Project Profile

This IGERT Program is in nanoscale science and engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. The key scientific goals and intellectual merit of this IGERT program address three important themes of this field: nanostructure synthesis and processing... more »

This IGERT Program is in nanoscale science and engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. The key scientific goals and intellectual merit of this IGERT program address three important themes of this field: nanostructure synthesis and processing of novel functional devices and systems, nanoscale characterization, and modeling. Each of these is designed to facilitate the integration of nanostructures into engineered systems. Students selected for this program will focus on one of five research sub-areas: nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, nanobiology, nanomagnetics, and nanomechanics. They will master core courses offered across several disciplines and multiple departments. Students will carry out their Ph.D. research under the joint supervision of two advisors from both engineering and the physical sciences, and they will receive additional practical training through cross-laboratory investigations within and outside of the labs of IGERT faculty.

A national and international internship program will contribute to the broader impacts of this program and constitute an integral part of the IGERT educational experience. Students may elect to complete their internship either in an industrial or national laboratory, or they can choose to work at institutions abroad with several of which we already have established close contacts. An array of services at the university will be utilized for the recruitment of a diverse student body, with much-anticipated success. Women and underrepresented minority groups will be recruited actively. We also plan to complement the IGERT program with the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering (the GEM Program) and the National Physical Sciences Consortium. Role models and mentors are key to the successful recruitment and retention of women and minorities. Our strong group of faculty and industrial mentors will provide crucial guidance to our graduate fellows. Outreach programs to engage students from underrepresented groups in local high schools will be implemented. They include After-School Science Workshops and Summer High- School Internships in Nanoscience and Engineering. The faculty comprising the IGERT program are committed to leadership and participation in outreach and educational activities that will foster knowledge and appreciation of nanoscience and engineering in the community and nationally.

UC Berkeley is in the unique position of having an unusual combination of resources committed to nanoscale science and engineering. Significantly, the Chancellor of UC Berkeley has identified nanoscience and nanoengineering as one of the top three research priorities on campus and has made an institutional commitment to focus research resources on areas that will be critical in the upcoming nanoengineering revolution. This program will find its specific intellectual merit in the establishment a new kind of graduate education at Berkeley in a research area that is unprecedented in its impact across disciplines. The interdisciplinary IGERT curriculum will allow to establish innovative educational concepts to prepare qualified graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley, for the future demands of this rapidly expanding field. This traineeship program spans nine graduate programs in three colleges, each with its own unique approaches to and robust research capabilities in nanoscale science and engineering. The lasting impact of this project will not be limited to the scientific achievements that will make an important contribution towards the building, understanding, and controlling of engineered objects on the nanometer length scale. Equally important will be a paradigm shift in graduate education, especially in Engineering education at Berkeley that is expected to have long-lasting impact beyond the scope of this program.

IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. In this sixth year of the program, awards are being made to institutions for programs that collectively span the areas of science and engineering supported by NSF. « less

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