NUE 2003-2004

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Fundamentals of Nanoscale Science and Engineering - Spring 2004

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Posted Assignments - Class Research Project

Updated Feb. 24, 2004

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE READ THE DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT ASSIGNMENT BELOW. PLEASE EMAIL YOUR TOPIC SELECTION TO PROFESSORS JASZCZAK, SEELY, OR CANEBA.

The primary written assignment for this course is the preparation of a short paper that explores the “state of the art” in some area of nanoscience or nanoengineering. Topics must examine some aspect of nanoscience, in which case you can direct any questions to John Jaszczak; an engineering or tools issue, in which case you can contact Gerry Caneba; or the societal implications of nanotechnology – check with Bruce Seely. This is your chance to pursue and explore the issue that has most captured your attention. We do not intend to assign topics. Pick an issue about which you are curious to learn more. You will need to narrow the subject a little. For example, if you are interested in the tools used to conduct work at the nanoscale, you should pick one, rather than try to cover them all. Rather than talk about nanotechnology, you should pick a field of engineering – or better yet some subset. Rather than nanomaterials, try to focus on a specific category or type of materials. You may not be able to do this right at the beginning – but the chapters in Ratner and Ratner should help. This paper will be worth 40% of the course grade.

Content: We expect you to tell us about the current state of work in your chosen area. Among the questions to think about are these: What is happening now in terms of nano work? What are the scientific or engineering challenges facing researchers? What are the prospects of actually solving those challenges? What tools are required to advance nanoscale work? In addition, EVERY paper must include a section that discusses the societal implications of the particular field under review.

Topic Selection: You should submit a topic during the class on February 24, on the memorable item sheet. We want to make sure your topic fits into the framework of this class. We also may ask for minor adjustments to limit obvious duplications

Style Sheet:

Length: Paper must be 4-6 pages double-spaced, 11 or 12-point font. (1500-2000 words). We will allow joint (2-person) projects, although we strongly recommend individual efforts. Joint papers will need to explore topics in much greater depth, since you have two persons to share the work. These papers will need to be about twice as long. Joint projects must be cleared in advance with one of the faculty.
Sources: You must draw upon at least 3 sources in addition to the Ratner and Ratner volume; it will not hurt to use more than 3. Information may be drawn from the web, but we strongly recommend that you be selective and critical of the sources. The best will be scientific and professional journals and peer-reviewed publications – in print on on-line. Web sites should be those developed by recognized organizations such as professional societies (American Chemical Society), universities, or research organizations like the Foresight Institute or the National Science Foundation. Sometimes general science and engineering journals such as Technology Review, Scientific American, or Chemical and Engineering News will offer good overviews, while you can find research papers in Science, Nature, and specialized research and professional society journals. A preliminary list of your sources should be turned in on March 15.
Style of citation: As in any formal paper, you must use references to indicate the sources from which you have drawn your information. You may use a parenthetical style in the text (Seely, p. x), with a list of references at the end of the end. Or you may use formal footnotes. The style is less important than the idea of making clear where you got your information.
Bibliography: All papers must include a list of the sources you used.

Academic integrity: There are so many topics that we see little reason to worry about overlapping, but we will absolutely expect to see original work in each project. This is a not an assignment where collaboration is acceptable.

Due Date: You should turn papers in during the class in Week 13 – April 12.

Optional Poster session:
We are working out the details for an opportunity for you to present your findings in the form of a poster session. In this case, you would have the ability to develop a summation of the proposal, with text and images on a poster 3 feet square. Joint papers and those who wish to apply for support for a REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) award will be required to develop a poster. Others may do so for extra credit. This can be a very good learning experience – we encourage you to consider this option. Time and place will be announced.