NSF GRANT TO INTRODUCE NANOTECHNOLOGY TO HU

Hampton, VA - Thanks to a $200,000, two-year grant from the National Science Foundation, HU will soon introduce nanotechnology to undergraduate students in engineering and science fields.

Nanoscience is a very new area, concerned with the study of materials at the atomic level according to Dr. Jale Akyurtlu, a professor of chemical engineering and the principal investigator for the grant. She explained that the current manufacturing techniques start with a macroscopic amount of material and change it to provide the required function. Meanwhile, nanotechnology will be able to manufacture the required material starting at the atomic level, radically changing the manufacturing process.

Another significance of nanotechnology, she added, is that the ability to manipulate materials at the atomic level enables us to produce materials with significantly improved properties.

"Nanotechnology is revolutionizing the way we understand and engineer the world around us," said Dr. Eric Sheppard, dean of the HU School of Engineering and Technology. "This project enriches our classrooms with the state of the art in practical working scales."

The proposal, "Introduction of Nanotechnology to Undergraduate Engineering and Science," was one of 87 potential proposals submitted to the NSF program "Nanotechnology in Undergraduate Education." Only 12 of these proposals were recommended for funding.

While the purpose of the multidisciplinary program is to introduce undergraduates to nanotechnology, the ultimate goal is to have more minorities involved in the field, according to Akyurtlu.

"It's such an exciting new technology that it should be introduced to engineers and scientists at undergraduate level so that they will be ready to participate in and contribute to it," she said. "It is especially important that HU as an HBCU will be at the forefront of this emerging field and introduce students to nanoscience and nanotechnology, thus, helping to increase the participation of minorities in this area."

Akyurtlu hopes to offer the first course next year as a senior-level elective. Eventually the goal is to introduce both theory and applications to undergrads in engineering, physics and chemistry.

Nanoscience is important because scientists do not completely understand the interactions at the atomic level, yet. With nanotechnology, researchers can take atoms and, under controlled conditions, assemble them in a precise pattern. The resultant product will then be structured with the desired properties, according to Akyurtlu.

"When you have control at the atomic level, you can control the outcome precisely," she said. "So it's an extremely exciting area."

For example, researchers may decide they want or need certain properties in materials to fight cancer. With nanotechnology, they will be able to manufacture these materials with exactly the required properties.

Plans call for hiring 12 students, who will be involved in the program from the very beginning. They will setup and test a new reactor for manufacturing nanomaterials and get first-hand knowledge of conducting research, in addition to other related projects in physics and chemistry. Eventually, Akyurtlu hopes to establish a seminar program in nanotechnology to expose students to diverse areas of the field.

Nanotechnology is so important that Virginia is looking to generate trained personnel for the workforce. Once the workforce is in place, nanotechnology could become a new industry in the state. Therefore, HU is one of eight Virginia colleges involved in the "Nanotechnology in the Commonwealth" initiative.

"It will contribute so much to science," Akyurtlu added. "With the developments in nanoscience and nanotechnology, we will understand the science behind how a lot of things work."