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Posted: July 1, 2008

UAlbany NanoCollege, Albany city school district partner to launch Nanoscale Science Summer Institute
(Nanowerk News) Twenty-five middle-school students from the Capital Region will spend their summer vacation immersed in nanotechnology as they attend the first-ever Excelsior Scholars Nanoscale Science Summer Institute, a partnership between the City School District of Albany ("CSDA") and the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering ("CNSE") that builds on the success of the groundbreaking "NanoHigh" program developed jointly by CSDA and CNSE.
Students from the Bethlehem Central School District, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central Schools, Mohonasen Central School District and Shenendehowa Central School District will join CSDA students in the six-week program, which begins on Monday, July 7 and is funded through the New York State Education Department's Excelsior Scholars Program for Grade Seven Mathematics and Science Students.
Each week, students will attend two days of introductory nanoscience courses taught at Albany High School, and then bring those classroom lessons to life with hands-on, interactive laboratory activities conducted at CNSE's world-class Albany NanoTech Complex. The curriculum is modeled on the NanoHigh program, a joint effort between CSDA and CNSE to enhance students' opportunities to take advantage of new nanotechnology-related careers being created in the Capital Region, New York State and around the globe, which this year graduated its first 20 students.
The Nanoscale Science Summer Institute will provide students with a foundational understanding of the fundamental principles and applications of nanoscale science and engineering, including an up-close look at several cutting-edge areas of nanotechnology, such as nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, nanobioscience and solar-powered devices.
"We are pleased to be able to build on our great partnership with the UAlbany NanoCollege to expand the opportunities available to our students in nanoscience, and to provide opportunities for students in other Capital Region school districts to benefit from the great resource that the NanoCollege is to our community," said CSDA Superintendent Eva C. Joseph, Ed.D.
Dr. Alain E. Kaloyeros, Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of CNSE, said, "The UAlbany NanoCollege is pleased to host eligible students from across the Capital Region who will receive a unique and unparalleled look at the exciting world of nanotechnology through the inaugural Excelsior Scholars Nanoscale Science Summer Institute. Through the strategic partnership between CNSE and the City School District of Albany, school districts from across the region will have the opportunity to share in this pioneering educational paradigm that gives students a firsthand look at nanoscale science and engineering, the field that will shape their careers in the future."
Students participating in the Excelsior Scholars Nanoscale Science Summer Institute have been selected by their home school districts based upon distinguished work in mathematics and science. Each student will receive a certificate at the completion of the program identifying them as a New York State Excelsior Scholar.
About City School District of Albany
The City School District of Albany serves approximately 8,600 students in 18 elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood schools, the district includes several magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic opportunities for students. 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.
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 over 800,000 square feet, including over 80,000 square feet of Class 1 capable cleanroom space, to house over 2,500 scientists, researchers, engineers, students, and faculty by mid-2009. For more information, visit http://www.cnse.albany.edu/.
CSDA Contact

Ron Lesko, City School District of Albany

(phone) 518-475-6065

(e-mail) [email protected]
CNSE Contact

Steve Janack, CNSE Vice President for Marketing and Communications

(phone) 518-956-7322 (cell) 518-312-5009

(e-mail) [email protected]
Source: CNSE