Nanotechnology Education at SUNY Poly

Over the last decade, New York State has become a hub of nanotechnology for the east coast and one of the leading centers in the country in this field.The creation of new nanoelectronics facilities and the expansion of others has generated a need for highly skilled, yet adaptable work force to support the staffing needs of the nanotechnology industry.A new Computer Chip Commercialization Center (Quad-C) on SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) campus in Utica, is part of the sprouting industry and alone is expected to create approximately 1500 direct jobs.The intent of this paper is twofold.On one side it explains the rationale for recent changes to the requirements for the Nanotechnology minor while on the other side it explores the opportunities for the expansion of the nanotechnology education that arise through the integration of SUNYIT and CNSE into a single academic entity, SUNY Poly.The College of Engineering through its Engineering Technology Department in Utica has engaged in a curriculum rejuvenation consisting of the creation of new course content, new course development, efforts to develop a new nanocharacterization laboratory, and cooperation with the Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) in Albany.These efforts have been translated into the enhancement of a Nanotechnology minor program.These initiatives have attracted the interest of a significant number of students and enhanced the educational programs at SUNY Poly in Utica.Introductory college course in Physics and Chemistry are prerequisite courses for the Nanotechnology minor.The minor requires a minimum of 17 credits including a Core Course and four Elective Courses.The Core Course surveys the broad field of nanoelectronics and nanodevices bringing familiarity with the essential technologies and enabling the understanding of the various study paths that students can follow.Elective Courses include Micro and Nano Electro-Mechanical