What do Mylar balloons, preserved wood, self-cleaning glass and quality water have in common? Students and faculty at UW-Eau Claire used the university’s Materials Science Center to advance the development of these items and numerous others using technology on the nano-level.
Nanotechnology, touted by many scientists as the “next big thing,” deals with particles on the nanoscale – one-billionth of a meter.
And students at Eau Claire may be able to specialize in the field if the state Legislature passes an initiative proposed by officials at Eau Claire, UW-Stout and Chippewa Valley Technical College.
The NanoSTEM Initiative, named for its incorporation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, would fund collaborative academic programs at the three institutions, with Eau Claire focusing on material sciences, said physics professor Doug Dunham.
The Initiative calls for more than $3.8 million in General Purpose Revenue for the 2007-2009 budget biennium.
“This initiative would expand on an existing strength that we have and that’s our Materials Science Center,” Interim Chancellor Vicki Lord Larson said. “We’re not creating something from nothing.”
Dunham, with professors in the geology and physics departments, is in the process of creating an undergraduate program in nanotechnology. The state funding would be used to hire 12 new full-time faculty members at Eau Claire and 12 at Stout, as well as equipment and outreach support, according to the proposal.
“It’s not a revolutionary thing,” Dunham said, explaining that nanotechnology has been around for a while. “I think it’s going to have a huge effect in the future. Almost every product you use today is going to have some improvements due to nanotechnology.”
Freshman chemistry major Josh Tritsch was in CVTC’s nanotechnology associate degree program before transferring to Eau Claire.
He said he’s reluctant to believe advancements in nanotechnology will come as quickly as some have touted.
“It’s gotten hyped up a little too much,”
Tritsch said. “I think everything they say can be done, but I don’t know how soon.”
Not only would the program benefit the education institutions, Phillips and Larson said, it also would provide an invaluable asset to businesses in western Wisconsin.
They said such a program in this area of the state would attract new businesses that, in turn, provide more student-faculty collaborative research opportunities as well as jobs for graduates.
“It’s a workforce development initiative, or I like to use the phrase economic stimulant,” Phillips said, adding the collaboration is natural because all of western Wisconsin is affected by Eau Claire, Stout and CVTC.
Larson said despite GPR budget crunches, all involved are optimistic the state will allocate money to the nanotech program.
“We believe that it will fill a great need in the northwest quadrant of the state,” she said. “It’ll really move this part of the state in the right direction.”
