PROJECT DESCRIPTION

A. Goals and Objectives Roughly 100 years ago theories on the structure of atoms began to solidify and shortly after that

the tools to start imaging micro and nanoscale structures emerged. In the last 30 years scientists have been able to create nanostructures from bottom-up and top-down methods using these previously developed theories and equipment. The confluence of physics, chemistry, and engineering are what made this possible. The goal of this pedagogical research proposal is to educate undergraduate students at the University of New Mexico about the history and current state of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (NS&NT) in order to produce an informed citizenry and competitive work force for the 21st century.

In order to accomplish this goal the co-PI’s hypothesize that using hands-on techniques to understand NS&NT is crucial to their understanding at UNM’s School of Engineering (SOE) and many other universities. Through the development of lecture / laboratory modules and courses devoted to NS&NT where analytical and computational models solidify into hands-on experiments and creation of nanosystems this goal can be met. To wit, 3 junior tenure track faculty and one research professor of engineering education from two engineering programs are employing their collective knowledge in NS&NT to develop new experiments and pedagogical methods that will be institutionalized in the UNM’s SOE. Courses on NS&NT will be available during every year of their degree (Freshman – Senior). Though the courses dedicated to NS&NT will be optional, the co-PI’ s will place NS&NT modules in core courses in both the Mechanical Engineering (ME) and Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) disciplines causing all students in those majors to have exposure to NS&NT material. Two of the co-PI’s (Leseman and Luhrs) have previous experience with an NUE program. However, all material discussed in this proposal is unique to the current effort. Discussions of the co-PI’s previous effort is mainly limited to Section B of this proposal.

The objectives of this proposal are the following: 1) Create a program in NS&NT for undergraduates at UNM, local school teachers, and local high

school seniors. This will be accomplished by offering undergraduate courses in UNM’s SOE at every level – freshman through senior years. The freshman course is for undergrads, teachers, and high school students. Note that recently the state of NM has mandated that all high school seniors take at least one honors, advanced placement or dual enrollment college credit course before graduation. During the sophomore and junior years, the undergraduates go to their respective curriculums where they encounter NS&NT in their core courses in ME and ECE. Specifically, 3 courses (ME 318, ME 370/352L, and ECE 371) will be enriched with NS&NT topics leading to 5 hands-on laboratories. Finally, in the senior year the ME and ECE curricula merge again by cross-listing of 3 courses in which nanosystems are designed, created, and characterized in the laboratory.

2) Institutionalize NS&NT into the UNM-SOE curriculum by creating a concentration in the Nano/Microsciences at the Bachelor of Science level for those students who have taken a four courses in NS&NT. The Dean of Academic Programs in UNM SOE has already given approval of this concentration – see attached letter of support. The UNM SOE has a vested interest in such a program at the BS level, because a graduate program already exists in the Nano / Microscience entitled the Nanoscience and Microsystems (NSMS) Program which has been supported by the NSF-IGERT. This program is ONLY a graduate program, i.e. MS and Ph.D. degrees.

3) Fuse NS&NT education with research from the co-PI’s NS&NT Research. Evident by the investigators’ own experience, this approach appeals to the large community of minority students at UNM-SOE, thereby cultivating a cultural exchange that will result in an increase in minority graduates with hands-on nanotechnology experience in the state of New Mexico. This concept has been quite successful during the last NUE Award employing 8 students and yielding several papers [1-9].

This entire effort has been discussed by the PI with the Dean of UNM’s SOE. He is quite optimistic and excited about the possibilities of this program for his school, see his attached letter of support.

B. Results of Prior NUE Support Prior NSF support for NUE activities at the University of New Mexico was awarded to Drs. Leseman

and Luhrs (as co-PI’s) through the NSF-NUE grant number 0741525. Their effort included interlocking undergraduate Engineering Materials Science core courses enhanced with three nanotechnology modules (Introduction to Nanotechnology, Nanostructure and Nanosynthesis and Nanomaterials Properties and Characterization) and two Materials Science Laboratories that employ five hands-on nanotechnology experiments (SEM, TEM, XRD, Nanoindentation and Nanofatigue). During the 3 semesters spanning from Spring 2008 - Spring 2009, from the two departments leading the NUE effort 129 students were enrolled in these nanotechnology-enriched courses/labs. The demographics of the students who passed these core courses with nanomodules are shown in Fig. 1 (a) and (b). Upon the completion of the NUE activities by the end of each semester, the students’ evaluation of the NUE activities were collected through surveys. The overall ratings of the NUE activities through the core courses are shown in Figure 1 (c).

Figure 1: (a) and (b) Demographics of the undergraduate students enrolled in the NUE activities at UNM Spring 2008-Spring 2009 through the two core courses ME370/CE305 Engineering Materials Science. (c) Students’

evaluation of NUE activities introduced in the two core courses.

The PIs employed the fundamental nanotechnology concepts and the experimental skills acquired by the students in the discovery courses to a Nanosystems and Nanodevices Design Course (ME461-E) offered to four engineering departments; (Mechanical, Civil, Electrical and Computer, and Chemical Engineering). Twenty-five students were enrolled in this course (14 Caucasian, 6 Hispanic and 4 Asians) during the Fall 2008 semester. The main emphasis of this course is the fabrication of important types of nano/microstructures used in NEMS/MEMS devices and systems by multi-disciplinary and multi-ethnicity teams. Examples of the fabrication techniques discussed are: photolithography, nanolithography, deposition and growth of thin films and carbon nanotubes. Special attention is given to the scaling effects involved with operation of devices at the nano/microscale.

Based on the acquired knowledge from the course series offered through this NUE, several undergraduate students are actively involved in cutting edge research with the investigators. We list here only one example for brevity:

Synthesis of WS2 Nanostructures: Inorganic structures of tungsten disulfide (WS2) are proven very useful in several mechanical applications such as shock resistant, heterogeneous catalysts, dry lubrications, and scanning probe microscope tips. Under the supervision of Dr. Claudia Luhrs, undergraduate students are currently assisting in synthetic pathways for the generation of WS2 flakes, nanofibers, IF-nanoparticles and nanotubes. Students are rapidly gaining expertise in both synthesis of WS2 nanostructures and several characterization methods including SEM (Figure 2), XRD and EDX. These two projects were disseminated

Figure 2: SEM image of WS2 nanotubes synthesized by undergraduate students

through publications [2, 7, 10] . One of the students involved in this project developed interest on the field to the point of getting enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering PhD program and another one is pursuing a MS degree with Dr. Luhrs group.

OTHER NSF Support for co-PIs:

Zayd Leseman (PI) Project Title: COLLABORATIVE: Improvement of MEMS Performance by Structural Vibrations: Theory and Practical Implementations; PI: Zayd Leseman, Collaborator: Kevin Murphy (UConn); Award No: CMMI-0826580; Period: 8/15/08-7/31/11; Amount: $240,000; Students: 1 UG and 1 Ph.D.

This work focuses on the characterization of the dynamic response of stiction failed MEMS/NEMS. A theoretical framework is developed characterizing stiction failure of these devices from a linear elastic fracture mechanics perspective. This is then introduced into a dynamics framework to predict how devices can be repaired in-service. Corresponding experiments glean relevant Mode I, II, and III failure data and also validate in-service repair of devices. One and half years of this 3 year project has passed, yet the three journal publications have been submitted and 2 conference papers published.

NSF- CMMI-0800249: Novel Structural Composites Using Surface Grown Carbon Nanotubes. The program officially started on August 1, 2008 and will continue through August 1, 2010. Marwan Al-Haik PI on that proposal with Co-PIs Claudia Luhrs and Mahmoud R. Taha. Currently 2 graduate students are working on this research toward their MS degrees. Two patents have been filed through UNM[11-12] and several publications [1-2, 7].

C. Detailed Project Plan

C.1 Background: Teaching Undergraduate Nanotechnology

Currently, the standard practice of introducing nanotechnology to undergraduate students occurs via additional materials added to courses (required or optional) or the addition of a dedicated course on the topic. Conversely, others have proposed utilizing lower division courses as departure courses for nano-curriculums [13] or as standalone degree programs. However, very few institutions offer a standalone degree in NS&NT though they do exist [14]. Because present day students have a lack of NS&NT knowledge it is perceived as more tractable to simply add additional materials or course to traditional course curriculums.

Dedicated courses in NS&NT are typically offered to freshman and senior level students because of the flexibility of class choices at these levels. Freshman level courses are traditionally introductory type courses designed to excite students about the topic [13, 15-16]. Senior level classes are typically more rigorous, delving into a specific topic of NS&NT [13, 17].

Sophomores and Juniors typically do not have the same latitude in course choices as their older and younger peers. Thus additional material is traditionally added to core courses. This has happened in a wide range of departments from the sciences and engineering. The additional NS&NT material must be relevant to the topic of the course, while at the same time nano in nature. By simply adding NS&NT materials into these courses the students’ curriculum is not overburdened.

There have been several NS&NT courses developed at other universities; the following discussion discusses but a few. Loyola Marymount University developed a new course (Introduction to Nanotechnology) toward biological applications [16]. Faculty at Northwestern University Materials Science introduced new nanotechnology course to senior undergraduate and junior graduate students and reported the experience as a successful practice [17]. Instructors at University of Nevada introduced five blocks to teach the core principals of nanotechnology to audiences with varying levels of understanding [18]. All these successful pioneering experiences developed new undergraduate courses, but most only offered these new courses as “optional” or technical electives. Most of these courses were developed by a single-department, although offered to several other departments. The current group of co-PIs believes that in order for a nanotechnology program to flourish it must take root in a curriculum’s core classes and

be taught by a multidisciplinary group of instructors. A current successful example of a multidisciplinary effort is at Union College, NY [19]. An NSF grant was awarded to this predominately liberal arts campus of 2000 students (with 15% engineering students). With prerequisites of calculus, physics and chemistry, the investigators had developed a “Frontier of Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials” that was offered to sophomore science and engineering majors [20-21].

Presentation of NS&NT materials can be broken into two main categories: theoretical/computational and hands-on. Advocates of the theoretical/computational mainly cite that equipment and experiments for NS&NT are expensive, not immediately accessible to all institutions, and even at institutions where the equipment is available it is not easily accessible to undergraduates or for coursework. However, with the advent of cheaper and faster computers computational models can be readily run and web-based models can accomplish the same goal[22]. Nanohub.org is borne from the thinking [23].

The hands-on advocates are additionally concerned with tactile engagement of their students. Hands-on experiments need not be strictly nano in nature; they can be mock-up versions of their nano-counterparts. Though Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) are ‘bigger’ than their nano-cousins similar arguments can be made for and against MEMS education, thus one can learn quite a bit from their pedagogical experiences because these are recent and more abundant. To wit, Polla et al. [24] brought hands-on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication into the undergraduate curriculum. Dr. Leseman (PI) has also developed a similar class and experienced the growing pains of this process [25]. The co-PIs agree that a hands-on approach benefits the students at UNM more than a strictly theoretical/computational approach. Several articles in the engineering education literature additionally support this position [26-28].

After examination of the literature on the topic, the co-PI’s agree that a hands-on approach (supplemented by computational/web-based) should be taken and that NS&NT should be institutionalized in the undergraduate curriculum in UNM’s SOE to be effective. More specifically, the co-PI’s will use a combination of mock-up experiments in the classroom and laboratory exercises where undergraduates design, fabricate, and create, nanomaterials and nanosystems. Special emphasis is placed on nanomaterials and nanosystems due to the co-PI’s background and home departments (ME and ECE). The co-PI’s plan to institutionalize NS&NT in UNM’s SOE by making NS&NT course available at during every year of undergraduate study (Freshman – Senior). It will be most accessible to ME and ECE students as sophomore and junior classes affected will be a part of their core curriculum via NS&NT modules inserted into the courses. Furthermore, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at UNM’s SOE (Fledderman) has agreed to create a concentration in NS&NT – see attached letter of support. The co-PI’s feel that this gives undergraduate students a goal to aim towards in an effort to keep them focused on NS&NT throughout their undergraduate careers. Specifics about the integration of the program into UNM’s SOE, coordination with K-12 outreach efforts, and UNM’s currently existing Nano Science and Micro Systems (NSMS) program is contained in the following section.

C.2 Overall Plan

The goal of this proposal is to institutionalize NS&NT into the University of New Mexico’s School of Engineering. This will be accomplished by teaching courses with either nanotechnology modules inserted or dedicated courses on the topic at every level (freshman – senior). Courses taught at the lower levels (freshman – junior) will focus more on introductory material from NS&NT as well as on common design, fabrication, preparation, generation techniques and characterization at the nanoscale. This background knowledge will prepare them to model, design, and generate/fabricate nano-devices and systems in their senior year.

The core curriculums of ME and ECE will not be altered; NS&NT Modules will be strategically inserted in the core classes and elective courses on NS&NT will be taught in the freshman and senior years. With NS&NT becoming a part of so many core courses and also having 4 dedicated NS&NT electives at the freshman and senior levels a critical mass will have been reached to create a concentration

in micro/nanotechnology – see Dean Fleddermann’s attached letter of support. Figure 3, depicts the institutionalization of nanotechnology in the UNM SOE.

This proposal also leverages the already existing graduate program in nanotechnology – the NanoSciences and MicroSystems (NSMS) program. This NSF IGERT program at UNM is strictly a graduate program granting only MS and PhD diplomas. The NSMS program does not have its own faculty; faculty in this program hold primary appointments in all other department of the UNM-SOE. The Director of the NSMS Program, Prof. Abhaya Datye, is also in support of this initiative, see attached letter of support. Co-PI’s Leseman and Luhrs previous NUE proposal has already begun to feed the NSMS program even after only 2.5 years. For example, Juanita Trevino, from the Mechanical Engineering Department, was a recipient of funds from the co-PIs last NUE Award. She has been recently awarded an IGERT Fellowship for starting her PhD studies in the NSMS program.

Figure 3: Diagram depicting the institutionalization of nanotechnology in the UNM – SOE

Our approach is unique in the following aspects:

i. A hands-on Introduction to NS&NT course will be created for UNM freshman, high school seniors, and local school teachers in order to create a more informed citizenry and excite students about NS&NT.

ii. NS&NT modules will be introduced into the core curriculums of two different engineering departments at the University of New Mexico. Based on the 2009 enrollment records from UNM’s SOE, this approach guarantees that 236 students from mechanical engineering and 92 students from electrical and computer engineering will be introduced to hands-on NS&NT experience.

iii. This approach, while familiarizing students with nanotechnology, will not strain the general outline of classical materials science course for being introduced as a set of separate modules.

iv. Utilizing core course for the introduction of the nanotechnology into the curriculum will not financially burden the students.

v. As an alternative to web-based computer interactive modules, we will continue use the state-of-the-art facilities at the disposal of the School of Engineering at UNM to introduce experimental modules that are robust, easy to grasp, and depicting practical applications. Our own experience ([25, 27]), a published students opinion [29], and other engineering and science educators experience [30-31] are all in favor of introducing hands-on experimental modules.

vi.Senior elective course will be developed that focus on cultivating the knowledge from the previous courses. These courses will entail the fabrication/synthesis of nano-components to make nanosystems.

vii.A concentration in NS&NT will be available to students who complete 2 NS&NT courses from the freshman – junior levels and 1 course from the senior level electives.

viii.Our approach is both multidisciplinary and multiethnic reflecting the diversity in the University of New Mexico’s School of Engineering.

Impact of the Proposal

UNM is the only Carnegie, Very High Research University in the country designated as a Minority and Hispanic-Serving Institution (MHSI). Most of the undergraduate students at the School of Engineering at UNM come from New Mexico and the demographics reflect the multicultural character of the state. UNM School of Engineering graduation rates for Hispanic and Native American students are among the highest in the U.S. Currently 39% of engineering undergraduates come from underrepresented groups (American Indian and Hispanic) and 18% of our students are female, on par with the national average. The School ranks third in granting Bachelor and Doctorate degrees to American Indians, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Hispanic Business magazine ranked the School in the “Top Ten for Hispanics” in September, 2009. It has been the focus of the PIs to involve undergraduate students from under representative groups in their research work. The students’ enrollment at UNM- School of Engineering in Fall 2009 stands at 1198 students, > 46% of them are from underrepresented groups, and 18% are females. The demographic of UNM School of Engineering is given in Table 1.

Table 1: Demographics of UNM School of Engineering Undergraduate Enrollments - Fall 2009

Dept Total Women MinorityAfrican

American Hispanic Asian Native

AmericanChNE 100 36 45 2 33 8 2

CE 105 23 49 2 38 4 5 CS 106 20 37 2 26 7 2

ECE 92 7 51 2 42 6 1 ME 236 37 107 7 76 17 7

Undeclared 556 96 268 9 201 27 31Total 1198 219 557 24 416 69 48

The impact of the proposed plans will span over three departments in the School of Engineering, University of New Mexico including Mechanical, Civil and Electrical and Computer Engineering. A significantly large number of minority/female students (our estimate is about 207 minority and 67 female students annually) will benefit from this program. This plan not only educates the current undergraduate student body, but utilizes a feedback system that encourages K-12 students to apply to UNM for the study of Nanotechnology. Undergraduate students will be given the opportunity to perform research in the laboratories of the PIs where there is a plethora of Nanotechnology projects. The final output of the program is graduate students that are ready to pursue Nanotechnology Projects and Studies such as those offered by the Nanoscience and Microsystems Program (NSMS) at UNM. This is schematically explained in Figure 6. Again, the NSMS Program is enthused about our proposal, see attachments. The remaining sections of Section C are utilized to layout more specifics about the classes to be added / modified as a result of this NUE Award. Links between these classes are shown in Figure 3.

C.3 ENG 100 – Introduction to NS&NT – Instructor (MP)

This Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology is targeted to STEM and non-STEM undergraduate majors, K-12 educators and the general public. Creation of this course will be a direct result of this award. The Dean of UNM’s SOE will be the offering organization and as such it has Dean Fledderman’s full support, see attached letter of support.

The purpose of this course is to give these students a broad understanding and a core set of vocabulary of the science and technology used in the creation and manufacturing of nano-enabled applications. This course is designed to appeal to a broad audience and will not require more than an algebra level of mathematics. It is the desire of this team to also be able to offer this course to high school juniors and seniors and engage them in the field of nano enabled engineering, science and technology and consider a career pathway into this emerging field. New Mexico has recently mandated that all graduating high school students take either an AP (Advanced Placement) or college course and this would meet these new requirements. In order to reach a larger number of students, this course offering will not only be delivered as a traditional, face-to-face course, but also as a hybrid course, part on-line and part face-to-face; the lecture portion of the course would be on-line with streaming lectures, discussion boards, links to interesting sites and written materials developed by the faculty in a modular format. This will enable non-traditional (working) students to better fit this in their schedule. Teachers, who would take the course, would be encouraged to make use of these materials as appropriate in their STEM classrooms.

In addition to the course, Dr. Pleil will engage an experienced Science teacher to assist in recruiting and presenting components of the curriculum at 2 to 4 workshops per year and show the participant how to adapt these into STEM high school courses. We plan to impact approximately 100 teachers over the course of two years who in turn will impact several hundred students. The goal of the workshops is to provide the teachers with educational materials for the classroom and encourage them to advocate this course and field to their students and colleagues. Dr. Pleil also plans to leverage the Southwest Center for Microsystems Education’s (SCME) existing professional development and outreach activities, along with its web site and partners as appropriate to broaden the impact further.

Nano Technology Topics to be developed in a modular format for this level will include: • Historical Perspective o Egyptians and Carbon o Stained Glass o “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”

• Sense of Scale o Micro vs. Nano

Bottom-Up Vs Top-Down NanoTech vs. NanoScience Cool properties!

o Surface Treatments – hydrophobic and hydrophilic, anti-bacterial, lipid bi-layers

o Gold and silver – varying size and shape make different colors

o Surface-to-Volume – Is this a big deal? o The many faces of carbon – graphene, ‘Buckey-balls’,

Carbon nano-tubes, diamonds, it’s all carbon, no?

• Applications – What nano enables us to do o Micro-cantilevers that are functionalized o Chem Lab on a chip – the ‘Tricorder’ o BioMEMS and DNA Chips o The Borg – Nano enab led devices in medicine –

cochlear implants, artificial retinas, stents o Consumer Products!

• Career pathways into NS&NT o Science o Engineering o Technician o The Business Side

• What’s a cleanroom? Cleanroom experience for the students • Students will be given research topics to explore

and report on

Figure 4: Diagram showing the traditional topics (gray boxes) and nanotechnology related subjects added (blue

Quantum dots lasersGaN nanowire LEDs

Electrons in Quantum dots and nanowires

Electrons in Semiconductors

Quantum dotsQuantum wires

Carbon nanotubes, GaAs Quantum dots, GaN nanowires

Silicon nanowire biosensorsCarbon nanotube transistor

Crystal structure and growth

Introduction to quantum mechanics

Electronic devices Optoelectronic devicesEnd

There are several outcomes for this course. First, this course will create an informed citizenry at the high school educator, high school student, and undergraduate student levels. Second, students will gain a familiarity with NS&NT science, technology and career opportunities. Materials created can also serve as stand-alone learning modules for secondary educators to use in their STEM classes.

C.4 ECE 371 - Materials and Devices - Instructor (MHZ) Materials and Devices is a core course in the ECE undergraduate curriculum at UNM. In this course the physical principles behind the operation of electronic and photonic devices are introduced to the students. The students who take this course (mainly sophomores) usually have already taken some circuit design courses and they are familiar with basics of analog/digital circuits based on solid-state devices. An average enrolment of 25 students/semester in the course is expected. This course is the first opportunity to expose them to the importance of material science, solid-state physics (with emphasis on semiconductors). Traditionally the course starts with elementary quantum mechanics and basic concepts in solid-state and semiconductor physics. Based on this background, next they will learn the physics behind the operation of important electronic devices. In the end there will be a brief introduction to optoelectronic devices.

Based on these topics it is clear that ECE-371 is the perfect platform for an introduction to nanostructures and the physics of nano-scale devices as two important aspects of nanotechnology. There will be 3 lectures every week (50 minutes each) for 16 weeks. The nanoscience/technology related topics will be introduced gradually after the 4th week. After the 8th week, every week 30 minutes will be dedicated exclusively to Physics and applications of nanostructures. In this project the co-PI’s intend to coherently integrate nanotechnology related concepts and applications with the established topics in the following manner (see Fig. 4): 1-While learning the principles of quantum mechanics the students will be exposed to the interesting quantum characteristics in quantum dots and quantum wires (nano-scale regime). 2-After learning the fundamentals of crystal structure, GaAs quantum dots and GaN quantum wires will be introduced as special arrangement of atoms that create a nanostructures. 3-Once the students learn about electron propagation and energy bandgaps in semiconductor crystals the basics of electron propagation in carbon nanotubes and energy bandgap structure in quantum dots will be covered. 4-After learning about the physics of electronic transistors the students are exposed to selected applications of silicon nanowire and carbon nanotubes in biosensing and high speed switching. 5-After introducing the basics of light emitting diodes and lasers, the application of GaN nanowires as LEDs and GaAs quantum dots as building blocks of modern laser diodes will be discussed. By including these nanotechnological concepts and applications the following outcomes are expected: 1) A higher level of curiosity and excitement as a result of exposure to cutting edge science and technology and their potential impact on

the society. 2) Motivation and the background for taking specialized nanotechnology courses from other departments (such as nanofabrication, synthesis and characterization) that may also guide them toward multidisciplinary research and collaborative efforts (in this case between ECE and ME departments). This effort has the support of the ECE Chairman, Chaouki Abdallah, see the attached letter of support.

C.5 ME 318 – Mechanical Measurements – Instructor (ZL)

ME 318 is a sophomore level course designed to introduce students to mechanical measurements – the field of metrology. Typically, this course introduces statistics and traditional measurement techniques with associated instrumentation. The PI, ZL, proposes to add one module (1 Lab and 2 Lectures) on the nanometrology of length.

This module will be centered around interferometry, its different types and limitations. Interferometry, in its various forms, is used frequently in macro and nanoscale devices for measuring displacements, velocities, and accelerations. Inteferometric data is also used to determine force via determination of load cell displacements. As such, it is a natural fit for this course. Limitations of interferometry will also be discussed. Specifically, radiative heating of nanostructures and resolution due to thermal vibrations will be examined. The apparatus to be constructed as a result of this grant is Michelson type (amplitude-splitting interferometer) that will measure the displacements of a piezo-stage with sub-nm displacement capabilities, see Figure 4. Every semester student will construct the Michelson interferometer and take data from it. Additionally, this laboratory will clearly demonstrate the limits of calibration in the International System of Units (SI) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Reference Mirror

Nano-Positiong Stage

Light Source

Beam Splitter

Detector Figure 4: Schematics of a Michelson Interferometry setup for measurement of nm displacements.

The lecture modules will cover the analytical development of the equations for interference of waves and phase shifts. Specific nanosystems will be covered and the ways with which inteferometric techniques are coupled to the devices. Example applications that will be discussed are measurement of chemical etch rates (nm/min – mm/min) of solid reflective surfaces and scanning probe microscopy methods. The chair of the ME Department endorses this effort, see attached letter of support. There are three expected outcomes for the course. First, is knowledge of nanoscale metrology and the difficulties in making such measurements. Secondly, these modules reinforcement the physics of waves, which is of prime importance in many areas of nanotechnology. The final outcome is hands-on experience building an interferometer and measuring nanometer displacements. C. 6 ME 370/352L Introduction to Materials Science – Instructor (ZL and CL) ME 370/352L is a junior level course that introduces students to the basics of materials science. In this course ZL and CL will insert a module to instruct students about the atomic structure of materials (4 Lectures and 2 Labs). The lectures will cover the cubic atomic structures as well as the close-packed atomic structures. Subsequent lectures will cover the deformation of these structures as well as phase changes. During the lecture sessions the instructor will demonstrate crystal deformation via a 2-D mock-up of a close-packed crystal using drinking straws being nano-indented. This is based upon work that the PI ZL has recently published[32], see Figure 5. Each student will be given a desktop version of Figure 5’s experiment. They will take data from the simplified rig by reading displacements from a spring and then relating it back to the applied force.

Nano-Positioning Stage

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/phyopt/whilig.html#c1

Figure 5: Atomic – Straw experiment for ME370/352L

There will be two laboratories for this course, one with a larger straw model and the second with a real nano-indenter, see Facilities and Equipment for details of the nano-indenter. The straw model laboratory is the transition from the classroom’s demonstrations, but will give further insight due to the data collection methods being automated. This automation will allow for observation of discrete slip occurrences and their associated load drops, see Figure 5. Additionally, different crystal structures can be assembled. The second laboratory module utilizes the nano-indenter for which a considerable amount of work has already been accomplished to develop laboratory materials from ZL and CL’s last NUE award. Outcomes from this module are three. Firstly, the students will relate be able to relate the discrete displacements of the straws to the discrete displacements of atoms in real materials. Secondly, students will witness the load drops associated with atomic motion via the straw motion. Note that researchers have yet to witness this experimentally using TEM’s. Finally, students will be able to use the nanoindenter with confidence, knowing precisely the mechanisms at play while as the nanoindenter produces force versus displacement diagrams for them.

C.6 ME 462 – Nanomaterials Preparation and Characterization – Instructor (CL)

ME 462-CL is senior level course that will provide an overview of the synthesis and characterization techniques used to generate and analyze materials at a nanoscale. Materials generation and characterization is used for a wide range of applications. Examples of applications are catalysis, sensors, coatings, reinforcing fillers, etc. These are but a sample of what will be presented and discussed. The hierarchical design and function of these materials will be of central interest to the course. This is a technical elective for senior students in UNM’s SOE.

Oscilloscope

X-Y Linear stage

LDV Controller

LDV (Interferometer)

With mass at the tip

Without mass at the tip

AFM Cantilever w/ and w/o mass

Piezo crystal for base excitation

a)

b)

Function Generator

Figure 6: Schematic for dynamic testing of AFM cantilevers: a) Setup and b) Base excitation data for an AFM Cantilever with and without a mass attached

The objectives of this course are to provide a problem solving approach for nanomaterials generation/characterization and to promote creative thinking and hands-on experience. The need to provide a problem solving approach will be rooted in its application which addresses a societal need. In order to accomplish this, a diverse number of synthesis methods for nanotubes, nanoparticles and thin films will be introduced. In order to reinforce these concepts, discussion groups will be organized and these groups will to present study cases to identify the advantages / disadvantages of each method in order for students to develop critical thinking skills. To promote creative thinking and hands-on experience the groups will identify materials they want to synthesize and then develop roadmaps on how to synthesize these materials. Students will apply the knowledge that they gained in class and actually carry out their process from beginning to end. Throughout this process students will develop life-long learn abilities, because they will be forced to teach themselves and the group-mates about the research they have conducted. Additinally, they will be required to report their work in a journal-type written format and present their work to professors from UNM’s SOE.

The format of the course is to combine traditional lectures with multiple demonstrations, in class activities, discussion groups and experiments. The laboratory meets once a week for 3 hours and starts with practices to generate nanoparticles (gold, nickel or silver by colloidal routes) and fibers (transport reactions: WS2 or C fibers) along with actual use of characterization tools: TEM, SEM, XRD, TGA-DSC (4 sessions). The rest of the laboratory time is devoted to the individual projects development.

Outcomes of the course include: students formulating their own roadmaps for the synthesis and characterization of a specific material (Materials Design & Engineering). The students will apply the knowledge acquired in the class by carrying out a project (groups) in which a nanomaterial of technological interest will be generated and characterized. The course will encourage the use of novel formulations and/or synthetic approaches to obtain nanomaterials found in the literature – promotion of life-long learning skills. Students are expected to present their work in a written form (article in journal type) and as a class presentation.

C.6 ECE / ME 419 – Experimental Nano and MicroSystems – Instructor (ZL)

ME 419 is a senior level course that will be created as a result of this award. It has a specific emphasis on Nano and Microsystems and their underlying physics. Students will rely on previously learned knowledge from core classes taken in the ME and ECE curricula.

Samples of topics include: mass and force sensing at the micro and nanoscales, coupled

oscillators, interferometry, and nanofluidics. The main focus of these special Nano/Microsystems is rooted in mechanics, optics, and electronics. Mass, force, displacement (and its time derivatives) are to be the center of focus. Force measurement is typically a measurement deduced from displacement, thus displacement measurements will be given their due attention as well. Moving to the nanoscale, choices for displacement measurement become limited. Current knowledge, leads us to the conclusion that interferometry is the best choice for displacement measurements being capable of measuring displacements down to 5 pm [33]. An example of an experiment to be done is the detection of the displacement, velocity, and acceleration of a base-excited AFM cantilever. By attaching masses to the end of the AFM cantilever different behaviors can be found, see Figure 6. Coupled oscillators are another important system to study from the perspective of sensing changes in the state of nanosystems. Finally, nanofluidic devices will be modeled and fabricated using a focused ion beam (FIB). PI, ZL, was recently a co-PI for an NSF-MRI in which UNM purchased a FIB instrument (NSF - 0723224).

These topics will be presented lecture and lab. Lecture topics will being with 1-D analysis analytically and then work toward a 2-D and possibly 3-D analysis using simulations tools such as finite-difference time domain (FDTD) and finite element models (FEM).

Lecture modules will be supported by laboratory experiments as appropriate. In the first year of this proposal AFM cantilever and interferometry experiments will be developed. In year two, a force sensing module based on the actuator experiment will be developed, and a coupled oscillation experiment will be developed. The outcomes for this class will be knowledge of the physics of Nano/ Microsystems along with experience of designing micro/nanosystems and fabrication / data collection from them. Specifically, the interplay between mechanical elements, photonics, and electronics will be elucidated. The chair of the ME Department, Juan Heinrich, endorses this effort, see attached letter of support. The lab work will be performed mainly in the Manufacturing Training and Technology Center, see attached letter of support from Dr. John Wood.

C.8 ECE 495 – Biosensing - Instructor (MHZ) Biosensing is a newly designed course by co-PI Mani Hossein-Zadeh with the objective of introducing the applications of electronic, mechanical and photonic micro/nano devices in biosensor technology. It is expected that most students taking this course are seniors with a solid background in Electrical Engineering who are ready to explore the practical application of their knowledge and skills. An average enrolment of 15 students is expected. This course will be cross listed with the graduate program hence the undergraduate students will have the chance to interact with graduate students who are involved in research projects and learn about the existing research opportunities specifically in NS&NT. There will be 2 lectures every week (75 minutes each) for 16 weeks. In the beginning the student will learn the basic concepts in biochemistry required for understanding biosensing

Biosensors based on Silicon nanowires

Bioelectronic sensing

Introduction to conventional biosensing techniquesReview of important analytes and biomolecules: Conventional detection andanalytical techniques: Immunoassays, Chemical sensing methods, Optical sensingmechanisms and tools, Eletrochemical sensing mechanisms and tools, Massspectroscopy and chromatography.

Biophotonic sensing Biomechanical sensing

Biosensors based optical resonators and surface plasmons

Biosensors based on nanomechanical resonators

Examples from therapeutic applications of nanoparticles

Examples from applications of nanotechnology in cell biology

Figure 7: The overall plan for the new Biosensing course and the related nanobiotechnology related topics that will be covered in this course

systems. After an introduction to traditional biosensor technologies (approximately six weeks), the application of nanotechnology in biosensing will be introduced and the coverage will grow steadily toward the end of the semester. The gray boxes in Fig. 7 show the general topics covered in this course and the blue boxes summarize the nanotechnology related materials. Dr Hossein-Zadeh is a member of Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM) that is the home for an NSF IGERT program called “Integrating Nanotechnology with Cell Biology and Neuroscience (INCBN)”. Professors from medical and engineering school are currently conducting interdisciplinary projects through this program. Dr Hossein-Zadeh will also cover the biosensor related projects from this program in his course. During the semester there will be three lab sessions. The student will go to Dr Hossein-Zadeh’s research lab where characterization and measurement techniques for a photonic and electronic nanotechnology based biosensors are demonstrated. By including the applications of nanotechnology in various biosensing platforms (electronic, photonic, mechanical) the following outcomes are expected: 1) Motivation for continuing their studies on nanotechnology related fields (specifically nanobiotechnology) into graduate school. 2) For those who plan to join the workforce, their exposure to these applications is an opportunity for learning the usage of their skills in biosensor design and eventually join companies that develop state-of-the-art sensors based on nanotechnology. 3) The exposure to nanobiotechnology activities within INCBN, will motivate the students to join corresponding research groups at UNM.

C.9 Undergraduate Research Experience in Nanotechnology: Outstanding undergraduate students, from the previously described Nanotechnology Classes, will be

recruited to undertake research projects in departmental undergraduate problems courses (ME451/ECE491) or will be hired to participate in research activities as research assistants, see Figure 3. Undergraduate students from underrepresented groups will be given special consideration for these projects in order to broaden participation of these groups of students’ participation in NS&NT. The co-PI’s have strong record of recruiting underrepresented students (especially female and minority students, please see the PIs curriculum vitas) and will maintain their focus on this trend. These projects will be classified into two broad groups. Group 1 led by MP will develop teaching modules for K-12. Group 2 will focus on nanotechnology research projects to aid the PIs’ research. These individual projects will be led by the co-PI whose research it is.

The K-12 modules developed will be stand alone modules that can be presented in 30-45 minute time periods. The undergraduate students and the PIs will then disseminate this work to regional public schools including those located in the rural parts of New Mexico, and Native American reservations. Presentations will consist of colorful images and videos taken by the undergraduate students using TEM, SEM, and AFM capabilities at UNM. These will be utilized to invigorate local students about Nanotechnology. The co-PI’s have experience on presenting engineering materials to junior high and high school students in New Mexico. Undergraduate students will be recruited to perform research with the co-PIs. These students will be an integral part of the PIs project team including the PIs themselves, their post-doctoral assistants and graduate students. Projects will range from the synthesis of nanostructured materials to modeling of nanoscale phenomena and documenting results to be used in the continuous development of educational materials. Goals are set with the students, allowing for the satisfaction and full engagement necessary to encourage participation in graduate school in NS&NT and/or pursuing a career in this field.

D. Experience and Capabilities of Principal Investigators

(PI) Zayd C. Leseman– received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May of 2006 and subsequently joined The University of New Mexico as an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering with secondary position in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. During his graduate career as a research assistant, Dr. Leseman’s research consisted of micro/nanofabrication, development of novel MEMS devices, measurement of the mechanical properties of freestanding nanofilms, laser interactions with materials, adhesion measurements between micro/nanostructures and the synthesis of nanostructured materials. As a teaching assistant, he was a co-developer of course that taught fabrication and characterization techniques of

MEMS. Because of his efforts in the class, his students ranked him in the top 10% of instructors on the UIUC campus. Dr. Leseman is has been transitioning his pedagogical knowledge of NEMS/MEMS fabrication to UNM by developing new NS&NT courses at UNM. Though a recent graduate, Dr. Leseman already has 40 refereed publications. Additionally, Dr. Leseman is a member of ASEE and was a co-organizer of the ASEE regional conference in Albuquerque, NM Spring 2008.

Claudia C. Luhrs – received her PhD degree in chemistry from Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain (1997). She is an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at UNM since April 2007. Just before joining ME, Claudia worked as a Staff Engineer for Intel Corporation (New Mexico site, Fab11X, 2005-2007). Prior to that Claudia had a Visiting Research Professor position in the Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Department at UNM (2004-2005). Before coming to NM Claudia held a tenured position as a Professor of Chemistry and was in charge of the TEM lab at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico (1998-2004). Her current research interests focus on novel inorganic synthetic pathways, the characterization of crystal structures, properties and reactivity of nano materials. Her research has been extended in recent years to the production of nanosized metal particles, and nano-scale ceramic/metal composites. Application projects include gas sensors and high energy density nano-scale materials. Claudia has 8 years of experience in teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses.

Mani Hossein-Zadeh - Dr Hossein-Zadeh has supervised many BSc through Phd students during his graduate and postdoctoral studies. He started the first “Laser Lab” as a 2-unit course at Physics Department of Sharif University of Technology while he was MSc student. He supervised the design and implementation of all the experiments for the lab by undergraduate students mainly based on home-made devices. He taught this Lab for 3 semesters (Sharif Univ.of Tech. 1996-1999). Dr Hossein-Zadeh was a High school physics teacher when persuing his undergraduate studies back in his country (1994-1995). During that period he also published a high school Physics book (“Principles, concepts and advanced tests of physics-1: Mechanics and Optics” Alavi publication Dec. 1998, Tehran-IRAN). He wrote this study guide for students preparing themselves for the national university entrance examination.

Matthias W. Pleil – Matthias Pleil, Ph.D. is the Principal Investigator for the Southwest Center for Microsystems Education (SCME), a National Science Foundation funded Advanced Technological Education Regional Center of Excellence. He is a Research Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of New Mexico and a faculty member at Central New Mexico Community College. Dr. Pleil teaches Microsystems Fabrication and Design. He has over 12 years of experience in Semiconductor Manufacturing from both Texas Instruments and Philips Semiconductors, where he worked as a Senior Process and Equipment Engineer and Engineering Manager. Dr. Pleil received his Ph.D. in Physics in 1993 from Texas Tech University, where he completed original research on Time Resolved Fluorescence Spectroscopy. To learn more about the SCME, go to the website: www.scme-nm.org.

E. Evaluation Plan Although this is a two year proposal the evaluation will be carried out after each semester. This

approach enables enough feedback which will allow changes to the program to be made each semester so that the final courses material is the best it can be. Individual components within the courses will be assessed both formally and informally using the following evaluation techniques:

E.1 Formative evaluation i. Surveys: Student surveys for all nanotechnology topics covered in the program will be carried

out at the end of each semester for each proposed course. The University of New Mexico Information Technology Systems (ITS) recently purchased Opinio, an online survey software application that will allow UNM departments and organizations to conduct surveys and elections online. Opinio allows the PIs to produce and publish surveys that can be completed via a Web browser. Surveys can be set up with secured access, so that, for instance, only those students participating in the NUE plans with a valid password can take the survey.

ii. Focus groups: A course advisory group form nanotechnology community at UNM (IGERT, NSMS) will be invited to meet with the PIs and students on bi-annual basiss where students are free to discuss any aspect of the course. The interaction with the students means they will have a much more direct input into the decision-making process involved in the course. The results and recommendations from these meetings will provide information useful in modifying or making necessary changes to the proposed plans.

iii. Results: from tests and projects performed by students iv. Observations: the courses coordinators will schedule office hours to talk to the students

informally on a weekly basis to help identify any problems. E.2 Summative evaluation

i. The evaluation of the proposed plan’s overall achievement and results will be carried out using a third party and will measure the students outcome (acquisition of nanotechnology skills, access to jobs and the number of minority students joining the NSMS graduate program based on their NUE experience) $2000 per year, over the award period, will be allocated for the third party evaluations. The third parties will include a NSF ATE Programs evaluator currently used by the SCME program and subject matter experts from national laboratories (e.g. LANL and Sandia).

ii. Industrial evaluation of the program will also occur; we plan to leverage the SCME’s Industry Advisory Panel to obtain feedback on our curriculum and its relevance to industry.

iii. Existing NSF-supported program evaluation

F. Dissemination of Results The co-PI’s have planned some specific activities to ensure a significant level of knowledge

dissemination of our program. These activities are explained in details below. i. The newly proposed teaching modules, developed nanomaterials/nanosystems laboratory manuals,

will be made available to other institutions during and after the project. For every course, a dedicated webpage will be posted with lecture notes, assignments, and handouts. This method is already adopted by the PIs in their current classes. Several easy to read, step by step, pictorial manuals will be made available online as well. These manuals will allow the student to operate state of the art equipment (SEM, TEM, AFM and Nanoindenter) with minimum technical supervision.

ii. The co-PI’s plan to involve undergraduate students in developing teaching modules for K-12. These K-12 Shareable Content Objects (SCOs) will be developed to be stand alone modules that can be presented in a 30-45 minute time period. The co-PI’s have identified the great benefit of having undergraduates whose ethnicity matches that of the audience. In addition to the SCO effort, the co-PI’s will present components of the NS&NT material developed at 2 to 4 STEM Educator Workshops per year and show the participants how to adapt these into STEM high school courses. We plan to impact approximately 100 teachers over the course of two years who in turn will impact several hundred students at local / rural public schools and from New Mexico’s Native American Reservations.

iii. Students will present their nanosystem/ nanodevice projects results (presentations and posters) at a local conference (e.g. Rio Grande Symposium in Advanced Materials held annually at Albuquerque with participation from UNM, New Mexico State University (NMSU), New Mexico Tech (NMT), Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories.

iv. Students with extraordinary performance (e.g. term project) will be sponsored to present their results at international engineering meetings.

v. By the end of the first year, findings and observations will be disseminated to a larger community by publishing them at engineering education journals such as (Journal of Engineering Education, International Journal of Engineering Education and IEEE Transactions on Education).

vi. To reach a large community beyond New Mexico, we will utilize the National Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Digital Library (NSDL), as part of our dissemination effort.