NUE: Teaching as a Learning Experience in NanoTechnology (TALENT)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY

Investigators

Abstract

Support for this proposal, "NUE: Teaching as a Learning Experience in Nanotechnology", at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), under the direction of Dr. Chitanya Ullal, will enable the institution to develop, pilot and implement a new course in which ~550 undergraduate engineering students per year at RPI will learn and use core concepts in cutting edge nanotechnology research being conducted by faculty at the Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center (RNC) to create, build and teach hands-on, household material based design challenges for K-12 students and their parents. RPI undergraduate students will conduct family science courses for students from schools that primarily serve communities underrepresented in engineering. By learning, distilling and communicating concepts in nanotechnology research, undergraduates will not only derive multiple educational benefits, but will also serve to connect researchers with the broader population. Synergistic deliverables include integration of the most effective design challenges into the curriculum of a widely accessible online K-12 science education portal; introduction of new curated demos into a core engineering course at RPI; and documentation of the training, resources, curriculum development and best practices for replication of the course at other universities.