The request to establish Nanoscale Science Core Courses and a Special Topics Course

Date: July 6, 2011
To: College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
From: Clarence Greene, Faculty Governance Assistant
Approved On: June 21, 2011
Implementation Date: 2011

Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.

Summary

The Nanoscale Science Ph.D. Program proposes to officially establish the program’s core courses (NANO 8001, NANO 8101, NANO 8102, NANO 8103, NANO 8104, NANO 8201, NANO 8202, NANO 8203, NANO 8681, NANO 8682, NANO 8900) and a special topics course (NANO 8060).

Catalog Copy

NANO 8001. Perspectives at the Nanoscale. (2) NANO program faculty members present and discuss their research in nanoscale science to: (1) demonstrate how scientists from different disciplines approach problem-solving at the nanoscale, and (2) expose students to research opportunities for dissertation work. Students write summaries of the presentations. (Fall)

NANO 8060. Special Topics in Nanoscale Science. (1-3) Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Selected topics in nanoscale science. May be repeated for credit. (On demand)

NANO 8101. Introduction to Instrumentation and Processing at the Nanoscale. (3) Methods of manipulating, engineering, and characterizing nanoscale materials are introduced; applications and principles of their operation are discussed. Students acquire hands-on experience with selected laboratory methods in preparation for dissertation research. Topics include, but are not limited to, scanning probe and electron microscopy methods, cleanroom technology, nanoscale optical and e-beam lithography, nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, luminescence methods, interferometry, gel permeation chromatography, surface area analysis, and small-angle x-ray and neutron scattering. (Fall)

NANO 8102. Nanoscale Phenomena. (3) Topics include, but are not limited to, scaling phenomena; nano-optics (near-field optics, limits of lithography masks, nano-dots and nanoscale optical interactions); nanoscale mechanics; nanotribology; biological and biologically-inspired machines. (Fall)

NANO 8103. Synthesis and Characterization of Nanomaterials. (3) Prerequisites: NANO 8101 and NANO 8102. Topics include, but are not limited to, quantum dots, metallic nanoparticles, carbon nanostructured materials and nanotubes, zeolites, organicinorganic polymers, composite materials, solution-phase colloids, sol-gel process, silica spheres, porous silicon, photonic crystals. (Spring)

NANO 8104. Fabrication of Nanomaterials. (3) Prerequisite: NANO 8101. Lithographic methods (CVD, PVD, e-beam, ion beam, magnetron, evaporation, spin coating, mask fabrication, developing resists); microelectromechanical systems and nanoelectromechanical systems; limits of conventional mechanical processing, electroforming, growth mechanisms (organic, inorganic, thermal); powders. (Spring)

NANO 8201. Research Group Rotations. (1) Students interact on a regular basis with selected research groups in nanoscale science from at least three different departments at UNC Charlotte. Specific activities range from meeting with the group’s professor and/or other group members, attending group meetings, and observing laboratory experiments and procedures. Research groups are chosen so that each student is exposed to an array of research activities of the Nanoscale Science faculty. At the end of each rotation, the visiting student delivers a presentation to the visited research group, describing what the student learned about the visited group’s research activities. (Fall)

NANO 8202. Interdisciplinary Team Project. (2) Corequisite: NANO 8682. An encapsulated, semester-long research experience designed to introduce students to laboratory work in nanoscale science. Students work, in interdisciplinary teams of 2-4 students, on a short research project and present their results during a meeting of the Nanoscale Science Colloquium. (Spring)

NANO 8203. Collaborative Research Proposal. (3) Effective strategies for designing and writing research proposals are presented by program faculty members, and staff from proposal development offices on campus. Students work in teams of 2-3 to prepare an original, interdisciplinary research proposal on a topic in nanoscale science. The proposal conforms to regulations of a selected funding agency and must address a topic that is supported by that agency. Each team consults regularly with a panel of 2-3 faculty members who collectively approve the proposal topic, provide feedback during the development of the proposal, and ultimately evaluate the proposal. The course is designed to increase the ability of students to relate research ideas to fundamental concepts in science and engineering, to help students learn to develop effective methods of presenting ideas and defending them, to help students develop self confidence in their abilities to present and defend ideas, and to improve oral and written communication skills. (Spring)

NANO 8681. Nanoscale Science Seminar. (1) Students attend weekly seminars of visiting speakers of the Nanoscale Science program or other approved programs on campus. Seminars are selected to best meet the educational needs of the individual student. Students submit for grading summaries of the seminars attended. (May be repeated for credit) (Fall/Spring)

NANO 8682. Nanoscale Science Colloquium. (1) Students present seminars on current topics in nanoscale science to the faculty and student participants of theprogram. Presentations address dissertation research, thecurrent literature, group projects, and special topics. Thecolloquium provides an opportunity for students to discuss topics in Nanoscale Science with faculty from all of the participating disciplines. (May be repeated for credit) (Fall/Spring)

NANO 8900. Dissertation Research. (1-8) Research for the dissertation. (May be repeated for credit) (Fall/Spring/Summer)

NANO 9999. Doctoral Degree Graduate Residency Credit. (1) Prerequisite: NANO 8900. Required of all Nanoscale Science Ph.D. students who have completed all requirements for the degree except the dissertation defense and are taking no other courses. May be repeated for credit. Credit for this course does not count toward the degree. (Fall/Spring/Summer)