Univ. of Washington Announces First Nanotech Ph.D.

Scott Brauer writes: "The University of Washington's Center for Nanotechnology has announced that the UW will be host to the first nanotech degree program in the U.S. An article in The Daily, the campus newspaper, mentions here that the Ph.D. offered is an 'option program' within a group of other programs, meaning that 'students will earn simulatneous degrees in both nanotechnology and in one of nine other departments.' The program is estimated to have 20 to 40 students per year, including this year, as soon as the Board of Regents makes its expected vote of approval. Another article can be found here."

Comments

Imaginary Degree

[1alpha7]

UW will be host to the first nanotech degree program in the US.

What a sleazy grab for headlines. Unless one works in an advanced IBM lab or the like, such a degree isn't worth the paper it's printed on. No one is currently in a position to "teach" nano-tech. It's like teaching warp-drive at this point. Okay, so I exaggerate. Not by much.

1Alpha7

Re:Imaginary Degree

[wass]

What a sleazy grab for headlines. Unless one works in an advanced IBM lab or the like, such a degree isn't worth the paper it's printed on. No one is currently in a position to "teach" nano-tech. It's like teaching warp-drive at this point.

ummm, what's the difference between this and all other scientific graduate programs? Scientific research involves reaching into the unknown. nanotech is one such unknown. how is this different?

Are you at all familiar with how graduate science programs function? They don't just teach you stuff that's already known. Maybe for a master's degree you can do a few classes and maybe a short thesis project. But for a PhD, you've got to pick some specific research area, and work it out for a few years, under guidance of your thesis adviser. You're pretty much expected to become the world's expert in that fairly specific sub-area.

And of course this research is into a new realm. Trying something new out, or possibly finding a better way to do something that's already known. But one doesn't merely repeat what's already done, just for the sake of repeating it. There is an amount of verification, though, just to keep people honest (remember cold fusion)?

Plus, there's usually lots of colloboration between big labs and grad programs, such as IBM as you mention. Big companies like this are usually more than willing to shell out small cash in comparison, to have some slaves (read grad students) really focus on research specifics. Much cheaper than hiring full-time employees to do the same.

Finally, there are many grad programs already doing nanotech stuff. For example, down the hall from me right now some people in the experimental condensed matter physics wing are doing research on carbon nanotubes. Just this is in the physics dept, this announcement deals with the first dept focused exclusively on nanotech.

nTech Ph.D. program

[TBHiX]

Well, looks like my advanced studies plan just finalised. ;)

I can just picture my thesis: "The Gray Goo Scenario and University Cafeteria Supply Issues: a Modest Proposal".

I'll forego the obvious jokes about atomic-scale diplomas, labs, etc., as the humour so derived is way to small to notice. ;)

-TBHiX-

Other l33t degrees...

[Reality Master 101]

Ph.D. in Transporter Technology

Ph.D. in Holodeck Science

Ph.D. in Geology, focus of Planet Terraforming

...and dare I say it...

Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence.

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It's getting harder to show off our work ...

[taniwha]

As a chip designer I've often found myself whipping out an opened die and showing off - "look I did that little square there" - luckily as feature sizes shrink tools have kept pace and we've become much more productive - so "that little square there" has stayed roughly the same size over the past decade or so.

Nanotech will change all this - features will be way too small to show off .... instead we'll probably be bragging about "do you remember that cold you had last summer ..."