MONT Education and Outreach

The Montana Nanoscale Facility (MONT) education and outreach (E&O) activities are central to the MONT mission to increase use of the facility by students, faculty, and visiting scholars, and to increase awareness about nanotechnology by the general public. Specific E&O activities include:

• Development of a web portal to support Instruction on Nanotechnology across the Undergraduate STEM Curriculum. Digital library technologies will support a broad array of learning resources on nanotechnology such as “primers” on modern analytical methods, introduction to topics in applied nanotechnology (e.g., nanofabrication, biofilms), profiles of researchers and their research programs, approaches and outcomes of nanotechnology research, and recommended instructional activities that integrate the basic science, pedagogic methods, assessments and related resources.
• Development of short courses for graduate students and visiting faculty in the use of MONT facilities; one week in-residence courses will be offered to give participants first-hand experience in nanomanufacturing and nano-scale chemical and physical characterization of materials;
• Short courses for K-12 science teachers will be offered through MSU’s Master of Science in Science Education program;
• Annual 1-day workshop for representatives of regional industries who are invested in nanotechnology (biotechnology, materials research, environmental science) to introduce their representatives to the opportunities provided by the MONT Facility and NNCI network.
• Quarterly webinars on topics of interest related to: a) modern methods used in nanotechnology and b) applications to topics of interest (e.g., corrosion, bio-adhesion).  These webinars will be offered using the teleconferencing services of the MSU Burns Telecommunications Center.

For more information, contact:  Dr. David Mogk, Professor of Geology, Dept. of Earth Sciences, Montana State University;  mogk@montana.edu

http://www.nano.montana.edu/education_outreach.html