Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Moving.forward,.the.nanobiotechnology.workforce.needs.a.set.of.skills.that.will.allow.
them. to. research,. develop. new. technologies,. and. produce. in. interdisciplinary. environ-
ments.. The. workforce. must. be. resourceful. and. entrepreneurial,. identifying. new. oppor-
tunities. for. nanobiotechnologies. for. a. wide. range. of. applications.. The. science. and.
engineering.workforce.of.the.future.must.also.cast.a.wide.net.for.its.talent..Programs.that.
attract. underrepresented. minorities. and. foreign-born. students. are. required. to. meet. the.
nanobiotechnology.labor.demands.of.the.future.
29.2.11 Motivating Future Scientists
Outreach. programs. that. provide. opportunities. for. young. people,. parents,. and. teachers. to.
interact.with.scientists.and.their.methods.are.one.of.the.critical.tools.used.to.draw.young.
scholars. underrepresented. groups. into. the. STEM. (science,. technology,. engineering. and.
mathematics).ields..National.NanoDays.(March.24-April.1,.2012).organized.by.the.Nanoscale.
Informal.Science.Education.Network.brings.NSE.information.to.the.public.through.activi-
ties.and.workshops.nationwide.led.by.museums,.universities,.and.volunteers.(http://www.
nisenet.org/).. At. the. middle. and. high. school. level,. long-term. projects. like. the. Girls. Inc..
Eureka!
®
.program.and.NanoCareer.Day.at.the.College.of.Nanoscale.Science.and.Engineering.
(CNSE).at.the.University.at.Albany.prepares.girls.from.urban.communities.to.view.STEM.
and. college. education. as. a. realistic. option.. These. programs. are. critical. for. developing. an.
interest.in.nanobiotechnology.among.the.next.generation.of.scientists.and.engineers.
29.3 Nanobiotechnology Education in the United States
The.hallmark.and.challenge.of.nanotechnology.education.is.the.need.for.scientiic.inter-
disciplinary.interaction.at.an.early.stage.in.the.formal.educational.process.(Danielsen.and.
Bjornholm. 2008,. Deppert. et. al.. 2008,. Sweeny. and. Seal. 2008). and. an. exposure. to. state-
of-the-art.NSE.infrastructure.(Murday.et.al..2010)..In.order.to.develop.the.human.infra-
structure.to.supply.the.needs.of.the.NSE.workforce,.an.integrated.NSE.curriculum.and.a.
physical.infrastructure.must.be.available.for.training..This.section.presents.a.number.of.
ways.that.local,.state,.and.federal.investment.have.served.to.propel.the.educational.and.
workforce.development.of.NSE.and.nanobiotechnology.
29.3.1 Moving toward interdisciplinary Curricula
Traditionally,. postsecondary. institutions. in. the. United. States. have. approached. science.
training. from. a. strong. disciplinary. perspective. (Bialek. and. Botstein. 2004).. Biologists,.
chemists,.engineers,.mathematicians,.and.physicists.are.often.trained.in.disciplinary.silos.
requiring.students.to.take.courses.from.a.variety.of.departments.but.providing.little.syn-
thesis.to.integrate.their.knowledge..In.many.cases,.students.in.the.biological.or.medical.
sciences. take. courses. in. physics. and. mathematics. that. would. not. satisfy. a. requirement.
for.a.traditional.physics.or.mathematics.major..These.courses.may.not.provide.the.depth.
of.knowledge. and.techniques. for.solving.challenging. problems. that.a.course.for.majors.
may. provide.. Nanotechnology,. with. its. goal. of. manipulating. and. designing. nanoscale.
structures.and.tools,.has.encouraged.these.ields.to.work.synergistically. to.provide.stu-
dents.with.the.skills.to.engineer.a.solution.or.develop.an.experiment.to.examine.scientiic.
