Students view the world at the atomic level

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering recently purchased powerful new atomic force microscopes and scanning tunneling microscopes. Both of these tools allow researchers to examine materials at the atomic level. Undergraduate students in Associate Professor Paul Simmonds’ Introduction to Nanoscience class have been one of the first groups to use the new atomic force microscopes for a class activity. The students recently examined samples of sea shells, graphite, and other materials at an atomic level using the new equipment. 

In the newly-renovated Halligan Hall, students gathered around lab benches and peered into the microscopes. Undergraduate first year students often do not get the chance to use such advanced equipment, but according to Professor and Chair Tom Vandervelde the microscopes provide “an important contribution to the student learning environment.”

Introduction to Nanoscience is a new course in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and is one of several EN-1 or ‘Introduction to Engineering’ courses offered to first year engineering students. The courses range in topics across all engineering disciplines, but all EN-1 courses emphasize project work, engineering ethics, and engineering design process. 

In Introduction to Nanoscience students explore the properties and behavior of objects at the nano-level. The course covers both naturally occurring and artificially designed nanomaterials and investigates their applications in modern technology. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, students explore the ways in which nanomaterials can offer solutions to large-scale engineering problems. 

Simmonds’ research interests align well with the topic of his course. In his own research, he works at the nanoscale on the synthesis of novel semiconductor nanostructures, spintronics, high mobility electron transport and the integration of dissimilar materials. His research has applications in a wide range of areas from quantum information science and advanced infrared optoelectronic devices, to low-power electronics. 

Students in the course will continue to have hands-on learning experiences throughout the rest of the semester including using the new scanning tunneling microscopes that the department purchased recently. The equipment will be used widely by members of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering with a focus on providing students with unique learning opportunities.