Introducing nano and society issues into the undergraduate and graduate classrooms

CHED 89

Wendy C. Crone, MRSEC, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, Greta M. Zenner, gmzenner@wisc.edu, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI 53706, Clark A. Miller, Clark.Miller@asu.edu, Department of Political Science, Arizona State Univeristy, Box 87-3902, Tempe, AZ 85287-3902, Karin D. Ellison, karin.ellison@asu.edu, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, PO Box 87 - 4501, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, Charles Tahan, charlie@tahan.com, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, and Ricky Leung, rleung@ssc.wisc.edu, Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Nanotechnology has recently emerged as an exciting new arena of scientific research and technological innovation. At the same time, concerned citizens, prominent technology leaders, nanotechnology boosters, science fiction authors, policy officials, and environmental organizations have raised important questions about the technology's potential social, ethical, and environmental implications. We have developed teaching modules as well as full courses that offer students from engineering as well as other disciplines from across campus an opportunity to engage in discussions about the interaction between new technologies and modern society. Our nanotechnology and society educational materials range from short teaching modules exploring the impact of a new technology on different social groups using a role-playing exercise, to complete courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels that focus on theories and approaches to understanding the social dimensions of technology, applied to the case study of nanotechnology. The courses have drawn students from a wide range of disciplines, including the life, physical, and social sciences, humanities, and engineering.
 

Nanotechnology in Undergraduate Education
1:30 PM-4:35 PM, Sunday, March 25, 2007 McCormick Place North -- Room N227B, Level 2, Oral

Division of Chemical Education

The 233rd ACS National Meeting, Chicago, IL, March 25-29, 2007