Archive for the ‘education’ Category

« Older Entries

Nanotechnology and the labour market in Europe: the NanoEIS project

Wednesday, November 14th, 2012

The Nov. 14, 2012 NanoEIS project announcement on Nanowerk was made by the EthicSchool. The source is a little unexpected (I should note that the announcement also covers the EthicSchool’s inclusion) as this a European Union FP 7- (Framework Programme 7) funded project as per their page on the Cordis website,

Nanotechnology Education for Industry and Society [NanoEIS]
Start date:2012-11-01
End date:2015-10-31
Project Acronym:NANOEIS
Project status:Accepted

…

Objective: Nanotechnology is an emerging area with strong implications for European society and industry. It is a challenge for the education system to integrate this interdisciplinary and transsectoral subject into curricula shaped mostly along classical disciplines. NanoEIS will evaluate how nanotechnology education has been integrated into secondary schools and universities, how cooperations between different partner institutions were implemented, and in which ways industrial and non-industrial (social) employers have been involved. [emphasis mine] NanoEIS will make, based on a thorough assessment of employer needs, recommendations for curriculum contents as well as for best practice strategies to implement them. This will help to resolve the problem that education contents are not always well matched with the needs of the job market. Improving this situation will benefit both graduates seeking jobs, and industrial / social employers who need specific skills in the professional environment. Nanotechnology education has to start at secondary schools, since nano is by now part of the daily environment and schools need to teach about relevant issues to allow informed consumers to take full advantage of nano-enabled products in a safe and sustainable way. NanoEIS will develop novel teaching and assessment tools for secondary schools. In addition, career choices start in school when decisions about study subjects are made, which should be based on full and relevant information, to achieve a good match between the interests of students and the contents of their studies and courses. A website based on the existing NANOfutures site will be set up, as one-stop shop for information on nanotechnology education for all stakeholders, including secondary school students, university students, educators and education administrators, and both industrial (large industry, SME, start-ups) and social employers (regulatory agencies, media, legal and IP services etc.). [emphasis mine]

I’m happy to see a project dedicated to an analysis of the relationship between education and industry something which is often lacking when ‘experts’ proclaim new skills, training, and education are needed (in this case, regarding nanotechnology) without reference to the labour market. As for the NanoEIS site, it is under construction and will be launched in Dec. 2102. I’m not entirely sure what the reference to NANOfutures means but that site is open.

Here’s more about NanoEIS from the Nov. 13, 2012 posting on the EthicSchool blog,

From this month, Malsch TechnoValuation participates in the EU funded project NanoEIS. Partners from all over Europe will investigate the European labour market for personnel trained in nanotechnology. The relevance of existing nanotechnology education and training in universities, vocational training institutes and secondary schools for the needs of industrial and other employers will also be explored. By 2015, a model curriculum will be made available online.

For anyone interested in EthicSchool and Malsch TechnoValuation, here’s more from the About EthicSchool page (Note: I have removed a link),

ETHICSCHOOL organises workshops and in-company training in Responsible Innovation. As a professional you gain insight in possible societal objections against the technology you are developing. The introduction of new technologies like nanotechnology, life sciences and ICT is accompanied by ethical dilemmas. You make your acquaintance with arguments for and against the development or use of your technology for sensitive applications such as healthcare, security or food. This helps prepare you for the dialogue with concerned citizens and teaches you to target your scarce resources better towards societally desirable products.

ETHICSCHOOL is an initiative taken by Malsch TechnoValuation, a consultancy in the area of Technology and Society, located in Utrecht since 1999.

ETHICSCHOOL builds upon a former European project. This original project was funded by the European Union, contract nr. 036745, 01-09-2007 until 28-02-2009. Partners in this former project were: Malsch TechnoValuation, University of Twente, Radboud University (NL) en TU Darmstadt, Germany.

I have written about Ineke Malsch (the Malsch behind Malsch TechnoValuation and I believe she’s also known as Neelina Herminia Malsch) and her work in an Oct. 11, 2011 posting (scroll down approximately 1/3 of the way). Oddly,

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in economy, education, nanotechnology | No Comments »

University of British Columbia (Canada) boards the Coursera train

Wednesday, September 19th, 2012

The last time I featured an online education story was in my Aug. 9, 2011 posting about Stanford University and a free, Artificial Intelligence online course. It was a hugely successful effort and seems to have, at least partially, inspired a whole new institutional approach to offering education.

Universities still want to make money but instead of charging for the courses, they’ll be charging for the certification in these new online education ventures. That’s the theory behind Coursera, founded by Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng at Stanford University (California).

Today, Sept. 19 2012,  Coursera announced that the number of participating educational institutions has doubled. From the Sept. 19, 2012 article by Anya Kamenetz for Fast Company,

Having already teamed up with more colleges than any of its rivals, Coursera adds 17 new global universities to its roster.

…

Since its debut earlier this year, 1.3 million people have signed up for a free six- to ten-week Coursera class, which includes videos, exercises, embedded assessment and a social component delivered through message boards.

…

Although still exploring business models, the venture-funded company plans to eventually make money through certifications (a path competitor Udacity is already pursuing). The addition of these new partners will give Coursera an advantage in what’s become an increasingly crowded online education market.

Kamenetz’s article provides more detail about Coursera’s competitors and course offerings. I’m going to concentrate on one of the new universities to team up with the company, the University of British Columbia (from my home province). From the University of British Columbia (UBC) Sept. 19, 2012 media release,

The University of British Columbia is joining forces with the U.S.-based company Coursera to provide high quality, non-credit courses free of charge to a worldwide audience – bringing the university’s expertise within reach of anyone with Internet access.

Starting spring 2013, UBC will pilot three non-credit courses taught by renowned UBC faculty and researchers through Coursera’s online learning platform.

“Our partnership with Coursera will enable us to reach people around the world, and to evaluate an exciting new teaching and learning technology,” says Simon Peacock, Dean of the Faculty of Science, where two of the three UBC Coursera courses will be housed. “Ultimately, I believe all UBC students will benefit from our exploration of this rapidly evolving online space.”

UBC’s Coursera offerings are “Useful Genetics” with Prof. Rosie Redfield [emphasis mine], “Computer Science Problem Design” with Prof. Gregor Kiczales and “Climate Literacy: Navigating Climate Conversations” with Sarah Burch and Tom-Pierre Frappé-Sénéclauze, instructors for the UBC Continuing Studies Centre for Sustainability.

Coursera courses typically consist of videos or voice-over PowerPoint presentations, with student-led discussion forums, interactive activities, quizzes and assignments set at regular intervals.

(Rosie Redfield has been mentioned here before in the context of the ‘arsenic life’ controversy in a Dec. 8, 2010 posting where I apologized for having gotten caught up in the excitement and discuss the controversy at some length.)

Coursera‘s offerings are heavily weighted towards the sciences and mathematics but those are more easily quantifiable than the humanities and I imagine that makes them easier to mark. I understand from Kamenetz’s article, Coursera is testing a peer grading scheme. The website is easy to navigate as is signing up for a course. I do have a couple of  provisos. (1)  I was not able to find out the minimum technical requirement for a potential student’s computer. (2) At this point, they are offering certificates of completion, nothing else. You’re not going to be getting a degree or other professional certification from Stanford or Brown or UBC or any of the others.

On another note, I have a mild quibble with the UBC media release,

• UBC is building upon its leadership in continuing and distance education to enhance the student learning experience. The Coursera partnership will provide evidence-based findings for UBC to design and support quality learning interactions for online, face-to-face and other classroom delivery modes.

I’m not sure I’d call ‘jumping on the train’ with a bunch of other institutions leadership. As for the plan to extract data and mine the Coursera relationship so UBC can design and offer competitive (?) programmes in future, I think that must have been an interesting negotiation. As well, I appreciate the importance of building on someone else’s work as UBC is planning but I’m not sure I’d call that leadership either.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in education | No Comments »

Want to get some some nano training or education in the US? Try a new interactive map

Monday, August 13th, 2012

An Aug. 10, 2012 news item (which includes an image of the map) on Nanowerk announces an interactive map of the United States which lists educational programs for anyone interested in nanotechnology (Note: I have removed a link),

With this new interactive map tool from the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), you can search for nanotechnology-related higher education and training programs, NNI Centers and User Facilities, as well as regional, state, and local initiatives in nanotechnology located throughout the U.S.

In addition, the map provides the location of the facility, as well as a street view, directions to the site, and a link to the facility’s website.

You can find the map here. The NNI offers some additional information on the About the map page in addition to this exccerpt,

This map is searchable by state, facility-type, or keyword. Hovering the mouse over a state creates a small pop up window that provides the statewide totals for the following figures:

  • Schools offering Bachelor Degree programs in nanotechnology
  • Schools offering Masters Degree programs in nanotechnology
  • Schools offering Ph.D. programs in nanotechnology
  • Community Colleges and Training Programs with nanotechnology courses and degree programs
  • National Nanotechnology Initiative Centers and User Facilities (laboratories)
  • Regional, state, & local initiatives in nanotechnology

Tips for using the map

  • You can narrow your search results by using the filter criteria and limit your search to your areas of interest, e.g., checking or unchecking the boxes or choosing a state from the drop down menu.
  • Alternatively, you can search by keyword or phrase and the results will be populated in tabular format under the map. Type “all” and all results will be displayed.
  • Clicking on a state will open a new window that displays the map of that state and the statewide results under the map as defined in the search criteria.
  • Clicking on a point on the map or a row in the table, will display more information about that particular institution.
  • From the main map, you can toggle the view at anytime between the state totals map and the cluster map that shows nationwide results.

I found this to be one of the more usable interactive maps, I’ve tested.

Tags: , ,
Posted in education, nanotechnology | No Comments »

You can start colouring in your nano colouring book

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

Apparently, NASA (US National Aeronautics and Space Administration) supplied part of the funding for NanoSonic‘s children’s colouring book. The May 2, 2012 news item on Nanowerk provides this information,

NanoSonic developed a free nanotechnology coloring book to provide teachers with a resource for helping young students better understand the world of nanotechnology. This coloring book contains pictures and text related to nanotechnology on about a US fifth grade science and math level. Most of the images appear as abstract art. Students can let their imaginations run wild because most images of the nano world are taken with an electron microscope in black-and-white; researchers then apply their own colors to make them interesting and show special features.

NanoSonic’s April 19, 2012 press release offers some detail about the colouring book,

What does nylon fiber look like when you zoom in with an electron microscope? Or spider spinnerets – those things on a spider’s belly that allow it to create a web? Or the tip of the electron microscope itself?  …

…

For example, the cover of the coloring book (…) was created from a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photograph shot by Lee Williams of NanoSonic. It was then colored imaginatively by Sally Green who also added a title.

The first such SEM image was taken in 1935. SEMs are so powerful that they can magnify an object from ten to 500,000 times! Specimens are photographed in a vacuum, and they have to be completely dust- and debris-free. Basically, an SEM uses an electron beam to “trace” the sample surface, providing a three-dimensional view of the object – similar to the way a blind person might run their fingers over raised dots to read Braille.

Here’s an image of the front cover from the colouring book,

NanoSonic Coloring Book

The colouring book has been vetted by teachers (from the May 2, 2012 news item),

This coloring book was funded in part by NASA. It was designed by Robin Rogers, Andrew Teates and Sally Green of NanoSonic, Inc. It was reviewed by Virginia public school teachers Brandi Smith of Macy McClaugherty Elementary/Middle School in Giles County and Susan Mauney of Blacksburg Middle School in Montgomery County.

As for NanoSonic, the company is a commercial enterprise that is not focused on the education sector, from the About NanoSonic webpage,

Nanosonic specializes in the design and manufacture of innovative materials, especially new materials that are currently unavailable in the commercial market. We develop revolutionary new molecular self-assembly processes that allow the controlled synthesis of material structure at the nanometer level. We also manufacture  new materials that are designed with novel and useful engineering constitutive behaviors. Most of our materials are developed using a process that is environmentally benign.

NanoSonic has exclusively licensed patents covering electrostatic self-assembly (ESA) processing and use from Virginia Tech, the state’s leading research university. We have also established an intellectual property portfolio to enable process, material and device commercialization, as well as created a “library” of such self-assembled materials.

Our award-winning, high-tech company was founded by Richard Claus, Ph.D., an expert in advanced materials and structures who won the Optical Engineering Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. In 2006, NanoSonic was ranked as the overall leader in a 13-state study of the strength of the nanotechnology industry. With 18 patents granted, we were also named to NASA’s Nano50.

NanoSonic’s staff is comprised of more than 70 research scientists, engineers, chemists, designers and fabricators. We work with all different sizes and types of companies and organizations, and clients include NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation. Our work covers the entire range of product development from research through design and development to manufacturing and then commercialization of products such as nanomaterials, sensors and systems.

I would imagine the company’s founder, Richard Claus, was teased mightily as a child and still gets the occasional comment. Especially now that his company has produced a colouring book for children.

These kinds of projects always turn on an interesting problem. Do you have  experts in the field (e.g. NanoSonic) develop and manage the project (colouring book) then bring in artistic and education expertise or do you have the artists or educators develop and manage the project then bring in the rest? There are no definitive answers as either way can work well. I also notice that NanoSonic has a number of resources that can be found by clicking on the Home page navigation bar’s  Education menu item.

You can download the colouring book from here. There is also a Nanotechnology Coloring Book ANSWERS Sheet (pdf, 581 kb). Or you can go to the Nanotechnology Coloring Book page on the company website to access the downloads and more resources.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in education, nanotechnology | No Comments »

Nano education programme in Swiss schools wins innovation prize

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Nanotechnology education programme, Swiss Nano-Cube, won an innovation prize at this year’s CeBIT conference held March 6 – 10, 2012. (CeBIT stands for Centrum für Büroautomation, Informationstechnologie und Telekommunikation in German and is world’s largest Information and Communications Technology conference.) From the April 20, 2012 news item on Nanowerk,

The initiative of mid-sized enterprises “Initiative Mittelstand” recently has granted the Innovation Prize IT 2012 at the CeBIT exposition. The platform “Swiss Nano-Cube” was awarded a “Best of 2012″ certificate in the category “e-learning”. …

The web platform “Swiss Nano-Cube” is an interactive knowledge and education gateway for micro and nanotechnology for the application in vocational and grammar* school. …

The goal of Swiss Nano-Cube is to awaken interest for technological and natural scientific topics among youth, thus imparting knowledge about practice-relevant knowledge of nanotechnology for apprentices. Although being a key technology with a huge potential and diverse application opportunities, teaching material and education and formation offers for nanotechnology are scarce. Many teachers have not dealt with nanotechnology in their education. Here, Swiss Nano-Cube as European pioneer project bridges a gap and creates great benefits for education and formation.

* I was not able to find any references to grammar schools (grades 1 -7) on the Swiss Nano-Cube website. I suspect this is a translation issue.

From the Swiss Nano-Cube About us page,

Swiss Nano-Cube is the national knowledge and education platform for micro and nanotechnology. It addresses teachers and students from  vocational schools, secondary schools as well as higher professional schools.

The aim of the platform is to arouse interest for micro and nanotechnologies among students and young professionals and to provide comprehensive yet understandable information to teachers.

I have yet to see any programmes for teaching nanotechnology or related topics in secondary schools in British Columbia (the province where I live) or in the other provinces; education is under provincial not federal jurisdiction in Canada.

More from the April 20, 2012 news item on Nanowerk,

The layout of the gateway as well as the constituent elements are especially designed for a young audience. This is complemented by exciting learning arrangements, like for example the interactive game “Nanorama Loft”. In a virtual loft diverse nano products from everyday life have to be found and the player has to answer quiz questions.

The “NanoTeachBox” contains didactical teaching and learning materials, ready-to-use, as well as videos, presentations and much more information to be used in school lessons. Teaching and learning material e. g. for nano chemistry, occupational health and nanosilver is available and can be directly applied to lessons. Furthermore, “Swiss Nano-Cube” offers diversified background information on several aspects of nanotechnology drawing a bow from basic effects in the nano world, over economic, social and technological issues to practice-relevant information for work routine. All materials can be downloaded and used for free. Concomitantly, “Swiss Nano-Cube” periodically offers “TeachNano” upgrade training courses for teachers.

It’s an engaging website although you may find German language skills useful once you click further into the site.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in education, nanotechnology | No Comments »

Nano outreach and education conferences in Mexico

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

(Sigh) I really wish for fluency in more languages. Today, it’s Spanish. Miguel Aznar, Director of Education at the Foresight Institute, noted in his April 6, 2012 posting on the Foresight Institute blog that he will be speaking at a symposium (NanoDYF 2012) which is part of a set of nano conferences running from June 11-15, 2012 in Puebla, Mexico (from the posting),

NanoDYF promotes nanoscience / nanotechnology outreach and education in Latin America. The NanoDYF 2012 conference in Puebla, Mexico 2012 June 11 – 13, will draw together leaders in research, education, business, and politics to share discoveries and discuss objectives for this outreach. I will present on critical thinking about nanotechnology.

Here’s a little more about the joint conference set from their homepage (thanks to translate.google.com),

Mexico has very important groups working in N[anoscience] & N[anotechnology] in its leading universities and research centers. The work is of very high quality and results of these studies are published in leading journals in the world. During this week we gather in the city of Puebla to scientists and students from the various areas of nanoscience and Nanotecnogía to have a discussion about real progress, promises and implications of nanotechnology. In this direction there will be three events that traditionally take place on different dates:

First Latin American Symposium Outreach and Education in Nanotechnology, NANODYF’2012.
Second Coordination Meeting of the Network NANODYF – CYTED.
Nanomex’2012, Fifth International Meeting and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
Second Meeting of the Network of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Conacyt.

You can find out more about NanoDYF and its 2012 symposium here or you can go directly to the symposium page here.

The NanoMex 2012 conference runs from June 13-15, 2012 in Puebla, from the NanoMex 2012 homepage (thanks again to translate.google.com),

NanoMex’12 is the 5th. International Meeting and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience and Nanotechnology organized by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Group is an initiative of nano-UNAM, formed initially by the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Sciences and Humanities, the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Center and Applied Science and Technological Development. Since 2009, 11 nano-structured UNAM university entities. On this occasion, is done in partnership and with support from the Institute of Physics, Autonomous University of Puebla. It is also done in conjunction with the Second Meeting of the Network of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Conacyt.

As in previous years, seeks to promote high-quality interdisciplinary dialogue on the progress, promise and implications of nanoscience and nanotechnology in order to enrich the national decision-making concerning the distribution of profit maximization and the definition of responsibilities and minimizing unnecessary costs or unwanted.
Be held in the city of Puebla, Puebla 13 to June 15, 2012.

The main themes are:

Preparation and characterization of nanostructured systems.
Specific applications in nanomaterials.
Modeling of nanostructures and molecular systems.
Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and regulation.
International cooperation and national and industrialization.
Ethical, economic, social and legal aspects of nanotechnology.

The stream education, outreach and media in nanoscience and nanotechnology, will be treated in the First Symposium on Dissemination and Training of Nanotechnology [NanoDIY 2012], organized in collaboration with the Network “José Roberto Leite” outreach and training in nanotechnology and to be held in the city of Puebla on 11-13 June. It extends the invitation to our colleagues to discuss, analyze and propose alternatives in a broad context, open and interdisciplinary which includes a whole range of specialists from the exact sciences, natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, the business sector and the political sphere, among others.

Language:
The official languages ​​of the event are the SPANISH and ENGLISH. There will be no simultaneous translation.

For anyone who’s not familiar with Puebla, Puebla, where this set of conferences is being held (from the Wikipedia essay [links and footnotes have been removed]),

The city of Puebla(Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpweβla]) is the seat of the Municipality of Puebla, the capital of the state of Puebla, and one of the five most important Spanish colonial cities in Mexico. Being a colonial era planned city, it is located to the east of Mexico City and west of Mexico’s main Atlantic port, Veracruz, on the main route between the two in Central Mexico.

…

Being both the fourth largest city in Mexico and the fourth largest Metropolitan area in Mexico, the city serves as one of the main hubs for eastern Central Mexico. Many students come from all over the country. The city is also important because of its industry, with one of the world’s largest Volkswagen factories outside of Germany located in the Municipality of Cuautlancingo. As a result, a many suppliers factories have opened in the city of Puebla.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in business, economy, education, nanotechnology, science communication | 2 Comments »

Nanotechnology Design Symposium at the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada)

Monday, March 19th, 2012

The March 17, 2012 news item about the University of Waterloo’s 3rd annual Nanotechnology Engineering Design Symposium notes,

The symposium is on Friday, March 23 from 10 am until 6:30 pm in the Davis Centre on the University of Waterloo Campus.

… Seventeen student project teams will present their prototypes that includes solutions for improved HIV and chemotherapy drug effectiveness and HIV detection, detector systems for spoiled meat and explosives, a novel display technology that works on glass and mirrors, a flexible electricity storage device, an exoskeleton glove-based human-computer interface and a high strength and a removable and residual free adhesive inspired by the nanotechnology present in the Gecko foot.

It’s a free event and visitors are welcome to browse the displays throughout the day. To get a feeling for what it might be like, here’s a video of the 2nd annual event in 2011.


The University of Waterloo’s Nanotechnology Engineering Degree programme is unique in North America according to the program’s home page.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in education, nanotechnology | No Comments »

Get your online postgraduate certificate in nanotechnology from Oxford University

Thursday, March 1st, 2012

Oxford University (UK) is offering a number of nanotechnology programmes through its Continuing Education division. Excitingly, they are offering an online postgraduate certificate in nanotechnology. From the Feb. 29, 2012 notice,

Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education offers a number of technology and health-related courses and workshops. Please find below information about our Postgraduate Certificate in Nanotechnology.

Postgraduate Certificate in Nanotechnology

Developed by the University of Oxford’s Begbroke Science Park and the Department for Continuing Education, the Postgraduate Certificate in Nanotechnology is a quality online course aimed at professionals from a diverse range of backgrounds who wish to learn more about the foundations of nanotechnology, technological advances and the applications enabled by nanotechnology.

This part-time course is designed to be completed over nine months, using a blend of individual study of online learning materials, together with group work during online tutorials, discussions and research. The group sessions with tutors are particularly valuable because they offer highly authentic learning and assessment opportunities.

  • The Wider Context of Nanotechnology
  • The Fundamental Science of Nanotechnology
  • Fundamental Characterisation for Nanotechnology (featuring Nano-scale Materials Characterisation Residential Weekend)

Each of these modules may also be studied individually as a short course.

We are accepting applications for the new academic year. The deadline is 9 March 2012.

We are also accepting applications for the Fundamental Characterisation for Nanotechnology short course and Residential Weekend.

For further details, please visit our website (www.conted.ox.ac.uk/nano), or contact us on nano@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Given the deadline to apply for the postgraduate certificate studies in nanotechnology is March 9, 2012, you may want to rush here to apply.

Not mentioned is Oxford’s summer school programme in nanotechnology (from the Nanotechnology Summer School 2012 webpage),

Each year the Nanotechnology Summer School focuses on applications of nanotechnologies in a different field. Comprising presentations from leading researchers and practitioners from the University of Oxford and beyond, the Summer School is essential for anyone with an interest in these topics.

The theme of the fourth annual Nanotechnology Summer School in 2012 will be ‘Introduction to Bionanotechnology’.

It’s a one-week programme being held Monday July 2 – 6, 2012 at Oxford University. They are still taking applications but they have yet to decide on the programme fees. You can contact www.conted.ox.ac.uk/nano. for more information.

This course, The Wider Context of Nanotechnology, doesn’t start till October 2012 but you might want to start thinking about it now. A module that’s part of the online postgraduate certificate, it seems to have a residential component (two weeks). Here’s more from course description webpage,

Nanotechnology has received much attention from scientists and journalists in the last few years raising hopes of revolutionary developments in a wide range of technologies on an increasingly small scale, dramatic improvements to standards of living, and solutions to a variety of environmental, medical and communications problems. These have gone hand in hand with fears that a new technology will disrupt the markets of existing business sectors and that machines are running out of control.

The result has been a high degree of confusion at all levels of society as to the ethics, safety and business implications of this emerging series of technologies. The course addresses these issues and others in emphasising the interdisciplinary nature of nanotechnology. This is important because students who specialise in nanotechnology must be trained to appreciate a range of issues beyond the confines of pure science. Nanotechnology has applications in a broad range of fields and sectors of society. A student trained in electrical engineering, for example, who goes on to specialise in nanotechnology, may undertake a research project developing nanosensors that will be implanted in human subjects. He or she will therefore need to develop new skills to appreciate the broader ethical, societal and environmental implications of such research.

The development of interdisciplinary skills involves not only learning methods of reasoning and critical thinking, but also gaining experience with the dynamics and development of effective multi-disciplinary function. Technologists must become comfortable addressing various issues as an integral part of doing advanced research in a team that might draw upon the expertise of not only engineers, but also biologists, doctors, lawyers and business people. As the project evolves, knowledge of the place of nanotechnology in business, becomes increasingly important. The module teaches an understanding of the basic workings of how nanotechnology innovation is exploited, together with an understanding of the dynamics of entrepreneurship.

I highlighted a few bits I found particularly interesting. Perhaps not so oddly, there’s no mention of anyone from the arts such as writers, artists, dancers, etc. or anyone from the social sciences such as psychologists, sociologists, etc.  in these multidisciplinary teams.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in education, nanotechnology | 1 Comment »

Joint India-Australia nanobiotechnology research centre opens in India

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

I first wrote about the TERI-Deakin Nanobiotechnology Research Centre (a joint India-Australia partnership) in my Nov. 30, 2010 posting when the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was first signed. According to the Feb. 24, 2012 news item on Nanowerk, the centre has recently opened,

Speaking at the inauguration of the new lab facilities, Hon’ble Louise Asher, MP and Minister for Innovation, Services & Small business, Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Australia said, “This outstanding facility is the result of a dynamic partnership between The Energy and Resources Institute of India (TERI) and Victoria’s [Australia] own Deakin University to augment research in the area of Nano Biotechnology, which will enable efficiency, effectiveness and provide solutions for a sustainable future.”

Highlighting the importance of TERI-DEAKIN partnership, Dr RK Pachauri, Director-General, TERI said, “Research at TERI seeks to find solutions to problems related to attaining sustainability and environmental degradation and has made a difference to the lives of many people. The organization’s commitment to these areas is a continuous process, and setting up the TERI-Deakin Nano Biotechnology Research Centre is one of the means through which, TERI plans to create capacity and expertise for technological solutions to problems of inefficient use of natural resources.”

Professor Jane den Hollander, Vice Chancellor, Deakin University said that the centre provided a hub for up to 50 PhD students who are undertaking research under the Deakin India Research Initiative (DIRI).

“What is particularly pleasing about this centre is that it is tackling research into global issues such as food security for a growing world population, sustainable agricultural practices and environmental sustainability,” she said.

The new facility opened in Gual Pahari, Gurgaon, approximately 35 mins. away (by car) from New Delhi, India (according to Feb. 24, 2012 article in the Asian Scientist about the new TERI-Deakin Nanobiotechnology Research Centre).

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in agriculture, education, environment, nanotechnology | 1 Comment »

Alberta Science Foundation, two Webbys, and nanotechnology

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Better late than never, as they say. The Science Alberta Foundation won a Webby in May 2011 for its animated video, Do you know what nano means? From a May 10, 2011 article by Jody McPhearson for the University of Calgary’s Today website,

The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences named Science Alberta Foundation’s “Do You Know What Nano Means?” the best online animated video of the year.

The video, available at www.wonderville.ca, was produced by Science Alberta with the help of a Calgary think tank including University of Calgary chemistry professor and director of the nanosciene program Dr. David Cramb and two of his students.

“I was frankly surprised even to be nominated, let alone to win,” writes a modest Cramb. “The competition was awesome. I think our advantage may have been multifold. First, the quirkiness of the animation was really catchy. It makes me think of Tim Burton [an Albertan artist drew the animation]. Second, the timing of subject matter (nano) could not have been more perfect. Lastly, the message was simple and clear. Even a child could get it, and that was the point.”

The Wonderville website, where the award-winning animation and others can be found, was highlighted here in my April 4, 2011 posting.

I belatedly learned of the award in a Jan. 8, 2012 article by Chris Nelson about the Alberta Science Foundation and its chief executive officer (CEO), Arlene Ponting, recently voted one of Canada’s 100 most influential women for the third time in a row, for the Calgary Herald,

In June, the foundation was honoured in New York with two Webby awards – international awards honouring excellence on the Internet.

“We created an animation on nanotechnology showing how small nano actually is. It was a very difficult concept because nano is so small people can’t imagine it.” [said Ponting]

Up against 10,000 applications from more than 60 countries, the foundation won in the film and animation categories. In accepting, they were allowed five words to describe their entry and their vision.

They chose: Small Is the New Big.

“Nanotechnology is a small science, but has a huge impact and the Science Alberta Foundation is a small organization, but we have a huge impact. Last year we provided over a million science experiences through our program so the parallel is serendipitous.” [said Ponting]

There’s more about Ponting in the article; I wanted to focus on the nano.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in education, nanotechnology, science communication | No Comments »

« Older Entries