The UNM Board of Regents has approved an interdisciplinary graduate degree program in Nanoscience and Microsystems. More than 60 faculty members in various departments will be involved in the teaching and research aspects of the program.
The degree program is a cooperative effort between the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and involves faculty from both areas of the university.
Nanoscience includes the traditional disciplines of solid-state physics, chemistry, biology, materials science and engineering. Microsystems Technology is based on nanostructured materials, which has as its foundation in the design and creation of miniature systems such as sensors and actuators. It includes the full range of inorganic, organic and biological nanoscience materials.
These will be the first master’s and doctoral programs in nanoscience or nanomaterials in the southwestern United States. Degree program organizers believe the new degree will enhance relations between the national laboratories in New Mexico and the university.
Associate Chairperson of the Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Department Abhaya Datye says, “Many of the courses are already being offered. This just pulls them together into a package that makes it more accessible to the students.” He says there will be some new courses added.
Datye says students who are interested in pursuing these degrees can already take courses in the general area. Those courses are offered in a number of different departments spread across the university. More information will soon be available on an NSMS web site. For now, students can learn about fellowships offered in conjunction with the NSMS at http://www.chtm.unm.edu/igert/.
Before the degree becomes a part of the formal curriculum it must be approved at all state levels as mandated by the New Mexico Higher Education Department. For more information about the program, please contact Abhaya Datye at (505) 277-0477 or datye@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu