Ph.D. students from both the Colleges of Natural Sciences and Engineering will participate in this IGERT program through the Departments of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering. The primary educational goal of the program is that every IGERT graduate will have both a deep fundamental understanding of atomic and molecular imaging techniques used to study interfaces and defects and in-depth knowledge of how such interfaces and defects impact device functionalities and characteristics. All IGERT trainees are required to complete each course.The core curriculum also contains two novel features: the team-teaching concept and an integrated laboratory course.

1. Nanostructure Characterization Techniques - Fall 2009 - Ken Shih PHY 392T
2. Theory of Inorganic Nanostructures for Device Applications - Spring 2010 - Team taught course led by Jim Chelikowsky - PHY 392T; EE396V; ME397; CHE384
3. Nanomaterials - Fall 2010 - Brian Korgel - CHE 384
4. Comprehensive Nanotechnology Laboratory [view syllabus]; example proposals: [#1] [#2]
5. Ethics Class - Every spring - Elaine Li - PHY 197

Case studies from the 2011 Ethics class are posted here:

WaSolar Energy Ethics Case WaSolar Energy Ethics Case by Dave Tuttle & Greg Dahlberg

The Ethics of Reverse Engineering by Karole  Blythe and Jason Mantey

Religion and Science: Gaskell vs the University of Kentucky by Charlotte Sanders and Chris Mann

Ethics and the Journal Article Acceptance Process The Case of Jan Hendrik Schon by Matt Charlton and Julian Villarreal

The first is an experimental course that is aimed at providing an introduction to experimental techniques used in nanostructure characterization. The majority of the course will be devoted to fundamentals and applications of various forms of scanning probe microscopy, e.g. scanning tunneling microscopy, scanning force microscopy as well as near field scanning optical microscopy. In addition, a brief overview of transmission electron microscopy will be included.

The second course will focus on fundamental theoretical descriptions of material defects and interfaces and will integrate advanced computer simulations to further explore the properties of defects and interfaces. The techniques imparted in this course will simultaneously serve as an aid in the interpretation of experimental imaging results and allow investigation into the roles of interfaces and defects in the functionalities and characteristics of nanostructures and devices.

The third course is aimed at providing basic training in synthesis and processing of nanostructured materials and devices.

The final class, a comprehensive laboratory course, will be the capstone that integrates all three aspects - synthesis, characterization, and theoretical modeling - into one complete package. This course will provide graduate students with a unique interdisciplinary experience by creating a setting where multiple faculty and students must work together in a highly collaborative and effective way. In this course, students work on a laboratory project that contains all three aspects and work simultaneously with three faculty members in these areas. The projects and partnerships that are formed during this distinctive laboratory experience will be far more fruitful than those arising from artificially created co-advisory arrangements where one or more advisors are simply figureheads. Additionally, it is expected that the majority of these collaborative laboratory ventures will naturally develop into interdisciplinary thesis projects.

The ethics course is offered each spring for 2 days shortly before spring classes begin. It is a 2-day workshop course. Each trainee must attend a total of 2 ethics courses.