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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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| Vol. XII, No.1 | A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
Sept. 2006
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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| Vol. XII, No.1 | A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
Sept. 2006
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Modern Nanoscience in Chemistry LabPing Furlan, Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh at Titusville, will use her Innovation in Education award to implement Incorporating Modern Nanoscience into the First Two Years of Chemistry Laboratory Curriculum. Furlan was motivated to propose this project because she is a member of the Laboratory Manuscript Review Committee for the Journal of Chemical Education and had recently reviewed their manuscripts for nanoscience-related experiments. The main goal is to introduce the students enrolled in General Chemistry I and II to modern nanoscience through their direct observation and experimentation on various nanomaterials in labs. Nanoscience deals with materials consisting of 10–10,000 atoms and as small as one-billionth of a meter (one nanometer). Materials of this infinitesimal scale have different properties than the bulk-sized analogues with which we are familiar and are thought to have a wide range of applications, particularly in medicine, the environment, and molecular electronics. The project requires several steps. First, a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) will be purchased. The STM, capable of atomic resolution, not only reinforces the traditional concepts of the sciences, it also provides an understanding of the atomic and molecular building blocks of our future products—the basis behind nanoscience itself. Next, a series of experiments, adapted and modified from the Journal of Chemical Education , will be implemented in General Chemistry I and II and other nanoscience-related courses. These experiments will be designed to achieve three goals: (1) to suit students’ skill levels; (2) to reflect course content; and (3) to illustrate the basic features of nanoscience, including nanosynthesis and nanofabrication. The STM will also be used by Linda Winkler for her anatomy and physiology course at UPT. Approximately 200 UPT students will benefit annually from the project. However, access to the STM will not be limited to Furlan’s and Winkler’s students or, for that matter, UPT students: Titusville high school students enrolled in that district’s gifted program will be involved in the project, and middle school students in the UPT Summer Enrichment Program will receive hands-on experience with the STM.
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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for Instructional Development & Distance Education |
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