Nanotechnology Education: The Pennsylvania Approach

A workforce educated at the two-year degree and four-year degree level in nanotechnology, nanofabrication, and nano-scale characterization is required to grow and sustain nanotechnology manufacturing, and R&D. Pennsylvania has addressed this need with the creation of the Nanofabrication Manufacturing Technology (NMT) Partnership, a state-wide collaborative involving Penn State University, Pennsylvania College of Technology, all of the community colleges in PA, the 14 universities of the state-system, PA state government, the National Science Foundation, and PA industry. This partnership is based on sharing the expertise and facilities at Penn State's University Park campus with partner colleges and universities across the state. With this state-wide approach, the NMT Partner educational institutions can offer two-year degrees in nanotechnology and four-year degrees in biology, physics, and chemistry, with a concentration in nanotechnology, across PA. With the Partnership approach, participating institutions are also able to offer three-day Nanotech Camps for secondary school students, three-day nanotechnology workshops for secondary school teachers, and a variety of tools and materials for introducing nanotechnology into the secondary school classroom.