SKOKIE, IL–(Marketwire -01/30/12)- NanoProfessor®, a division of NanoInk®, Inc. focused on nanotechnology education, announced today that Wheeling High School, which is a recognized Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, took the first step to further advance its stellar science education program by attending a three-day NanoCamp at NanoProfessor's facilities. During the three-day camp, faculty from Wheeling's science department learned more about nanotechnology and gained hands-on experience working with the cutting-edge nano-focused instrumentation included within the NanoProfessor Program.
“Nanotechnology is breaking new ground in a several fields including chemistry, biology, physics, material and environmental sciences, engineering, and medicine,” said Dr. Lazaro Lopez, principal of Wheeling High School. “We are extremely pleased with NanoProfessor for providing this opportunity for our teachers and are looking forward to working with them to determine how the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program can be applied in our high school setting, with the ultimate goal of providing our students with knowledge and experience in nanotechnology beginning their freshman year.”
The three-day NanoCamp was held at NanoInk's corporate office in Skokie from Thursday, January 19th to Monday, January 23rd. Attending the NanoCamp were Frank Caballero, a biology teacher; Karen Linzmeier, a chemistry teacher; and Lisa Del Muro, a physics and environmental science teacher.
“We received an introduction to nanoscience and conducted hands-on training with NanoInk's NLP 2000, which enabled us to make structures at the nanoscale on a desktop system, something that is usually only able to be done in a multi-million dollar cleanroom,” said Frank Caballero. “We are very excited to take what we've learned back to the classroom. Exposure to these advances in science will interest students pursuing careers in medicine, scientific research, engineering, and others.”
“We are honored to have Wheeling High School, a recognized leader in high school science education, interested in working with NanoProfessor to define how the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program can be implemented throughout a high school science curriculum,” said Dean Hart, chief commercial officer at NanoInk. “As nano-based products continue to emerge in the marketplace, the demand for nano savvy employees will rise. Progressive schools like Wheeling and visionary leaders like Dr. Lazaro Lopez are going to help meet that workforce demand by preparing their students for exciting careers in the growing nanotechnology industry.”
The NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program aims to expand hands-on nanotechnology education from the cleanrooms of research-based universities to undergraduate classrooms. The program alternates between classroom lectures and hands-on lab work and includes a textbook authored by leading nanotechnology experts, covering the topics of Nanotechnology Basics, Nanophysics, Nanochemistry, Nanobiology, and Environmental, Health, & Safety perspectives on nanotechnology.
In conducting the hands-on lab experiments, students learn the fundamentals for building custom-engineered nanoscale structures while working with state-of-the-art equipment including NanoInk's NLP 2000 Desktop NanoFabrication System, a student-friendly atomic force microscope (AFM), a best-of-class fluorescence microscope, an advanced nanoparticle characterization instrument, and various chemical and biological materials used today within current and emerging nanotechnology applications.
Wheeling High School is a public, four-year comprehensive high school with a STEM focus that opened in 1964 and graduated its first class in 1966. It serves Wheeling and sections of Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Mount Prospect, Northbrook, and Prospect Heights and is one of the six schools in Township High School District 214. In the fall of 2010, Wheeling High School was officially rededicated as a STEM school and admitted as an institutional member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science, and Technology — one of only three in Illinois. More information is available at: http://whs.d214.org.
About the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program
The NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program aims to advance the field of nanoscience and address the growing need for a skilled workforce of nanotechnologists. The NanoProfessor Program, including instruments, an expert-driven curriculum, and student/teacher support materials, is available for high schools, community colleges, technical institutes, and universities worldwide. More information is available at www.NanoProfessor.net or 847-679-NANO (6266). You can also follow NanoProfessor on Facebook® at www.facebook.com/pages/NanoProfessorTM/367787368082.
NanoInk, NanoProfessor, and the NanoProfessor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NanoInk, Inc.
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Wheeling High School Faculty Visit NanoProfessor in First Step to Introduce Nanotechnology Into Curriculum