 |
Oct. 8, 2004 – Nanotechnology gets my heart pounding, with its promise to cure ills as varied as cancer, underemployment and lackluster economies. It is a subject that keeps me constantly in awe with new research discoveries, scientific understanding and potential applications. It encourages me that the future can be better than the past. In a nutshell — it makes me smile.
If nanotechnology is going to make good on all of those hopes then we, those involved with it, need to do several things. We need to remove boulders from the public’s path to help them understand the basics of nanotechnology. We need to answer their questions and respond to fears, and we need to help point the way to the brighter future that nanotechnology may offer.
 |
As scientists and engineers, we need to work with policy makers and regulatory agencies to do what can be done to ensure the safety of living things and the world around us without handcuffing research, idea exchange or product innovation and production.
And, if we are going to make good on forecasts that project thousands of new products, millions of new jobs and billions of dollars in economic growth, we need to have the educated work force to make it happen. Industry can help build up the ranks.
Many agencies and institutions are working to develop curricula, programs, exhibits, books, experiments and games to explain and entice students into science and math in general and nanoscience in particular.
As a developer of such a curricula at Dakota County Technical College (DCTC), funded by a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education grant, I assure you this is not an easy task.
Figuring out ways to explain an unseen world with graphics, 3-D models and macro scale experiments, pulling together the aspects of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and engineering that provide the foundation for nanoscience, finding available equipment for use and just staying abreast of the research discoveries that are beginning to explain this previously unexplained world are monumental challenges.
It is in this area of explaining the unexplained that I believe industry and education can form a solid partnership and play a crucial role in creating the educated work force that the world will need to fuel economic growth and stability.
Much of the time when educators approach industry for support, that support takes the form of classroom career day involvement or guest speakers. When students see potential jobs or exciting research and application of scientific concepts described by guest speakers, their energy and motivation for learning are dramatically increased. This aspect is emphasized at DCTC. The response we have received from industry has been astounding.
Large companies such as 3M and Medtronic, and smaller companies such as Hysitron, Entegris, and Cima NanoTech, have all come to the table to serve in leadership roles and curriculum development.
There is also a more subtle way that industry can support the efforts of educational institutions. This path is through the information that companies provide on their Web sites. Many companies, especially those involved with emerging technologies, have a portion of their Web site dedicated to research, technology and product development.
These Web sections are usually explanatory and written in easy-to-understand language. In some cases, graphics or animation supplement the text. These Web sites could serve an excellent education purpose with only a few minor additions. These additions are basically math and science at fundamental levels.
For example, if your company is developing crystals or compounds, you may have a 3-D image of the atomic structure of your material. By including diagrams and annotations showing various angles, educators can show students where some fundamental concepts are applied and why those fundamentals are important.
It wasn’t until I worked with X-ray diffraction that I understood why I cared about trigonometry. And it wasn’t until advanced physics that I truly saw the beauty of calculus, years after I unenthusiastically memorized equations and methods.
If your company is developing coatings with certain properties, spend some Web space explaining tension, adhesion, elasticity, etc., with a few equations and graphs. These simple additions may open eyes and have an impact on industry that you may never specifically know — but you will see the global benefits.
When industry and education partner together, powerful things can happen; I have seen it. Nanotechnology offers the opportunity to change education and change industry. By providing minor enhancements to existing Web sites, industry can provide educators with tools that can be used to explain and energize student knowledge in science and math and provide answers to the “why do I care?” question that students often ask.
Perhaps Small Times, the National Science Foundation or maybe even Dakota County Technical College could serve as a vehicle to link industry Web sites with information in specific areas to the teachers and students that need them.
If we work together, the possibilities of nanotechnology can become the realities of the future.