Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
29.4 Future Directions
As.the.ield.of.nanobiotechnology.and.complementary.industries.continue.to.develop,.the.
skills.required.of.workers.will.need.to.be.better.deined..During.its.advent,.the.biotechnol-
ogy. industry. worked. to. deine. a. skill. set. for. technicians. and. college-educated. workers..
In.the.1990s,.the.Bioscience.Industry.Skill.Standards.Project.was.established.by.the.U.S..
Departments. of. Education. and. Labor. to. establish. a. standard. skill. set. for. the. emerging.
industry. of. biotechnology.. Industrial. managers,. educators,. and. employees. were. inter-
viewed. to. better. understand. the. skill. and. knowledge. requirements. for. employment. in.
biotechnology.(Leff.1995;.Dahms.and.Leff.2002)..These.standards.eventually.became.a.ref-
erence.for.the.development.of.education.and.training.programs.for.biotechnology.work-
ers..To.date,.no.comparable.efforts.have.been.made.for.the.nanobiotechnology.industry.
29.5 Conclusions and Perspectives
NSE. has. moved. inexorably. into. our. daily. lives.. Whether. it. is. faster,. smaller. laptops,.
sunscreens. that. disappear. when. applied,. or. water. puriiers. that. ilter. harmful. bacteria,.
nanoscale.materials.are.a.part.of.our.lives..Those.who.manage.to.understand.and.harness.
this.world.of.smallness.will.enable.innovations.that.improve.our.lives.and.our.environment.
It. is. imperative. that. educators. attract. young. people. to. science,. technology,. engineer-
ing,.and.math.early..Community.and.public.outreach.provides.an.entry.point.to.making.
science.approachable.and.available..This.is.particularly.important.for.those.groups.who.
are.typically.underrepresented.in.STEM.ields..Long-term.relationships.between.research.
facilities.and.universities.with.organization.such.as.the.Girl.and.Boys.Scouts.of.America,.
Girls.Inc.,.and.local.school.districts.can.improve.the.number.of.children.and.adolescents.
who.consider.nanotechnology.as.a.career.option.
The.mix.of.engineering,.physics,.chemistry,.and.biology.associated.with.nanobiotech-
nology.has.the.ability.to.draw.many.more.students.than.physics.or.chemistry.alone..The.
results.of.nanobiotechnology.research.will.attract.students.who.have.a.desire.to.make.con-
tributions.to.the.major.challenges.in.human.health.and.well-being..Undoubtedly,.nanobio-
technology.will.continue.to.grow.as.a.distinct.ield.under.the.NSE.umbrella..“Everybody.
has.DNA”.and.the.ability.to.manipulate.it,.understand.it,.and.repair.it.is.something.that.
everyone.can.value.
References
Abicht,.L..and.U..Schumann..2007..Identiication.of.skill.needs.in.nanotechnology..In.
Skill Needs in
Emerging Technologies: Nanotechnology
..ed..A..Zukersteinova..Luxembourg:.European.Centre.for.
the.Development.of.Vocational.Training.
Bainbridge,.W..S..2007..
Nanoconvergence: The Unity of Nanoscience, Biotechnology, Information Technology,
and Cognitive Science
..Upper.Saddle.River,.NJ:.Pearson.Education.
Berube,. D.. M.. 2006..
Nano-Hype: The Truth Behind the Nanotechnology Buzz
.. Amherst,. New. York:.
Prometheus.topics.
