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Qualified
students at Albany High School (“AHS”) will receive an unprecedented
opportunity to study the emerging field of nanotechnology through a
unique pilot program announced today by the City School District of
Albany (“CSDA”) and the University at Albany (“UAlbany”), through its
College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (“CNSE”).
Under
the program, named NanoHigh, eligible AHS students will receive
fellowships to participate in nanotechnology-related science and
engineering programs at CNSE, ranked by Small Times magazine in
May 2006 as the nation’s number one college for nanotechnology. Students
will receive one-on-one instruction from CNSE’s world-class faculty, as
well as an insider’s view of research at CNSE’s Albany NanoTech complex,
which features tools and facilities that are unparalleled in the
academic setting.
The
mission of the NanoHigh initiative is to develop and implement
innovative science and engineering educational programs between AHS and
the UAlbany CNSE. Under its pilot phase, NanoHigh will focus on
school-to-work activities designed to train AHS students in creative
nanoscience and nanoengineering concepts, and help equip them with the
skill set necessary to pursue advanced educational opportunities in the
field that is “leading to the next industrial revolution.”
UAlbany,
through CNSE, is investing $500,000 into the pilot program, including
$100,000 in the form of fellowships, scholarships and internships to
qualified AHS students, and $400,000 to cover the cost of their research
activities on site at CNSE’s Albany NanoTech complex.
Dr. Eva
Joseph, Superintendent of the City School District of Albany, said, “The
City School District of Albany is thrilled to have the chance to
participate in the NanoHigh pilot program, though which Albany High
School students will have an unparalleled opportunity to not only see
the future, but more importantly, to be a part of it. I applaud the
University at Albany and its College of Nanoscale Science and
Engineering, led by the vision and support of Provost Herbst and Vice
President Kaloyeros, for developing a program that invests in Albany
High School students and gives them a critical competitive advantage as
they pursue educational and career paths driven by nanotechnology.”
Susan V.
Herbst, University at Albany Provost and Executive Vice President for
Academic Affairs, said, “The NanoHigh program enhances the University at
Albany’s commitment to developing opportunities for both educational
outreach and scientific discovery and research. It is fully appropriate
that our pioneering College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering is
breaking new ground once again in the education and training of our
future high-tech workforce, and we’re proud to see that effort begin in
our own community with students from Albany High School.”
Dr. Alain
E. Kaloyeros, Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of CNSE,
said, “I am delighted with the opportunity to partner with
Superintendent Joseph and Provost Herbst in the creation of a program
that represents an unprecedented opportunity for students at Albany High
School to be educated in nanotechnology, the most important and enabling
science of the 21st century. In utilizing the world-class
faculty and facilities of the UAlbany NanoCollege, the NanoHigh program
is designed to stir a strong interest in science and math among AHS
students, encouraging them to pursue a host of exciting and lucrative
educational and career paths in the future.”
The National Science Foundation (“NSF”) projects that the
nanotechnology job market in the U.S. will require over 2 million
nanotechnology savvy workers by 2014. The NSF therefore is calling for
children between the ages of 10 and 17 to be educated now about the
field that will define their job market as adults. Of the 2 million
nanotechnology-savvy workers required by 2014, 20 percent are expected
to be scientists, with the remaining 80 percent consisting of highly
skilled engineers, technicians, business leaders, economists, and
others.
Representatives of CSDA and CNSE have created a working group to
formalize elements of the initiative, including the selection of
students, development of suitable research programs, establishment of
criteria through which participating students would receive academic
credit, and formulation of appropriate nanotechnology-enabled courses
for inclusion in the AHS curriculum.
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