Teaching a Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Laboratory Course to Undergraduate Students

Here we report our efforts to teach the first multidisciplinary undergraduate nanotechnology laboratory course in the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University (NCSU). The course was designed to provide undergraduate students with hands-on experience in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The theme of this laboratory course is the integration of nanotechnology with microsystem technology, i.e., bottom-up synthesis meeting top-down fabrication. This course consists of seven carefully designed lab modules that bridge the major "pillars" of nanotechnology–nanomaterials, nanofabrication, nanoscale characterization, and nanodevices. Final projects provide students opportunities to conduct nanotechnology research through problem-based learning and to improve their communication and presentation skills for educating the public about nanotechnology. A pedagogical approach that features problem-based learning, group learning, visual/tactile assistance and interdisciplinary interaction was employed during the offering of this course.