Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > UCLA’s Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing (SINAM) Reaches out to Young Minds to Replenish the Engineering Workforce

KiMi Wilson, education and outreach coordinator for SINAM, helps students from Camino
Nuevo Middle School get started on their circuit boards.
KiMi Wilson, education and outreach coordinator for SINAM, helps students from Camino Nuevo Middle School get started on their circuit boards.

Abstract:
The Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing (SINAM) was created in 2003, after the National Science Foundation awarded the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science a grant worth nearly $18 million over five years to establish a new Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) that would focus on developing cost-effective nanomanufacturing technologies by working closely with industry.

UCLA’s Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing (SINAM) Reaches out to Young Minds to Replenish the Engineering Workforce

LOS ANGELES, CA | Posted on April 13th, 2008

Besides wanting to bridge the gap between scientific research and economically feasible manufacturing solutions, SINAM knew it needed to also address critical high tech work force needs through an integrated research and education program.

One aspect of the center's educational outreach program is geared towards middle and high school students, grades 7 - 12. Knowing that traditionally the science curriculum for those grades does not provide any exposure to engineering, SINAM, with the help of Sarah Tolbert, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, put in place a program called, "Discover the Exciting World of Nanotechnology," where students are given the opportunity to learn about photolithography by creating their own circuit boards.

Led by Adrienne Lavine, chair of the mechanical and aerospace engineering department and KiMi Wilson, education and outreach coordinator for SINAM, the team has already brought this personal hands-on experience to several schools in the last couple years including Camino Nuevo Middle School and Camino Nuevo High School, both of Los Angeles, and New City Charter School of Long Beach.

According to Wilson, "We felt that it was important to provide the students with an experience that would enrich their science education, satisfy some of the California State science standards, and expose students to the exciting new field of nano-engineering."

The center believes that planting the engineering seeds in young minds early will attract many of the best students to the engineering profession. Lavine added, "This program supports our goal of reaching out to underserved communities and increasing the pipeline of students entering the science and engineering fields."

This year, instead of spending three days at each of the participating school sites, the students are brought to UCLA for a more complete university experience. "Bringing the students to campus enables us to involve more faculty and graduate students in the program and to expose the kids to the excitement of a college campus," said Lavine.

In a college lecture hall, students not only learn the fundamentals of electrical resistance and nanomanufacturing by creating circuit boards, but they are also treated to a special lunch discussion on nanoscience with a volunteer faculty member. The day ends with a tour of the campus.

"As an eighth grade science teacher, with our curriculum, it is very hard for me to do much hands-on work," said Michelle Kim, of Camino Nuevo Middle School, who participated in this year's first Nanotechnology class at UCLA. "So I'm very happy that the students have this opportunity and am very impressed with what Professor Lavine and Mr. Wilson have done for us today. The kids have responded very well."

Besides the "Discover Nanotechnology" program for middle and high school students, SINAM's other educational programs include The Nanomanufacturing Summer Academy (NMSA), an intensive eight-week research experience for high school and college students and the Graduate Young Investigator Program, where individual or groups of graduate students propose an innovative research topic that involves at least two faculty members in SINAM from different fields, to study a nanomanufacturing topic using a multidisciplinary approach. All three educational components under SINAM reach out to under-represented minority and female students.

####

About UCLA
UCLA began as the Los Angeles State Normal School, a teachers college that became the southern branch of the University of California on May 23, 1919. In the fall of 1945, the College of Engineering opened with an enrollment of 379 students. The School now has seven academic departments and a total enrollment of more than 4,000. The School is also home to five major externally funded interdisciplinary research centers, as well as many other multidisciplinary ventures.

For nearly 60 years, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has been redefining excellence in education, research and community outreach. We are a place where innovation is expected.

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Wileen Wong Kromhout
Director, Media Relations & Marketing
Office of External Affairs

Telephone:(310) 206-0540
Fax: (310) 825-3966

Copyright © UCLA

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

News and information

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Two-dimensional bimetallic selenium-containing metal-organic frameworks and their calcinated derivatives as electrocatalysts for overall water splitting March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Researchers’ approach may protect quantum computers from attacks March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Optically trapped quantum droplets of light can bind together to form macroscopic complexes March 8th, 2024

Academic/Education

Rice University launches Rice Synthetic Biology Institute to improve lives January 12th, 2024

Multi-institution, $4.6 million NSF grant to fund nanotechnology training September 9th, 2022

National Space Society Helps Fund Expanding Frontier’s Brownsville Summer Entrepreneur Academy: National Space Society and Club for the Future to Support Youth Development Program in South Texas June 24th, 2022

How a physicist aims to reduce the noise in quantum computing: NAU assistant professor Ryan Behunin received an NSF CAREER grant to study how to reduce the noise produced in the process of quantum computing, which will make it better and more practical April 1st, 2022

Announcements

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Human Interest/Art

Drawing data in nanometer scale September 30th, 2022

Scientists prepare for the world’s smallest race: Nanocar Race II March 18th, 2022

Graphene nanotubes revolutionize touch screen use for prosthetic hands August 3rd, 2021

JEOL Announces 2020 Microscopy Image Grand Prize Winners January 7th, 2021

Grants/Sponsored Research/Awards/Scholarships/Gifts/Contests/Honors/Records

Discovery of new Li ion conductor unlocks new direction for sustainable batteries: University of Liverpool researchers have discovered a new solid material that rapidly conducts lithium ions February 16th, 2024

$900,000 awarded to optimize graphene energy harvesting devices: The WoodNext Foundation's commitment to U of A physicist Paul Thibado will be used to develop sensor systems compatible with six different power sources January 12th, 2024

Catalytic combo converts CO2 to solid carbon nanofibers: Tandem electrocatalytic-thermocatalytic conversion could help offset emissions of potent greenhouse gas by locking carbon away in a useful material January 12th, 2024

'Sudden death' of quantum fluctuations defies current theories of superconductivity: Study challenges the conventional wisdom of superconducting quantum transitions January 12th, 2024

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project