U.S. students aren’t going into science and engineering they way they used to, but nanotechnology is sexy enough to attract their attention. So nanotech is the focus of a new education and training effort described in EE Times, called Nine (the National Institute for Nano-Engineering):
Coinciding with the President’s Aug. 9 passage of the America Competes Act, which provides funding for the establishment of Innovation Institutes to address science and engineering discovery and education, Nine promises to popularize nanotechnology and deepen students’ commitments to three key themes: nanoelectronics, nanoenergy generation and nanomanufacturing.
Nine was spawned by the U.S. government and will operate under the auspices of Sandia National Labs. A memo of understanding was recently signed by a solid-gold list of participants, including Corning Inc., Exxon Mobil Corp., Goodyear Tire and Rubber, IBM Corp., Intel Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rice University, the University of California at Davis, the University of Florida, Harvard University, Harvey Mudd College, the University of Illinois, the University of New Mexico, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Wisconsin and Yale University.
We’re glad to see nanomanufacturing on the list. Students are very inspired by the long-term goals of atomically-precise manufacturing, an ambitious branch of nanomanufacturing. (Credit: John Faith) —Christine
