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Regan Stinnett
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A radically different type of science education intended to accelerate innovation and involve more U.S. students in the study of nanotechnology is the goal of the National Institute for Nano Engineering (NINE), formed recently by Sandia and 17 leading American universities and technology companies.
The partnership is driven by concerns over the health of U.S. science education, as highlighted in the 2005 National Academies report “Rising Above the Gathering Storm.” The recently enacted America COMPETES Act supports the establishment of technology innovation and education institutes.
“This group came together based on a sense of urgency and recognition that academia, American industry, and government need to work together to develop a new partnering model that will lay the foundation for the nation’s future in science and engineering,” says Rick Stulen, Sandia Vice President for Science, Technology, and Engineering.
The Sandia-led group has gathered industrialists, college professors, administrators, and students to develop a novel approach to teaching nano-engineering that will complement and extend the more standard techniques of education.
Students from collaborating institutions, ranging from freshmen to advanced graduate students, form integrated research teams that solve real science and engineering problems at scales where the rules governing the behavior of atoms and molecules preside.
Fifteen projects funded by Sandia’s LDRD program are under way involving as many as 50 students. The research is being done both at Sandia facilities and at participating institutions.
The students focus on precompetitive research in a collaborative environment with industry representatives, which allows them to explore the commercial realities of their work. Courses, lectures, and mentoring expose them to business, legal, political, and social implications.
“NINE will help develop the next generation of innovations and innovators,” says Duane Dimos, Sandia lead for NINE.
The initial NINE members are