials are animated by video screen capture, narrated by the instructor, and distributed in CD/DVD format. Evaluation is performed as a joint effort between the project and evaluation teams to assess the process and identify progress made in the project. Two other institutions are actively involved in the course and laboratory development to facilitate future adoption of the materials by their respective institutions.