A serious workforce crisis exists in the high technology sector: A quarter of the current science and engineering workforce will retire by the end of this decade. Filling these vacancies will require us, as a nation, to draw on po  ... more

A serious workforce crisis exists in the high technology sector: A quarter of the current science and engineering workforce will retire by the end of this decade. Filling these vacancies will require us, as a nation, to draw on populations which are currently under-represented in the engineering workforce. This critical issue is made all the more serious by the paradigm shift in science and technology to the nano scale. SINAM will address this national crisis through an educational program integrated with SINAM's research. Infusion of new knowledge obtained from research discoveries into education will allow us to equip our young engineers and scientists with strong fundamentals, cutting edge technological skills, and most importantly, innovative ideas. We propose three initial foci for our educational and outreach component all of which will reach out to under-represented minority and female students. These three foci intertwine and seamlessly integrate with SINAM research. Grades 7-12, Discover Nanotechnology Traditionally, the grade 7-12 science component does not provide exposure to engineering. This is an opportune point at which to expose students to opportunities in science and engineering and we believe that planting "innovative engineering seeds" in young minds will attract many of our best students to the engineering profession. However, students have a difficult time visualizing the microscopic world. SINAM will engage a team of researchers and graduate students, local high school teachers, and teachers-in-training in creating an inquiry based instructional module which will build on core science concepts by connecting modern examples of nanoscience and nanotechnology research.   less

This lesson has been designed to take (3) 60 minute class periods. Students will learn about photolithography by creating their own circuit board, as well as learn about electrical resistance and using this information to graph m  ... more

This lesson has been designed to take (3) 60 minute class periods. Students will learn about photolithography by creating their own circuit board, as well as learn about electrical resistance and using this information to graph mathematical data. California State Science Standards Addressed in Project Physical Sciences: Grade 8 5 (a): Students know reactant atoms and molecules interact to form products with different chemical properties 5 (e): Students know how to determine whether a solution is acidic, basic, or neutral Grade 8: Investigation and Experimentation 9 (a): Plan and conduct a scientific investigation to test a hypothesis 9 (b): Evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of data 9 (c): Distinguish between variable and controlled parameters in a test 9 (d): Recognize the slope of the linear graph as the constant in the relationship y=kx and apply this principle in interpreting graphs constructed from data. 9 (e): Construct appropriate graphs from data and develop quantitative statements about the relationships between variables. 9 (f): Apply simple mathematical relationships to determine a missing quantity in a mathematical expression, given the two remaining terms (including speed= distance/time, density= mass/volume, force= pressure x area, volume= area x height) 9 (g): Distinguish between linear and nonlinear relationships on a graph of data.   less

Engineers in the NSF SINAM Center have designed and built a Multi-Scale Alignment and Positioning System (MAPS) for precision engineering. MAPS represents the culmination of 3 years work of an interdisciplinary and collaborative  ... more

Engineers in the NSF SINAM Center have designed and built a Multi-Scale Alignment and Positioning System (MAPS) for precision engineering. MAPS represents the culmination of 3 years work of an interdisciplinary and collaborative team. MAPS addresses a critical problem of industrial nanomanufacturing: how to scale production of nano-scale components with macroscopic scale tools. MAPS is currently a test-bed that provides 5 nm precision over distances of 2 inches, which is more than 5 million times larger than the maximum precision.   less

Negative index metamaterials (NIMs) have been the subject of intense interest for the past several years due their exotic optical properties. The schematic on the right illustrates how the NIMs work. However, optical NIMs have b  ... more

Negative index metamaterials (NIMs) have been the subject of intense interest for the past several years due their exotic optical properties. The schematic on the right illustrates how the NIMs work. However, optical NIMs have been experimentally limited to a very thin layer with high losses, which was hard to assign bulk properties. Researchers at the NSF Centre for Scalable and Integrated NanoManufacturing (SINAM) have recently overcome these challenges by creating the first two three dimensional (3D) optical metamaterials exhibiting a negative index of refraction. The research is published in September 2008 issues of Nature and Science.   less

NSF document with appendix from a larger report on Nanoscale Science and Engineering Education (NSEE) in the U.S. Activities of K-12 and informal science activities of SINAM (Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing  ... more

NSF document with appendix from a larger report on Nanoscale Science and Engineering Education (NSEE) in the U.S. Activities of K-12 and informal science activities of SINAM (Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing) include: Nano-Manufacturing Summer Academy (NMSA): The NMSA program is held for an 8-week period in the summer. Participants are college and high school students, who engage in full-time research on a topic related to nano-manufacturing. New Nano-Courses within UCLA Engineering: Five courses were added or augmented amongst SINAM institutions for 2004. A new undergraduate course, entitled “Bio-NEMS Lab”, was designed and taught by Professors Yong Chen and Jeong-Yeol Yoon of UCLA.   less

SINAM's 7-12 Outreach programs. Photolithography Experience: Students will learn about photolithography by creating their own circuit board, as well as learn about electrical resistance and Nanomanufacturing. Students will also h  ... more

SINAM's 7-12 Outreach programs. Photolithography Experience: Students will learn about photolithography by creating their own circuit board, as well as learn about electrical resistance and Nanomanufacturing. Students will also have a fun time solving mathematical equations and graphing the data they collect. The lesson is designed to take about 2-3 days in a science class period or block. The faculty and staff at UCLA/SINAM is excited about interacting with middle school students and getting more of today’s youth on a path to pursue a career in the field of engineering. The SINAM Middle School Outreach Team works with the Camino Nuevo Charter Academy.   less

Article for Nanotechnology Now, April 2008. Excerpt: "Nanomanufacturing (SINAM) was created in 2003, after the National Science Foundation awarded the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science a grant worth  ... more

Article for Nanotechnology Now, April 2008. Excerpt: "Nanomanufacturing (SINAM) was created in 2003, after the National Science Foundation awarded the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science a grant worth nearly $18 million over five years to establish a new Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) that would focus on developing cost-effective nanomanufacturing technologies by working closely with industry. Besides wanting to bridge the gap between scientific research and economically feasible manufacturing solutions, SINAM knew it needed to also address critical high tech work force needs through an integrated research and education program. One aspect of the center's educational outreach program is geared towards middle and high school students, grades 7 - 12. Knowing that traditionally the science curriculum for those grades does not provide any exposure to engineering, SINAM, with the help of Sarah Tolbert, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, put in place a program called, "Discover the Exciting World of Nanotechnology," where students are given the opportunity to learn about photolithography by creating their own circuit boards. Led by Adrienne Lavine, chair of the mechanical and aerospace engineering department and KiMi Wilson, education and outreach coordinator for SINAM, the team has already brought this personal hands-on experience to several schools in the last couple years including Camino Nuevo Middle School and Camino Nuevo High School, both of Los Angeles, and New City Charter School of Long Beach."   less

The ability to manipulate the spatial distribution of molecular LEGOs (the fundamental building blocks for bottom-up nanomanufacturing) inside a bulk fluid and then transport them to specific locations on a solid surface is funda  ... more

The ability to manipulate the spatial distribution of molecular LEGOs (the fundamental building blocks for bottom-up nanomanufacturing) inside a bulk fluid and then transport them to specific locations on a solid surface is fundamental for the effective construction of multi-dimensional structures at predefined regions. Nano-fluidic circuitry, developed by SINAM researchers, is capable of transporting molecules inside micro- and nano-fluidic environments allowing them to be deposited.   less

Scalable nanodiamond (ND)-embedded platforms were developed by fabricating a microfilm device by coupling a parylene-based biostable polymer complex with ND-Doxorubicin chemotherapeutic clusters. This served as a versatile appro  ... more

Scalable nanodiamond (ND)-embedded platforms were developed by fabricating a microfilm device by coupling a parylene-based biostable polymer complex with ND-Doxorubicin chemotherapeutic clusters. This served as a versatile approach towards the integration of nanomanufacturing with healthcare in that virtually any drug could be loaded into this system. NDs possess several advantageous properties as drug carriers including the fact that they can be batch functionalized and purified, possesses demonstrated cellular, tissue, and organism level biocompatibility/lack of toxicity, have high loading capacities, and can be suspended in water for both particle-based delivery and easy integration into polymeric devices. The microfilm device that was demonstrated by this work was capable of eliminating the ‘burst’ release effect while maintaining consistent release profiles for at least one month. Also, the chemical vapor deposition of the microfilms coupled with facile ND-drug deposition enabled device architectures (e.g. thickness, shape, flexibility) to be easily controlled. Furthermore, this fabrication strategy allows for multi-drug and sequential drug release to further promote enhancements in therapeutic efficacy.   less

A digital library of educational resources developed by the Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing (SINAM), a National Science Foundation (NSF) Nano-scale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC). The target audience fo  ... more

A digital library of educational resources developed by the Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing (SINAM), a National Science Foundation (NSF) Nano-scale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC). The target audience for the educational resources includes grades 7-12, higher education and professional development. The SINAM vision is to develop a new nanotechnology manufacturing paradigm combining fundamental scientific research with an industrial outlook. SINAM has developed its leadership in nanomanufacturing through the collective effort of its exceptional interdisciplinary team of academic and industrial researchers from seven institutions during our Phase I operation. In our Phase II operation, the multi-institutional team effort of SINAM including the University of California at Berkeley (UCB), the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Stanford University, the University of North Carolina Charlotte (UNCC), Northwestern University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, bringinging together a wealth of expertise in manufacturing, process systems and modeling, material synthesis, the physical sciences and applications development. In an environment dedicated to multi-disciplinary and collaborative science, in addition to a program of education for the next generation of pioneers, SINAM creates the opportunities for industrial quantum-leaps in nanotechnology.   less