Nanovip All things Nanotechnology – Nano Is The Futiure
Louisiana Tech University’s bachelor of science in nanosystems engineering has become the nation’s first undergraduate degree program in the field of nanoengineering to receive accreditation.
The program, which is the first of its kind in the U.S., received accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). The nanosystems engineering program was established in 2005 as an interdisciplinary degree program that provides students with the skills to work with functional systems at the molecular scale.
“This accreditation indicates that Louisiana Tech not only offers strong traditional degrees in engineering and science, but also offers innovative, forward-looking, cutting-edge programs like nanosystems and biomedical engineering,” said Dr. Stan Napper, dean of the College of Engineering and Science.
The program utilizes Louisiana Tech’s laboratory resources and interdisciplinary research, education and support programs, “allowing students to
apply nanotechnology fabrication techniques, as well as fundamental engineering skills learned through the integrated freshman and sophomore engineering curricula,” according to a university news release.
The accreditation gives students who earn a bachelor’s degree in the program eligibility to take the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam and apply to the state engineering board to become engineers in training.
“It gives some assurance to the students who are looking at this brand new degree program that the quality of this degree is just as high as any of our other engineering degrees,” Napper said. “Being the first and the only accredited nanosystems engineering program in the country, these early graduates from Louisiana Tech will be recruited by major graduate schools and many will go on for masters and doctorate degrees.”
Napper said the degree can be utilized in both traditional industries and newer fields.
“Some traditional applications include long-standing industries like oil and gas, chemical processing and even some biomedical technologies,” he said. “It also has applications in newer industries such as the production of new materials.”
Louisiana Tech’s nanosystems engineering program currently has an enrollment of about 70 students and has had roughly 25 graduates since its launch in 2005.