Training

The Center is leading the effort to prepare students for tomorrow’s challenges by developing a nanoscale science and technology curriculum unique to the University of Illinois. Students are being exposed to a broad, interdisciplinary set of courses that promote an understanding of nanotechnology as it applies to basic and applied research. Students gain knowledge and develop skills and appreciation for the role nanotechnology plays in shaping our future.

Research Experience for Teachers (RET)

The nano@illinois Research Experience for Teachers (RET) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will annually (from 2014-2017) expose a diverse set of in-service and pre-service science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers and community college faculty from across the nation to cutting-edge research in nanotechnology. The RET will focus on recruiting underrepresented minority populations (focused on ethnicity, geography, disability, and veteran status) including women and will target teachers from high-need areas, including inner city, rural, low-income, and those with significant URM students. Participants will conduct research over 6 weeks in world-class labs with 4 follow-up sessions during the school year. Participants will have possibilities to extend the RET for 2 years.

Teacher professional development will include teacher-focused lectures, ethics seminars, hands-on modules, STEM education issues, career choices, and resources for implementing a nano lab and curriculum. With interest and experience in K-14 education, faculty’s and staff’s commitment to this RET Site will ensure positive outcomes for the teachers and their students. The RET Site will leverage institutional knowledge and educational resources developed through the NSF Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems (Nano-CEMMS). Teachers will develop modules to be disseminated widely. High-quality follow-up sessions and evaluation will be infused.
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Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

The nano@illinois REU an NSF-funded REU site in the area of nanotechnology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The nano@illinois REU trains and mentors a diverse set of undergraduate students, including students from underrepresented minority groups, in cutting-edge research in nanotechnology. The research is guided and motivated by grand challenges facing our society and world. The REU students are part of a trans-generational educational experience in the rich and diverse nanotechnology environment at Illinois. Our goal is to solidify REU student interest in graduate research and education; to train them in critical elements of leadership, ethics, teamwork, mentoring, and outreach; and to improve their ability to communicate their research results to professional and lay audiences.
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Summer Institutes and Workshops

BioNanotechnology Summer Institute

The overall objective of the BioNanotechnology Summer Institute is to enhance participants' ability to address challenges in Cancer Nanotechnology and Mechanobiology. The Summer Institute offers expertise from interdisciplinary faculty in biology, engineering, materials science, and nanotechnology through a combination of lectures and hands-on lab experiences. Specific objectives include training the next-generation researchers in nanotechnology, applied to both engineering and biology through lectures and hands-on experiences and fostering multi-lateral and multi-disciplinary collaboration and interactions. Funding for the program has been provided through the NSF Integrative Graduate Education Research Traineeship in Cellular and Molecular Mechanics and BioNanotechology, NIH/NCI Midwest-Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center, and the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology.
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BioSensing BioActuation BioNanotechnology Summer Institute

The BioSensing BioActuation BioNanotechnology Summer Institute (B3SI) is a collaboration between the University of Illinois and National Taiwan University that provides training in nanotechnology and biology research tools to address interdisciplinary research needs in biosensing bioactuation, cancer biology, and cell mechanics. B3SI integrates the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC) BioSensing BioActuation Summer Institute (BSBA) with the NSF and National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored BioNanotechnology Summer Institute (BNSI), to create a 2-week training experience on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus.
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Center for Physics of Living Cells Summer School

This summer school is designed for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and researchers in chemical and life sciences, biophysics, physics and engineering who would like to expand their research skills into these areas. The workshop will consist of an initial period of 'basic training' on technique fundamentals followed by a four day advanced laboratory module on a selected topic.
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GEM4

Objective: To educate researchers and graduate students about the fundamentals of cell and molecular biomechanics, and to provide an intense learning experience, and to facilitate interactions among engineers, biologists and clinicians. The goals are to help train a new generation of researchers with in-depth knowledge of mechanics and biology and to help engineers and biologists apply biomechanical approaches in biomolecular, cellular, tissue-level, animal model studies.
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Illinois Summer Neuroscience Institute

The Illinois Summer Neuroscience Institute (ISNI) offers the chance to explore the wide range of neuroscience research at the University of Illinois. ISNI is a one-week, all expense-paid program that will offer a select group of students a firsthand look at what a research career in neuroscience entails, as well as the opportunity to connect with faculty studying neuroscience from engineering, psychological, behavioral, and molecular perspectives. ISNI is organized and led by the UIUC Neuroscience Program.
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