Community tour gives glimpse of big impact of nanotechnology

Laptops with wings? Cars that parallel park themselves? Prosthetic limbs that respond to brain waves? Credit nanotechnology for enabling these and other innovations.

From left, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education Joseph Dragone, Superintendent Eva Joseph, Dr. Alain Kaloyeros, the college's vice president and chief administrative officer, and Albany Common Councilwoman Carolyn McLoughlin.

More than 40 community members got a glimpse of the profound impact that nanotechnology is having on the world, and some of the educational opportunities it is making available to students locally on a visit to the University at Albany College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering on Wednesday, June 13. The community field trip was arranged by Albany Common Councilwoman Carolyn McLoughlin and the City School District of Albany (picture.

The college’s $3.5 billion, 450,000 square-foot Albany NanoTech complex on Fuller Road is the most advanced research facility of its kind, and was recently named the top college for nanotechnology and microtechnology by the prestigious Small Times magazine.

After a tour of the facility, Dr. Alain Kaloyeros, the college’s vice president and chief administrative officer, gave the group of community members, which ranged in age from toddlers to grandparents, an overview of how nanotechnology is transforming the world from medicine to business to entertainment.

Essentially, technology enabled by the science allows a much greater number of computer transistors and sensors to fit into a much smaller space. Dr. Kaloyeros’ multimedia presentation gave several examples:

• A button is pushed in a car that tells it to park. Computer sensors on the car scan the surrounding environment for a space, and gauge the dimensions of the space, steering the car into the right spot.

• A biotechnological device that is so small that it can perceive changes in the body that may help doctors detect disease much earlier than ever before. This same concept can allow prescription drugs to be used with a level of precision that has not previously been possible.

• Military and homeland security implications, such as robots that are trained to detect roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan and save lives

And, as an industry, nanotechnology is surging. Kaloyeros said that what was a $100 billion industry in 2005 will be a $300 billion industry in 2009, and will be up to $2.6 trillion in less than a decade. According to the National Science Foundation, there will be 2 million jobs in nanotechnology by 2014. Locally, six out of the top 10 fastest growing job sectors is in the computer field, according to a recent analysis by the Albany Business Review. 

“This means children between the ages of 10 and 17 must be educated now to meet this demand and be ready for the opportunities they will have in the future,” Dr. Kaloyeros said. 

Indeed, the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and the City School District of Albany are already off to a good start. Last fall, the NanoCollege and District announced a pilot program called “NanoHigh,” which will give Albany High School students unprecedented opportunities to study nanoscience and work hands-on with researchers and cutting-edge tools at the college. 

A joint working group between the college and the district has developed two nanoscience courses that will be offered at the high school beginning in the fall. And, the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering will be making $500,000 available for internships for Albany High School students. 

“This one-of-a-kind educational facility is right in our backyard, and I was so pleased to be able to bring the community to see it firsthand in what I hope will be the first of many community events between our two organizations,” Superintendent Eva Joseph said. “I am also so excited that we will begin to offer nanoscience courses in partnership with the college next year, and look forward to exploring future opportunities to connect our students with this technology that is changing the world.”