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This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award supports interdisciplinary doctoral training in nanotechnology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The research and education activities span six science and engineering departments using a structure that ties advances in fundamental science to complementary coursework and practical experience in innovation and… more »

This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award supports interdisciplinary doctoral training in nanotechnology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The research and education activities span six science and engineering departments using a structure that ties advances in fundamental science to complementary coursework and practical experience in innovation and technology development. The program’s intellectual merit and research emphasis is on the design, prototyping and market-oriented development of nanoscale devices through seamless integration of novel bottom-up processing schemes, including self-assembly, with conventional top-down approaches.

Doctoral training is centered around three related research thrusts: nanoscale materials and processes; electronic applications; and biomedical and environmental applications. Specifically, IGERT students conduct research on the directed self-assembly of block copolymers, advanced lithography, novel deposition and metallization techniques, and their implementation in nanoelectronic devices, high-density data storage, biosensors and therapeutics. In addition to multidisciplinary technical, professional and product development training, the students team-train on annual Technical Challenge Projects that develop their ability to design and prototype technically and commercially feasible devices using nanotechnology. These projects include external research experiences at R&D facilities and fabrication centers located in the U.S. and abroad. Collaborators and advisors for the projects include TIAX and Lucent Technologies’ Bell Laboratories. Additional activities focus on ethics, leadership and communication. The program’s broader impacts include developing scientists and engineers that are comfortable working at disciplinary boundaries, possess a well-rounded mastery of nanoscience and engineering and have the ability to transform advances in basic science to functional materials and devices that can be commercialized to meet emerging technological and societal needs.

IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. « less