NANOLAB at The University of Texas at Austin: A Model for Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Science and Engineering Education

Authors

  • Andrew T. Heitsch The University of Texas at Austin
  • John G. Ekerdt The University of Texas at Austin
  • Brian A. Korgel The University of Texas at Austin

Abstract

The University of Texas at Austin has developed an upper-division undergraduate laboratory called “NANOLAB” to introduce undergraduate science and engineering students to nanoscale science and engineering (NSE) concepts. The NANOLAB is not a stand-alone course offered by a specific department, but rather a laboratory station—or hub—that interfaces with existing “traditional” laboratory courses across both the Colleges of Engineering and Natural Sciences. The chemical engineering department played a central role in developing the NANOLAB, which is designed to provide close to 1,000 undergraduate students per year with a hands-on introduction to NSE fundamentals.

Author Biographies

Andrew T. Heitsch, The University of Texas at Austin

Andrew T. Heitsch is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the University of Florida in 2005. His research focuses on the development of colloidal silicon nanostructures and magnetic nanocrystals for next-generation technologies.

John G. Ekerdt, The University of Texas at Austin

John G. Ekerdt received a B.S degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1974, and a Ph.D. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1979, both in chemical engineering. He is currently associate dean for research in Engineering and the Dick Rothwell Endowed Chair in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His current interests include growth and properties of barrier thin films; kinetics of silicon-germanium alloy epitaxy and nanocrystal dot growth from hydrides; organometallic precursor chemistry in thin film growth; thin film and quantum dot selfassembly at interfaces; growth and properties of dielectric films; and lignin depolymerization kinetics.

Brian A. Korgel, The University of Texas at Austin

Brian A. Korgel received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1991 and 1997 in chemical engineering. His research focuses on complex fluids and nanomaterials. He is Cockrell School of Engineering Temple Professor #1 and Matthew Van Winkle Regents Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the director of the Doctoral Portfolio Program in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at UT Austin.

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Published

2009-07-01

Issue

Vol. 43 No. 3 (2009): Summer 2009

Section

Manuscripts