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ALBANY, N.Y. (April 22, 2008)
-- The City School District of Albany
and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University
at Albany are building on the success of their pioneering “NanoHigh”
program by partnering to present the first-ever Capital Region
NanoEducation Summit on Wednesday, April 23 at CNSE's Albany NanoTech
Complex.
More than 100 teachers, administrators and
school board members from throughout the region are scheduled to attend
the forum, which is designed to increase educators’ awareness about
preparing K-12 students for science literacy – with a focus on the
emerging field of nanotechnology, which has been described by the
National Nanotechnology Initiative as “leading to the next Industrial
Revolution.”
The NanoEducation Summit will feature
discussion of the district and NanoCollege's groundbreaking NanoHigh
program, which debuted this year and is believed to be the first of its
kind at any public school in the country. Through NanoHigh, more than 30
students are studying nanotechnology as part of two courses that combine
classroom learning at Albany High School with monthly on-site visits to
the NanoCollege for hands-on laboratory activities.
Also new this school year, middle school
students are being introduced to nanoscale science and technology in
sixth grade, and the district plans to add an advanced nanoscience
course at Albany High for the 2008-09 school year.
“The UAlbany NanoCollege is a one-of-a-kind
educational facility right in our backyard. This great partnership
provides our students hands-on exposure to technology that is changing
our world, and is preparing them to take leading roles in tomorrow’s
high-tech workforce,” said Superintendent Eva C. Joseph, Ed.D.
“Working in collaboration with the City
School District of Albany, our partners in the pioneering NanoHigh
program, the UAlbany NanoCollege is pleased to be at the forefront of a
new paradigm that gives students a critical competitive advantage as
they pursue educational and career paths driven by nanotechnology," said
Alain E. Kaloyeros, Ph.D., vice president
and chief administrative officer of CNSE. "This unique effort is
addressing the vital national need to get more children involved in
math, science and technology, the fields that are creating exciting
career opportunities, including a growing number in the Capital Region
and New York State.”
Amid rapid growth in the
nanotechnology-driven economy of the Capital Region, Tech Valley and New
York State, the National Science Foundation has projected a need for 2
million nanotech-savvy workers nationwide by 2014, to include
researchers, scientists, engineers, technicians and others. The
NanoEducation Summit is timely and essential to providing educators with
critical insight into the science literacy necessary to develop students
for the highly educated, skilled and trained workforce of the future.
This innovative educational forum will
feature a keynote presentation by Dr. Kaloyeros; a featured presentation
by Jerry Adomshick, senior vice president of the Tokyo Electron Ltd.
(“TEL”) Technology Center, America (“TTCA”); comments by Dr. Joseph;
and, a presentation and discussion of the NanoHigh program by faculty
members from both the district and NanoCollege.
About CNSE. The UAlbany CNSE is the
first college in the world dedicated to research, development, education
and deployment in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience,
nanoengineering, nanobioscience and nanoeconomics. In May 2007, it was
ranked as the world’s number one college for nanotechnology and
microtechnology in the Annual College Ranking by Small Times
magazine. CNSE’s Albany NanoTech complex is the most advanced research
enterprise of its kind at any university in the world: a $4.2 billion,
450,000-square-foot complex that attracts corporate partners from around
the world and offers students a one-of-a-kind academic experience. The
UAlbany NanoCollege houses the only fully-integrated, 300mm wafer,
computer chip pilot prototyping and demonstration line within 65,000
square feet of Class 1 capable cleanrooms. More than 2,000 scientists,
researchers, engineers, students and faculty work on site at CNSE’s
Albany NanoTech complex, from companies including IBM, AMD, SEMATECH,
Toshiba, ASML, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, Vistec Lithography and
Freescale. An expansion currently underway will increase the size of
CNSE’s Albany NanoTech complex to more than 800,000 square feet,
including more than 80,000 square feet of Class 1 capable cleanroom
space to house more than 2,500 scientists, researchers, engineers,
students and faculty by mid-2009. For more information, visit
www.cnse.albany.edu.
The City School
District of Albany serves approximately 8,600 students in 18
elementary, middle and high schools. The district includes several
magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic
opportunities for students in addition to neighborhood schools. The
district is more than halfway through its comprehensive facilities
project to newly build and/or renovate nearly all of its elementary
and middle schools. The ultimate goal of the facilities project is
to provide schools with the resources necessary to help students
succeed in the 21st century. |
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